by George Fust
Every organization has institutional narratives. These taglines go beyond best practices, they are embedded in the soul of the organization and passed from generation to generation. Sometimes these phrases, often framed as advice, help new members avoid pitfalls. Other times, they are highly problematic. These narratives reinforce how members of the organization think. While such colloquial shortcuts may be efficient, they can lead to poor decision-making. They can also negatively affect retention, resilience, morale, and expectations. Entrenched narratives reduce diversity of thought and ultimately prevent an organization from achieving its full potential. Increasing awareness of these oft-repeated phrases is a necessary first step. A prime example of an organization rife with narrative fallacies, or organizational myths, is the U.S. Army.
Any Army officer can attest to the barrage of one-liners thrown their way before and after commissioning. This “advice,” meant to help, is often repeated by officers as they advance in rank. At each stage of promotion, officers receive new catchphrases tailored to their rank or upcoming duty position. In the interest of time, mentors recycle common knowledge often without firsthand experience to support it. A few notable examples frequently told to Army officers include:
- “You only lead as a platoon leader and commander; the rest of the time, you’ll be a staff officer.”
- “Good leaders run fast and brief well.”
- “Leaders don’t get medical profiles.”
- “Your time as a Major will be a grind—mostly 20+ hour days.”
- “You need school X, Y, or Z to succeed at job X, Y, or Z.”
- “Field grade officers should be married.”
- “Officers should look a certain way and wear specific clothes off duty.”
- “You must follow a prescribed career path to be successful.”
- “The commander’s spouse must lead the Family Readiness Group.”
- “You can’t have any red boxes on a status update slide.”
- “There are such things as ‘officer’ or ‘NCO’ business.”
- “The Army doesn’t care about you after you retire or separate.”
- “Some soldiers aren’t good in garrison, but they’re the ones you want downrange.”
Some branch-specific phrases include:
- For intelligence officers: “You never get to do intel after your lieutenant or junior captain time.”
- For aviation officers: “You never get to fly after command unless you become a warrant officer.”
This is just a small sample of the maxims embedded in Army culture. While often well-intentioned and intended to convey lessons learned, these sayings are usually false, incomplete, and ultimately detrimental. These mistaken beliefs, based on unsound logic, exemplify the narrative fallacy.
It is time for the Army to evolve beyond these outdated myths. With the current emphasis on continuous transformation, now is the perfect window for reform. Eliminating these fallacies from the officer corps’ lexicon can usher in a new style of thinking and mentorship. It may also improve retention and resilience, and perhaps even boost optimism among officers.
How can changing the narrative help? Consider the oft-repeated warning that time as a Major will be exhausting and thankless. What if the narrative more accurately reflected reality? What if we told junior officers that this phase is an opportunity to shape organizations, see the direct impact of their efforts, and literally help run the tactical Army? Perhaps the long workdays are unavoidable, but the rewards might outweigh the challenges. This shift in narrative is uplifting rather than defeatist. It doesn’t downplay the difficulty, but it offers a hopeful vision of the outcome. Senior captains debating whether to stay in the Army might be more inclined to remain if they believed their work as a Major would be meaningful, not just an exercise in misery. These entrenched narratives not only limit thinking, they preordain outcomes. But they can be changed.
One proposed solution, offered by Matt Offord, is the SWAN method: Start With Another Narrative. This approach encourages asking difficult questions, identifying false narratives, challenging superiors and peers, and considering new possibilities. At its core, SWAN is about critical thinking. Imagine the impact if this mindset were applied to the multitude of false narratives circulating in the Army today. If mentors grounded their advice in optimism and personal experience, and if junior officers dared to imagine better outcomes, the force would benefit greatly.
The power of narratives is their ability to reinforce how we think. This is dangerous if the narrative is a fallacy. Army officers must practice a different approach. They must challenge assumptions. They must pursue a range of opinions. They must seek to achieve a more optimal outcome rather than the perceived status quo. This does not equate to challenging everything. It means thinking through a process. Army officers can positively contribute to established culture by challenging narratives before accepting or repeating them. Now is the time to rewrite institutional myths.
LTC George Fust is an Army officer. He previously taught in the Social Sciences Department at the US Military Academy at West Point. He holds a master’s degree in political science from Duke University and has published in a variety of sources.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.
