REFLECT
Breaking Trust and How to Deal with It
By Oren Rosen It was a typical day in ROTC when one of my students walked into my office. He had just returned from National Guard hurricane recovery operations and wanted to stop by for a quick chat. I was happy to see him and was ready to ask him...
Leveraging Public Affairs for Information Advantage in Modern Warfare
By Jennifer Bocanegra In today’s complex battlespace, the power of information can be as decisive as any weapon system. As a Public Affairs Officer (PAO) with over 15 years of experience in both Army and joint operations, I’ve witnessed...
Was this preventable? A new perspective on accidents
By John Geracitano In the 1930s, a crane in a Philadelphia railyard dropped a steel track onto my grandfather’s leg, injuring it so badly it had to be amputated. Accidents happen, especially in dangerous occupations. But after reading Jessie...
Parental Leave: A Critical Investment for Families
by Jakob Hutter Balancing the demands of military service with raising a family has always been challenging, especially in a country where paid parental leave isn’t guaranteed nationwide. The United States is the only high-income nation that does...
Strength in Solitude: My Journey From Latchkey Kid to Introverted Leader
By Albert D. Keever Jr. Leadership is often associated with bold, charismatic individuals who can electrify a room with their words or galvanize a team with their commanding presence. These figures typically seem larger than life, embodying...
Maintaining Morale in Afghanistan’s Final Days
Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division prepare to board a U.S. Air Force C-17 on August 30th, 2021 at the Hamid Karzai International Airport. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Alexander Burnett, 82nd Airborne Public Affairs). By Grant...
Transitioning Well
by Mike Martino Fresh off a promotion to Major, with a golden ticket to the Army’s Command and General Staff Officer Course, I left active duty after ten years as an Infantry Officer. Leaving the Army was one of the toughest decisions I have ever...
Unlock Your Potential Through Journaling
By Melissa A. Czarnogursky “The brain enjoys writing. It enjoys the act of naming things, the process of association and discernment.” –Julia Cameron I had the wrong perspective on journaling. Throughout my military career, mentors...
Lessons in Efficiency from a Literal Gatekeeper
David Greggs I recently visited a major amusement park with my daughter and received a lesson in efficiency while we waited in line for a ride on a hot day. The park was not very crowded, so we had the place to ourselves for the most part. We made...
Weaponize the Neurodivergent
by Dr. Katy Davis, Lt. Col. Erik Davis, and Lt. Col. Nick Frazier. While the US Army hit its recruiting goal for 2024, the target is much lower than previous years, and following a deficit of 25,000 recruits from the previous two years One...
Lessons Learned from a Company XO in EUCOM
by Chard Phebe Being an Executive Officer (XO) as a First Lieutenant (1LT) has been described as “unglamorous” and “thankless.” I knew that entering the role back in August 2021, when previous Battalion Commander encouraged me to take the position....
Maintenance Tips from the Field for Junior Leaders
By Victor Littleton The best professionals in any given field have a deep understanding of their profession, and they use that to mentor and lead the next generation of professionals. The best doctors seek out teaching positions and help create...
Quit Turning the Bubbles Green
Photo: Army Times, “Report: Army officers admit to (and defend) their lying” by Jim Jimenez and Chris Slininger Every leadership book we’ve ever read would agree: lying is not a hallmark of a good leader. Yet in the Army we lie...
The Man in the Stands
By Joe Byerly It’s the critic who counts; the man who points out when we stumble, or where we could have done better. It’s the one in the stands, who’s well above the dusty floor with a beer in one hand and a warm hot dog in the other, not having...
Understanding Sun Tzu through the Mongols
by Chris Horvilleur Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, written in 400 BC, has shaped strategic thinking for nearly two and a half millennia, foremost amongst military minds but also recently amongst western business leaders. The breadth of the book’s impact...
4 Types of Officers; and How to Develop Yourself and Others
By Joel Smith The Four Types of Officers As a young officer I read German General Kurt Von Hammerstein-Equord’s four officer categories; they are 1) the clever, 2) the industrious, 3) the lazy, and 4) the stupid. “I divide my officers into four...
A Letter to My Younger Self on Graduation Day
by Nikiay Comer Graduation week is here and you’ve felt a wave of emotions in anticipation of its arrival. You’re looking forward to accepting your diploma in front of your family and friends who have traveled far and wide to support you on...
The Impact of Moral Efficacy on Army Readiness
by Marc Meybaum, Cole Cannon, & Brian Martinez You stand in the hot sun of a motor pool staring down at a sea of equipment layouts. You have been desperately trying to manage the ream of property book pages as you conduct your change of command...
You Are Your Best Career Manager
by Brandon Eans As a career manager, I think daily about the advice my former First Sergeant offered me over eight years ago: “You are your best career manager”. I was a First Lieutenant serving as an Executive Officer for a Field Artillery...
Thought Partner: A Primer
by Nicholas A. Rich I recently spent a weekend with a good friend. After the long weekend, I received a message from him thanking me for being both a friend, and a “thought partner.” I met him in the Army in 2015, and we deployed...
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Lessons Learned Leading Zero-Experience Ad-Hoc Teams
by Brad Crosson Thanks to a recurring overseas exercise, I have had several opportunities to take about two dozen people who have never met before and quickly turn them into a functioning team. I measure my impromptu teams’ success by how...
The Cornerstone of Our Profession
By Marc Meybaum As we raise our right hand, our oath is expected to be, and must be, an honest commitment to serve. Honesty is called forth in the very first act of every military service member in our modern volunteer force. It is our first act of...
Forging Trust in Time for the Next Crisis
by Ted Delicath and Danny Kenny Trust serves as the foundation and fuel of our Team of Teams’ core capabilities. During a crisis, pre-established trust speeds and deepens a team’s response and impact. In contrast, an absence of trust creates...
Enduring
by Hannah Wentland For a long time I have struggled to write or even share my thoughts. The first notion inhibiting me is always, “Who am I to write something worth knowing?” I fear I lack the credibility to sit at the table and champion my voice:...
The Bear: A New, Relevant Source of Professional Development
by Zach Batton By and large, military leaders are not diversifying their sources for professional development. Once and Eagle, Black Hearts, Black Hawk Down, and This Kind of War are just a few repetitive staples in most reading/watch lists....
Attack the Stigma!: How Leaders can support Mental Health Maintenance
by Mandi Rollinson What is mental health? Despite the stigma existing in contemporary culture around the term “mental health,” mental health is not a condition in and of itself. It is a fact of being human. The WHO defines mental health as:...
Get To Know Each Other: The Art and Power of Friendship
by Caleb Miller How well do you know the people you work with? How often, outside of work hours, do you hang out with any of them? Do you know what they consider to be important? Do you know about where they came from before they joined the...
Every Soldier A Warrior: Bridging the Divide Between Combat and Support
by Benjamin Phocas After twenty years of counterinsurgency, with some spending entire combat deployments in an air conditioned office on a city sized forward operating base, it has become easy for soldiers not at the tip of the spear to treat the...
Planning to Win the Tactical Level Fights: How Simple Operations Products Enable Synchronized Success
by Sean Leary Battalion and brigade staffs operate somewhere in between the company tactical level and the operational machines that are division headquarters. In this area, it is essential for commanders and their supporting staffs to be...
Lessons Learned for an Effective Training Pathway and Development
by J David Thompson “What did we do that made us so effective?” A few weeks after returning from a deployment to the Levant, one of my Team Sergeants asked me this question after he and his Team Leader had a chance to reflect on the past...
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