REFLECT
Army Junior Officer Counsel – Enabling Junior Officers to Drive Change
by Major Chris Slininger The Problem The Army has been facing recruiting and retention challenges, particularly within the junior officer population: Lieutenants, Captains, Warrant Officers One, and Chief Warrant Officers Two. While recruitment and...
Why Senior Leaders Should Compete for an Expert Badge
Photo By Edward Muniz | Col. Michael Stewart reading Coordinates. by Joseph F. Adams I am an expert and I am a professional. – The Soldier’s Creed Cold mud and rain dripped down my forearms as I lay in the prone position and aimed my M80 Claymore....
What is Your Relationship with Time?
By Joe Byerly “I’ll try to find some time.” “I need more time.” “There’s not enough time in the day.” These phrases used to roll off my tongue without a second thought. My relationship with time was…contentious. My calendar dictated my life. ...
Is Your Superpower Actually Kryptonite?
By Mike Shekleton Many of us have seen a brand-new platoon leader, who is in peak physical condition, fall flat on their face during their first time leading platoon PT (physical training). Excited to lead and looking to impress their NCOs...
What Missing a Promotion Taught Me About Success
by Anthony Cannamela In early 2023, I was exactly where I wanted to be. My job was high-stakes, and it pushed my skills every day. When two four-star Admirals proposed an operation using what one described as the “crown jewel” of the U.S. Navy, my...
The Art of Recognition: A Culture of Investing in Human Capital
by MAJ Daniel J. Sprouse Creating a culture where first-line leaders recognize Soldiers for their pursuit of excellence is essential to unit success. While many military leaders focus on awards (such as achievement and commendation medals) as the...
You Built a System. Did You Build Any Leaders?
By Sara Roger Nine business days into this new job, and just one more day before I begin a three-week training exercise with a brand-new team in a different country. Needless to say, the stress is present: I’m against the clock in getting spun up,...
Find Your Power and Use it for Good: Why I Stayed for a Career
by Ryan Cornell-d’Echert “Are you getting what you want from what you do?” One of my colleagues asked that to his students and protégés; it’s a powerful question that has stuck with me. Because military service is an enormous commitment, it is...
It’s All Theory Until We Do It
By Joe Byerly We can have the best of plans. We can have the greatest of intentions. But until those plans and intentions collide with reality—it’s all just theory. Theories aren’t reality. They’re untested. They live in our minds—with plot lines...
Serving Until the End
by Chris Mulder Why I Joined the Air Force: A Family Legacy of Flying “You should serve as long as you can,” an old boss advised me while I contemplated my future. As I considered his advice, I reflected on why I entered the Air Force in the first...
The Thing That Will Destroy Us
By Joe Byerly Some of the best things in life start small and grow over time—relationships, financial investments, fitness levels. But the same pattern can apply to something far more dangerous: power. Power isn’t inherently bad; we need it to make...
The Most Important Notebook the Chief of Staff of the Army Carries
By Joe Byerly A couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with the Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy A. George when he showed me a small 5×7 notebook he always carries. Inside are nearly two decades of insights and lessons, ideas that...
Gains Disguised as Losses
By Joe Byerly Have you ever been knocked off your feet? I’m not talking about getting sucker-punched in a 1 a.m. bar fight or settling an old high school grudge by the flagpole. I mean those moments when life takes a swing and sends you sprawling....
Does Power Corrupt?
By Joe Byerly Thousands of years ago, as Emperor Marcus Aurelius sat in his tent on the front lines of war, he faced a far more dangerous enemy: himself. He had heard stories of what power could do to men. Rome’s history was littered with rulers...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Critical Role of Presence in Leadership
By Command Sgt. Maj. Brian A. Hester and Master Sgt. Katie Smith Presence is undeniably powerful. As a Soldier with 34 years of experience, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of a leader’s presence. Traditionally, this presence...
The Map on the Wall
By Jack “Farva” Curtis Whenever I write, I try hard to avoid expressing political or partisan opinions. Not only do I doubt you care about my opinions, but it would also be wholly inappropriate for me, in my current position as an active duty...
How to Turn Performance Counseling into a Conversation
By Joe Byerly When it comes to intentionally developing our subordinates, one of the greatest tools in a leader’s kit bag is one-on-one counseling. Unfortunately, counseling is hit or miss across the Army. I would argue that the majority of...
Assessing the Army of the Living’s Targeting in Winterfell
Helen Sloan/HBO By: Justin Beverly Warning: This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of Game of Thrones, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” Other authors have made much ado about the Army of the Living’s (AoL) tactical blunders at...
Field Grade Tales From a Former OC/T
By Jim King One of the benefits of being an Observer Controller/Trainer (OC/T) is that we get to stand with one leg in doctrine and the other in reality. We learn the theory, but then watch countless units fight it out in the Mojave desert, moving...
The Major’s Guide to Hurting Soldiers
This is the first post in the Field Grade Week Series (#FGWEEK). The intent is to provide company grade officers and new majors advice on making the successful transition from captain to major. This particular article by BG Ross Coffman was one of...
#DAweek: Welcome to Atropia
By: James King Large columns of dust rise up from the desert floor as a hundred T-80 tanks and BMPs are on the move. The commander of the Donovian Operational Strategic Command South (OSC-South) has just given the order to invade Atropia. Supported...
#DAweek Getting Intelligence to Move at the Speed of Decisive Action
By: Alex Morrow and Michael Dompierre “To find, know, and never lose the enemy”– Military Intelligence Creed At the outset of the Army’s return to Decisive Action and Unified Land Operations, National Training Center (NTC) Command Sgt Major...
#DAweek Winning the Fight To See
By Alan Hastings Our Cavalry formations have a maneuver problem. Somewhere between the line of departure and the reconnaissance objective, our reconnaissance stops. In our efforts to conduct reconnaissance, we find ourselves falling well short of...
#DAweek: The Survivability Mix
By: Remy Hemez In today’s rapidly evolving security environment, and after years of COIN operations, our armies are shifting their focus towards combined-arms maneuvers, which enables them to better prepare for combat against a wider array of...
#DAweek Anticipating Transitions to Seize and Maintain the Initiative
By Gary Klein As an observer-coach trainer at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), a recurring after action review comment during decisive action rotations was the training unit’s ability to handle transitions.[1] The hybrid threat...
Pluralistic Ignorance: A Danger to Organizational Culture and Leader Selection
by Shane Hughes “A toxic leader devastates the esprit de corps, discipline, initiative, drive, and willing service of subordinates and the units they comprise.” (Christopher Doty, 2013) The U.S. military prides itself on developing leaders. We...
Stories of Service: Mentor Your Subordinate to Engage with the Public
By Brian C. Gerardi Each year, our nation observes holidays centered on its service members and veterans. These commemorations—Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day—often include invitations (“tasked” or “asked”) to senior service members...
Affinity Over Alikeness: How to Mentor Soldiers Different Than You
by Emma Abusch “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” -Steven Spielberg It’s 0200 and I’m flying to my first no-notice deployment. I look up...
Mold in the Barracks? The Hots&Cots App Will Get Leaders’ Attention
(Sgt. 1st Class Jason Hull/U.S. Army photo) By Rob Evans It’s an open secret that military barracks across the Department of Defense (DOD) are inadequate and underfunded. Junior enlisted soldiers often struggle in obscurity, with their leaders...
Leaders Make Meaning: The So-What Beyond Purpose, Direction, and Motivation
by Tom Montano “Wow, so are you guys actually Soldiers?!” The crowds at Mount Vernon asked me this over a dozen times that winter Saturday after our colonial battlefield tactical demonstration. I was wearing my Revolutionary War era blue jacket and...
Thinking of Yourself as Phil Jackson: Team Building Reflections from Command
by Oren Rosen Building your team is important work. And managing that team once assembled is what determines if the team will perform at championship caliber. As a commander, you inherit most of your team—but that does not mean the roster is...
Pay It Forward: Mid-Career Moolah for Continued Service
by Sara Roger Picture this: it’s the summer of 2025, and you just finished company command. As you pack up your office, you reflect on the last 18 months: the late-night calls and emails, the last-minute taskings, the oversaturation of...
The Three C’s of Leader Development Relationships
by Tom Dull Leaders in the U.S. Army profession must deliberately prioritize leader development relationships in our units and organizations. Leader development relationships enable our subordinate leaders to maximize their personal and...
Looking Down Under and Within: Three Recommendations to Address the Recruiting Crisis
by Aaron Pucetas Over the past couple years, the Army has been unable to meet its recruiting goals. In a highly competitive labor market with record low unemployment rates, some argue that the Army must immediately improve its compensation package...
Communicate Your Staff Estimates in the Language of Risk
by Tom Gaines and Micah Stedman “Gentlemen, we have run out of money; now we have got to think.” – Winston Churchill Somewhere out there is the perfect unit. The commander’s intent is perfectly understood by every member of this...
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