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The Narrative Fallacy: Challenging Army Myths
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,...
The Value of Introspection: Letting Yourself Teach Yourself
by Michael Moffeit We have all been there, hastily scribbling notes into our notebooks (mostly green and mostly government-issued), trying to capture some notes or to-do lists. We attempt to record pearls of wisdom from our raters, senior raters,...
Should You Go to SAMS? Yes.
by Garrett Chandler Most of the stories they tell you about being a School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) planner are true. You will likely be thrown right into being the lead planner for something immediately, or, as in my case, on the third...
Why Write in the Age of AI?
By Tim Devine Outsourcing your writing to AI is tantalizing because of its sudden ubiquity. Despite the convenience, there’s a hidden cost when you transfer your agency as a writer. It robs you of crucial cognitive development. Composing your...
Why Do I Keep My Notebooks?
Photo courtesy of Jay Ireland, who also keeps ALL of his notebooks! by David J. Vowell A few years ago, I worked in the operations center (S3) of the Air Traffic Control organization in the Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Novosel, AL. This...
What I Learned as an Inaugural Harding Fellow—and Why You Should Apply
By Emily Lopez No crap, there I was—a newly promoted Major, just two weeks shy of graduating with my Master’s degree from the National Defense University. The next logical step was clear—Civil Affair Company Command. Then came the plot twist: an...
Leaders, Stop Creating Chaos! Your Words Carry Weight!
By Joe Byerly One of the toughest challenges for leaders—especially as they rise to senior levels—is learning when to shut up. I don’t say that flippantly. Okay, maybe a little. But what I really mean is that a single question, offhand comment, or...
Just Write! A Message to Junior Officers and NCOs
by Mike Everett Army senior leaders want to hear what you have to say. You don’t have to take my word for it–General Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, has been very clear about his call for Army leaders to put pen to paper. The Harding...
What Are My Options? How to Speak Commander
By LTC Terron Wharton Five years ago, as a battalion S3, I watched a frustrated company commander struggle to brief my battalion commander. Unfortunately, this had become a trend for this particular company commander. Later that day, I brought him...
Effective Communication
By Jeff Farmer Are you an effective communicator? Can you communicate your direction, vision, and how to overcome hurdles to meet your objectives? In my experience, intentional leadership is the bedrock of building trust within an organization,...
The Narrative Fallacy: Challenging Army Myths
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,...
Should You Go to SAMS? Yes.
by Garrett Chandler Most of the stories they tell you about being a School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) planner are true. You will likely be thrown right into being the lead planner for something immediately, or, as in my case, on the third...
Why Write in the Age of AI?
By Tim Devine Outsourcing your writing to AI is tantalizing because of its sudden ubiquity. Despite the convenience, there’s a hidden cost when you transfer your agency as a writer. It robs you of crucial cognitive development. Composing your...
Leaders, Stop Creating Chaos! Your Words Carry Weight!
By Joe Byerly One of the toughest challenges for leaders—especially as they rise to senior levels—is learning when to shut up. I don’t say that flippantly. Okay, maybe a little. But what I really mean is that a single question, offhand comment, or...
What Are My Options? How to Speak Commander
By LTC Terron Wharton Five years ago, as a battalion S3, I watched a frustrated company commander struggle to brief my battalion commander. Unfortunately, this had become a trend for this particular company commander. Later that day, I brought him...
Effective Communication
By Jeff Farmer Are you an effective communicator? Can you communicate your direction, vision, and how to overcome hurdles to meet your objectives? In my experience, intentional leadership is the bedrock of building trust within an organization,...
Multitasking is Bad for Your Brain
This post originally appeared on The Quiet Workplace By Michele O’Hagan In today’s job market, multitasking is the norm. “Ability to multitask” is listed as a “must” in nearly every job description. We pride ourselves on our ability to juggle...
A Text to Garcia: Business Rules for Work Texting
by Joon Lee “We do NOT use Signal as our primary means of communication!” my fellow staff officer exclaimed. I sympathized—in our years of service, we’ve embraced the tenet that “we train like we fight,” that we must exercise our tactical systems...
Warrant Officers Need to Write Well Too
by Mike Lima It’s not just officers who need to know how to write—it’s warrant officers too. Warrant officers now have many roles, including staff officer positions and numerous duties as action officers. As a staff officer, the primary...
Communicating Your Intent: Overcome the Illusion of Transparency
by Dr. Yasmine L. Kalkstein and Brian Gerardi My (Yasmine’s) early experiences as a leader, despite effort and good intentions, were fraught with failure. One problem I ran up against were complaints about my lack of communication. My...
Should You Go to SAMS? Yes.
by Garrett Chandler Most of the stories they tell you about being a School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) planner are true. You will likely be thrown right into being the lead planner for something immediately, or, as in my case, on the third...
Why Write in the Age of AI?
By Tim Devine Outsourcing your writing to AI is tantalizing because of its sudden ubiquity. Despite the convenience, there’s a hidden cost when you transfer your agency as a writer. It robs you of crucial cognitive development. Composing your...
Why Do I Keep My Notebooks?
Photo courtesy of Jay Ireland, who also keeps ALL of his notebooks! by David J. Vowell A few years ago, I worked in the operations center (S3) of the Air Traffic Control organization in the Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Novosel, AL. This...
What I Learned as an Inaugural Harding Fellow—and Why You Should Apply
By Emily Lopez No crap, there I was—a newly promoted Major, just two weeks shy of graduating with my Master’s degree from the National Defense University. The next logical step was clear—Civil Affair Company Command. Then came the plot twist: an...
Just Write! A Message to Junior Officers and NCOs
by Mike Everett Army senior leaders want to hear what you have to say. You don’t have to take my word for it–General Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, has been very clear about his call for Army leaders to put pen to paper. The Harding...
Check Out the Military Review’s Series on Professional Military Writing
By Rebecca Segal In every job we serve, we learn. Whether you’re journaling to sort through your thoughts or crafting an article to share best practices, writing is an important part of the growth process. At FTGN, we focus on sharing those...
3 Reasons to Attend The Next FTGN Writers Webinar
By Kevin Cutright Editor’s Note: Sign up for our May 3rd prospective writers webinar here. Not convinced? Read this piece. I was one of about 15 attendees in From the Green Notebook’s webinar for prospective writers in early February. I...
Warrant Officers Need to Write Well Too
by Mike Lima It’s not just officers who need to know how to write—it’s warrant officers too. Warrant officers now have many roles, including staff officer positions and numerous duties as action officers. As a staff officer, the primary...
Anyone Can Write for Military Publications—Even Cadets
by Ben Phocas Writing for a military publication may seem like a daunting or unattainable goal for a novice writer. Stereotypes about military writing–and writers in general–abound. They only reinforce tentative writers’ reservations about putting...
Leading into the Future: Why You Should Write a Thesis at CGSC
by Benjamin Van Horrick To the incoming class, welcome to Fort Leavenworth and the United States Army Combined Arms Center Command and General Staff College (CGSC). You are embarking on the most pivotal—and certainly not the easiest—year of your...
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