There’s No “I” In Command
Part II: Fostering a Culture of Trust
The opinions expressed here do not reflect the positions of any branch of the U.S. Army, Department of The Army, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.
The author of this piece is CPT Scott Nusom (@snusom22). Scott is an Armor Officer in the United States Army. He is currently a graduate student at Penn State University and was fortunate enough to command two companies in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
If understanding your role in the larger organization sets the foundation for a successful command (Part I: Connecting to the Larger Organization), then building a strong company-level team centered on trust is how to sustain that success. Working as a part of a larger team is essential but the true reward of command is leading Soldiers and empowering change within your own company. Fostering this true culture of trust requires you to focus on the three critical elements of a company-level team: leaders, Soldiers, and families.
Empower your leaders. Company command is a constant cycle of planning and problem solving. The sooner you realize that you are responsible for the process and not for providing all the answers, the less likely you are to experience burnout. As a new commander, you may feel that it is easier to direct and control everything but this strategy severely limits the potential and marginalizes the talents of subordinate leaders. Conversely, providing guidance and then empowering company leaders maximizes the intellect and available experience to develop stronger and more creative solutions to problems. Whether you are planning a live fire exercise or an organizational day, give your leaders clear guidance and intent and let them make decisions. When you empower leaders, you are giving them the opportunity to be stakeholders in the company and the result will be leaders who genuinely care about the success of the organization. Additionally, by not preoccupying yourself with the minutiae of each planning effort, you are able to step back, study the bigger picture, and insert command influence in areas where you have identified problems or friction.
Be passionate about leader development. The position of company commander comes with the awesome responsibility and the professional obligation to develop the next generation of leaders. Plan your leader professional development (LPD) program as deliberately as any training event or operation and include the knowledge and experience of the senior leaders within the company. Tailor your company LPD program to the needs of each specific level of leadership. For example, we expect a lot from our team leaders, but they are probably the most undertrained leader in the Army. When a senior specialist or junior sergeant assumes the role of team leader, the expectation is that he/she still needs to learn how to become an effective leader. It is seldom that a junior soldier can step into a leadership role and run with it from the outset. These leaders arguably need the most development yet receive far less attention than more senior officers and non-commissioned officers. In addition, be creative with your LPD program. Joe Byerly provides an excellent case for embracing social media and the need to evolve outside “traditional” leader development practices on his blog, From the Green Notebook. Utilizing social media allows you to share information, solicit feedback, and hold meaningful discussions regardless of operational tempo or physical location of company leaders. It also provides you a practical forum to include other leaders or subject matter experts from outside the organization. Finally, the profession of arms only provides one — albeit an important — lens to address leadership. Including vignettes and case studies from professions such as business, athletics, and even education will broaden your LPD program and help your leaders develop a more profound appreciation for the art of leadership.
Invest in the success of your Soldiers. As important as it is to make a deliberate effort to grow and build leaders, it is equally important that you place command emphasis on investing in the success of your Soldiers. Although you will not be able to influence all of your Soldiers through daily interaction, there are several ways in which you can still positively impact every Soldier in your company. First, develop a deliberate system to distribute information to the Soldier-level. While many factors can contribute to a communication breakdown within a company, if Soldiers are not effectively receiving information they will not be able to perform at the level their leaders expect. As the commander, you can remedy this by implementing a system to display information in a simple method, with all non-pertinent information removed, and presented to Soldiers in several different varieties. Second, build your team through healthy competition. Units that can function effectively as a team will perform the best in stressful situations. Creating an environment where Soldiers, sections, and platoons can compete against one another is a great way for Soldiers to take ownership in their small unit while building esprit de corps throughout the larger organization. When I commanded in the cavalry squadron, we conducted a “Saber Challenge” every quarter. The challenge encompassed physical and tactical events and the winning platoon received a mounted saber that stayed with the platoon until the next competition. The Saber Challenge was something for which the Soldiers took great pride and was an easy win for the leadership towards building and sustaining our team. Finally, support your Soldiers in their future endeavors. As difficult as it is to watch a talented Soldier leave the company, you have an obligation to help the men and women who served honorably under your command when they make the decision to move on. Whether it is a letter of recommendation for a sergeant separating from service or helping a specialist reclassify into a new MOS, the loss to your company will be a positive gain for the Army or society as a whole.
Focus on families. The final piece of creating an organization centered on trust is developing and maintaining a strong and relevant Family Readiness Group (FRG). There are varying thoughts and opinions about the purpose of an FRG and some Soldiers may initially shy away from participating. If you and your leadership can show your Soldiers and families that your organization genuinely cares about their well-being, you will have tremendous support for what you and your team are working to accomplish. A strong FRG will provide valuable information on unit activities and connect families with installation support services. It can also assist spouses who are either new to the area or new to the Army and build a support network that is invaluable during deployments and training events. FRG events also provide the commander an opportunity to address the families, answer questions and squelch any rumors that begin to circulate. Finally, include single Soldiers in your FRG events and communication. Encourage them to add family members to the contact roster and ensure your FRG relays the same critical information presented to spouses. Single Soldiers have family members that are just as concerned and want to stay updated on what their Soldier is doing, especially during a deployment. Your FRG program can be another easy win for your team and it allows you to focus on an aspect of your command that is crucial for readiness and resiliency.
A key principle within the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is the belief that “the base of the mountain is our people”. While this important value helps define the brigade’s identity, it is also a powerful representation of company command. Fostering a culture of trust with your Soldiers and caring for the well-being of their families establishes the base for your organization and makes company command a truly rewarding experience.
