Leader Development as an Iron Major
As company grade officers, my friends and I would often remark how miserable majors seemed to be during their time as operations and executive officers. This observation caused many of my peers to leave the Army rather than face the daunting challenge of the “major years.” To my genuine surprise and pleasure, I have enjoyed being a battalion operations officer (S3) more than any other position I have held, with command as the lone exception. I don’t believe I hold a particular penchant for asceticism or self-flagellation, so what has made this one of the most rewarding years of my life? Reflecting on the past year, the moments I have cherished are those spent training, mentoring, guiding, and leading the NCOs and Officers with whom I have worked.
I have spent my career studying the Military Decision Making Process, Tactics, Strategy, and other aspects of being a good staff officer. I’ve spent [a lot] of time perusing Army Regulation 25-50 and reading articles like Alexander Boroff’s recent post, “Staff Work and You.” As a member of staff, I was prepared; however, soon after getting in the S-3 seat, I discovered another critical, and often overlooked, aspect of being an “Iron Major:” leader development.
For most junior Officers and NCOs in a battalion staff, their current assignment is the first time they have served on a staff. This requires the field grade leaders in the battalion to train and develop those officers individually and the staff collectively. As the S3, I also came to appreciate that the battalion’s future platoon leaders and commanders would pass through my staff. This requires a deliberate approach to mentorship and development to prepare junior leaders for their future assignments.
Train the Staff
During initial counseling with both battalion commanders I have worked for, they charged the XO and me with training the staff. Training a staff requires both planned training events and on-the-job training. As the S3, I share the responsibility for training the staff with the XO. Working closely with the XO, we developed a training plan to build the staff’s competency in MDMP, command post (CP) operations, and general staff work.
MDMP Training. Field grade officers are “experts” in MDMP, second lieutenants are not. Despite quality MDMP training during the Engineer Basic Officer Leader Course (I should know, I taught it), junior officers lack the experience and expertise to plan operations. The officers and NCOs on a battalion staff require both training and experience to participate effectively during MDMP.
To close this training gap, the XO and I modified the battle rhythm to add a morning of MDMP training and execution each week. The intent was to have protected time to train the staff on each step of MDMP, prior to applying that knowledge to a planning effort. Though good in concept, the finite nature of time and realities of competing requirements often prevented the XO or me from teaching the MDMP each week. Despite lacking the original planned structure, the dedicated time to bring the staff together for planning proved invaluable.
Recognizing the need for more formal and structured training, we worked with the HHC commander to schedule multiple staff exercises (STAFFEX). We conducted STAFFEXs both in the field and at the local training support center. During the STAFFEXs, the XO or I would teach the MDMP prior to walking the staff through execution. Relying on both real and simulated operations to stimulate the staff, we focused on ensuring each staff member understood “the why” behind each step of MDMP.
CP Operations Training. The work of commanding and controlling a battalion happens in the CP. An organized CP is essential to build situational understanding and control operations effectively. For officers and NCOs who have never been in one, it can be confusing, chaotic, and intimidating. Field grade leaders must train the staff to operate in a CP. Furthermore, it is imperative that the field grade officers explain why the CP performs each function. A trip ticket is an enigma, with no apparent purpose, to a second lieutenant or NCO on staff for the first time. CP battle drills seem silly, until the battle captain sees the speed at which operations develop. Field grade leaders must seek opportunities to employ the CP to enable training. My XO and I planned a command post exercise during our battalion range density. This allowed the CP to battle track subordinate units with real time data while running concurrent planning efforts, the training was invaluable.
Staff Work Training. Though planning, controlling, and sustaining operations is the critical task of a staff, staff officers and NCOs perform many other functions. Much of the staff has a role in providing oversight for regulatory compliance (e.g. S2 overseas the physical security program). Additionally, staffs plan and execute a myriad of other events. Activities like battalion organizational days, balls, cup & flower funds, and additional duties provide opportunities for junior leaders to learn and excel. Assigning tasks or additional duties to leaders on staff enables them to build competence in specific areas or develop skills in planning and coordinating.
Develop and Mentor for the Future
The importance of developing leaders for their future assignments cannot be overstated. My goal was to train each member of the staff in their current role and prepare them for their future role. I used multiple venues for leader development, each focused on different topics. The 130th Engineer Brigade conducts monthly “Sapper Readiness Days,” in lieu of payday activities. Conducted on the first Friday of the month, Sapper readiness day provides an opportunity to discuss various readiness topics (e.g. financial readiness, mental health, relationships) in small groups during the morning and developmental counseling in the afternoons. Additionally, at the request of the leaders in my shop, I began hosting weekly OPDs. These OPDs are open to the entire staff and rotate topics between tactics, ethics, and leadership lessons. The structure of the weekly OPDs provides a framework to discuss topics of importance to junior leaders. As I assessed the developmental needs of my subordinates, it became clear that each had different requirements. I have laid out the particular considerations for each cohort on staff below.
Captains. As recent career course graduates, staff captains are typically waiting for command. Captains have two distinct developmental requirements: preparation for command and preparation to be an S3 or XO. Developing captains for command should focus on leading and developing platoon leaders. Pre-command captains have rarely had the opportunity to lead lieutenants. Each captain in the shop had supervision of the lieutenants in the shop and I charged them with developing the second lieutenants for platoon leadership. This provided them the opportunity to hone their skills. For most captains, staff time prior to command is the last opportunity to work closely with an S3 or XO and learn to lead a staff. I routinely incorporated my captains into my decision making for manning, plans, operations, and other key decisions to enable them to gain experience. Doing this enabled me to build buy-in and give the captains an inside look at decision making at the field grade level.
Senior Lieutenants. Senior lieutenants are the powerhouse of a battalion staff. They often have valuable experience and a deep understanding of the organization, having served as platoon leaders and, in some cases, executive officers, already. While company command is the next key developmental assignment for senior engineer lieutenants, they will have to perform as a junior captain on staff prior to commanding. The key development requirement for senior lieutenants is training them to be valuable staff members as captains. Senior lieutenants should be given increased responsibility, trained in the application of the MDMP, and have opportunities to brief the battalion commander. As junior captains, they will rely on these experiences to “row well and live” in their next staff assignment.
First lieutenants are also the cohort that most benefits from counseling focused on career progression. First lieutenants will enter the market place for a broadening assignment or head to the career course prior to getting their follow on assignment. In either case, senior lieutenants require counseling that considers their timeline and career progression requirements. You must also teach your senior lieutenants how to navigate the AIM marketplace.
Junior Lieutenants. Junior Lieutenants are the most inexperienced cohort, yet they are extremely intelligent and capable. Developing junior lieutenants requires exposing them to problems and assignments, schools, counseling, and deliberate training. The quickest way to develop a junior lieutenant is to assign them a project or mission. The junior lieutenants in the S3 shop should all have an opportunity to lead a convoy, plan a ball or hail and farewell, or participate in an operation/mission. We work to get our junior lieutenants into the Contracting Officer Representative, Field Ordering Agent, Pay Agent, Unit Movement Officer, and Safety Officer courses during their time on staff. If the opportunity presents itself, we will also send junior lieutenants to Ranger, Sapper, Air Assault, Airborne, or Jungle schools prior to taking a platoon. Counseling junior lieutenants should focus on their timeline, key assignments, schools, and pinpointing their strengths and weaknesses. Your staff captains are in the best position to provide junior lieutenants mentorship to prepare them to be platoon leaders.
To train our junior lieutenants to be platoon leaders, we empowered the HHC commander to build and run a Lieutenant Certification Program. Designed to integrate junior lieutenants into the battalion, the program provides them the specific skills they will need for platoon leadership and inculcates them with the battalion’s vision and values. Through this program, lieutenants are trained and certified to run ranges, lead convoys, conduct property accountability, understand the support agencies on the installation, and understand their future roles as platoon leaders. Upon completion of the program, we award lieutenants with the coveted 84th Engineer Battalion branch insignia.
Warrant Officers. Warrant officers provide a wealth of experience and expertise. We rely on our warrant officers to apply their technical expertise to solve some of our toughest problems. Despite their relative experience, new warrant officers often lack experience working as a member of the staff. Warrant officers require MDMP training and an understanding of staff processes and functions. In an engineer battalion, the 120A (Construction Technician) also leads a platoon sized section. I routinely include my warrant officers in professional development discussions to share their experience and to hone their skills in leadership.
Non-Commissioned Officers. The NCOs on staff are among the most experienced members; however, unless they have attended the Battle Staff NCO course, they lack knowledge of the MDMP. It is vital that NCOs leverage their experience during the MDMP for the organization to produce viable plans. To do this, you must train your NCOs in the MDMP. They must be included in all staff training events and be required to participate during planning. The CSM, Operations SGM, and HHC 1SG are key to building an effective staff NCO development plan. Field grade leaders must work with the CSM, Ops SGM, and 1SG to nest staff NCOPDs with training, OPDs, and LPDs.
Parting Thoughts
Light, heat, noise. This was how COL (Ret) Shawn Underwood experienced IEDs. Over a decade after he relayed this to me, I can still remember it clearly. Shawn Underwood left such a deep impression on me as a newly minted second lieutenant fresh from EBOLC, that I’ve strived to emulate him my whole career. He was not only a great leader, but he cared deeply about leader development.
For the new officers arriving to the battalion, the S3 shop is their first experience with the Army. In addition to development for their future assignment as a platoon leader, I had to provide clear leadership, set standards, and on-board them to the Army’s culture. This rewarding, yet ominous task could set the tone for an officer’s career, as it did mine. I attempted to navigate it successfully, but no doubt had many failures. I hope I have left them with an example of a field grade officer who doesn’t “hate their life.”
About the author:
Beau Wasson is an active duty major currently serving as the S3 for the 84th Engineer Battalion in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent those of the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government.