What makes a good Officer? What makes a bad Officer?

[brad_dennis]

In tangible, practical terms, what makes a good officer? Conversely, what makes a bad officer? Hoping to get an infantry slant to the replies and yes do know the 11 Leadership principles, the "dos", how bout some "don‘ts"?

 

[Mike Bobbitt]

11?

Looks like it‘s gotten tougher to be a leader these days... I know only 10! <img src="smile.gif" border="0" alt="" />

 

[ender]

This is all from my perspective as a troopie.

- Get to know your troops. As people.
- Don‘t think you‘re better than them just becuase you‘re an officer
- Make sure your own kit is sorted out.
- Don‘t ask anything of your troops you wouldn‘t do yourself
- Don‘t be afraid to do work. Obviously it‘s not always appropriate.
- Let your troops know, by your actions, that you will do whatever you can for them
- Think tactically. Put everything in the perspective of what it would be like if there was an actual war.

 

[Bill Green]

Here are a few to think about and action:
do things with a sense of urgency to which one of my NCO‘s added bordering but not quite panic.
read professional bulletins and after action reports and apply the lessons learned.
learn existing strategies, tactics, use of ground, analysis but don‘t be afraid to change or add to it to make it work for you.
listen and learn from your NCOs they have the benefit of a wealth of experience and culture to draw upon.
add to your personal kit whether it‘s a patrol or ghillie suit, an extra knife or some bungy cord.
get personal and profficient with your personal and crew-served weapons.
take an ethical stand and keep the high moral ground. Be seen to be spiritual.
talk about what you envision your section, troop, squadron and regiment will become and then work towards that-ask yourself and your soldiers is what I am about to do going to take me closer to my end-state?
never pass a fault, persevere and use your God given initiative and accept the consequences
Have fun with your soldiers ie adventure training, sports, competitions. and
train as if it was a war because in a war you will fight only be as good as you have trained.

 

[Art Johnson]

A couple of things not to do if you are an officer.
1)Run up and down the station platform shouting "Arrest that man he is trying to steal the train." This actually happened in Japan.
2)Hang a bell outside your bunker and let it be known that anyone who wishes to speak to you must ring the bell. Frankly I think this guy‘s bell was rung too often I guess that is why he was known to his men as Clueless.

 

[Gunner]

I‘m a firm believer in the old adage that a leader has to be firm, fair and friendly. I define friendly as being approachable by your soldiers, not their buddy. This is a simple way of conducting yourself that is a time proven strategy.

An important don‘t as an officer...don‘t go drinking with your troops! Reg or Res, if you wind up at a bar where your soldiers are, buy them a beer if you want, exchange pleasantries, then tactically disengage yourself and find somewhere else to drink.

 

[portcullisguy]

Originally posted by Gunner:
[qb]An important don‘t as an officer...don‘t go drinking with your troops! Reg or Res, if you wind up at a bar where your soldiers are, buy them a beer if you want, exchange pleasantries, then tactically disengage yourself and find somewhere else to drink.[/qb]

Would you say then that it would be inappropriate for the "lads" to buy their officer a beer or two? Should this sort of gift be politely declined?

If it were me, I couldn‘t accept a beer from someone and then not spend time drinking with them. Buying a beer then nicking off is one thing, but when someone buys YOU a beer, you feel obliged to drink it with them, unless THEY duck out.

As a subordinate, I wouldn‘t mind a beer bought for me at all, even if the guy buying them doesn‘t wanna stick around. I can work for beer, it‘s often more reward than money!

 

[RCA]

Gunner is exactly right. Familiarity breeds contempt. And to set the record straight, officers and NCMs are different and this is due to their different roles and responsibilities. Officers make policy, NCOs implement it and JRs carry it out. Pure and simple. Officers are not better but they do carry the burden of command (NCO‘s is leadership). Officers are not the enemy.

If an officer makes a decision, he is not compelled to explain himself. Sometimes these decisions are seem arbitrary, hard or seemingly unfair, but necessary and it is up to the rest of us to carry it out. The good officer, when he has to make these tough decisions, will have the unconditional backing of his NCOs because they trust him/her, due to past performance, conduct, and example. Those officers who have not proven themselves will only get the exact amount of cooperation that is required, nothing more, and nothing less.

Firm, fair and friendly is still the standard that works, no matter how antiquated it sounds.
Remember also, officers (unit-wise) owe their loyalty to the CO. While keeping the best interest of his soldiers in mind, when there is a conflict between the two, the CO will (and should) always win out. (barring illegal command and acts of course) This is our system.

There has been discussion about becoming officers or being in the ranks first. There is nothing wrong with being an officer right off. Some CFRs make lousy officers because they are never able to break the bonds to the NCMs. (however also some make excellent officers due their previous experience. The trick is to keep an open mind, be your own person, and sponge off your NCOs knowledge and experience. There is nothing more potent than an excellent Officer/SNCO working relationship

 

[rceme_rat]

There is so much that could be said - and so much that will only be believed once you have experienced it for yourself.

Some points for new officers --

If you are lucky, you will get an excellent WO who will tactfully train you in the Real World. If unlucky, you‘ll get one who can snow you. Trouble is, it might be years before you know which was which!

Your WO can save your *** , or hang you out to dry -- no matter what you do. You will find out which eventually, but it‘s more likely to be the former if you show your trust by seeking his opinion, and earn yours by explaining your decisions -- beforehand when you have time; afterwards if you don‘t.

Know the difference between having a drink with the boys and drinking with the boys.

Your orders are your orders, even when you think the OC, CO, and even the Bde Comd are all dinosaurs who are clearly out of touch with reality.

Share the credit; take the blame solely upon your own shoulders.

Take your job seriously, but not yourself.

 

[Marti]

i just put in an app for ROTP at the UofC. my short with the military has shown me that a bad officer can be very damaging to his unit‘s morale, and is usually unaware of his personal deficiencies. if my app goes through, i‘d hate to turn into one of these. does anyone have any advice on becoming a good officer?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Serve in the ranks for a couple of years.

Learn to do everything you are going to ask your men to do.

 

[combat_medic]

Listen to your NCOs. Example:

A WO goes up to his (brand new) platoon commander and says

"OK sir, we have to get this task done, and we have options A, B, and C for completing it"

Officer: "OK, let‘s go with option B"

WO: "You know, sir, I don‘t think you‘ve considered all of the merits of option A."

That‘s a subtle hint for your @ss to go with option A. Listen to your NCOs; they have a lot more time in, a better hands on experience, and will make you or break you in the field.

 

[Jarnhamar]

This probably won‘t be a popular opinion but it‘s something i‘ve thought about.

Concerning leadership, i‘ve found that people are often taught "if you don‘t know what your doing, pretend that you do". A sort of fake confidence. I‘m not sure how it works with other trades, obviously each trade has little differences in attitude and styles of leadership so i can only speak about the infantry. That being said a new recruit/private might be be effectivly tricked by an officers fake confidence (for lack of a better phrase) but anyone with a little time in is going to see right through it and you‘ll lose respect of your troops pretty quick. Not to mention you‘ll look dumb.

A good platoon will teach their new platoon commander how to be a good platoon commander.

Maybe on certian levels "pretending" you know what your doing has some bennificial effect but personally speaking when i see that i shake my head because my job just got twice as hard.

 

[combat_medic]

OK, I want to make an amendment to what Ghost said:

Yes, having confidence despite a lack of knowledge will instill confidence in your men, but if you really don‘t know what the he|| is going on, don‘t fake it. Ask questions, always.

For those who‘ve watched Band of Brothers, the officer there had no clue what was going on, and tried to fake his way through it, to the detrement of his entire company. He was one of those guys who would rather get lost then ask for directions, and had he gone into combat, would have gotten all of his men killed.

Besides, any Platoon Warrant or other Senior NCO would much rather have their officer ask them for suggestions or advice, then be led around by a numptie. But as for what Ghost said, look confident and composed in front of the troops, no matter what the situation.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Eh? How can you ammend my own work

Every soldier should always be composed and confident. I think were pretty much in agreement though.
Just to clairify, I ment don‘t bull$hit and pretend you know something when you don‘t.
If your not sure on something then fess up and say it dont cover it up.
(hence the classic example of the lost platoon)

 

[Marti]

thank you all for the good advice, i‘ll make sure to follow it.

 

[Illucigen]

Im suprised more NCMs arent jumping on this hot topic ;-)

Every ncm ive met off-duty has taken upon themselves to tell me what I need to do.

The basic replies are:

1. Go see the QM, be friends with him.
2. Go see your Warrants. Be nice to him, respect him, and **** respect you (and keep the sgts off your *** )
3. See your sgts, be nice to them. Theyll keep everyone off your *** from stealing your equip.

Or, you can be a snot-nosed prick and decide you know everything. But then, youll get it anyway.


Basically, nooone likes someone who has authority over them. Everyone thinks they can do it better. What makes sense is to listen to all the options, and do what you are paid to do= make the best choice possible.

(which you cant do without listening to ALL the options).

 

[Jarnhamar]

3. See your sgts, be nice to them. Theyll keep everyone off your *** from stealing your equip.
Well said!

Some of the meaner troops will either
a. grab your rifle by the barrel and wing it into the woods when your not looking, or
b.grab your rifle and plunge it into the dirt Excalibur style.

 

[Bograt]

I am about to go to BOTC (January) and I would like to know what qualities/characteristics make for a good officer. I realize this question is fraught with various opinions- but on a general level (no pun intended) based on your experience what kind of characteristics have the great officers had, and likewise what makes a poor officer?

I am not trolling for negative comments- but rather would like to know what things I need to focus more attention on later in my career.

Thanks,

 

[Inch]

Look out for your guys, they're your #1 priority, you take care of them and they'll take care of you. Though you are going for pilot so it's a little different, but the same basic rules still apply, subordinates before self.

Cheers