Leadership Lessons - Battalion Command

Just of Few of the Many Lessons

The opportunity to command 3^rd Ranger Battalion was an unexpected surprise. And, even as a Battalion Commander, I learned so much. In reflection, I learned more as a Battalion Commander than I had previously as a Lieutenant or Captain. Anybody who thinks the boss has it all figured out by virtue of rank, position, or authority – trust me – he doesn’t. He’s learning too.

Command is an interesting thing. It is a position of singular responsibility and unique authority, but you remain entirely reliant on the professional and technical expertise of your non-commissioned officers. We call it “Command” – but it could also be called “Collaboration and Consensus Building before Taking Risks and Making Decisions.” “Command” is easier to remember.

I am convinced that my Battalion Command Sergeant Major, Brett Johnson, was and is the best non-commissioned officer in the Army. If you know him, you probably agree. The truth is, any success we enjoyed as a Command Team was probably because of CSM Johnson.

CSM Johnson spent a lot of time with our junior leaders – hours and hours of coaching, counseling, and mentorship…in the gym, in his office, on the range, at the airfield. Never ending. And I spent a lot of time listening and taking notes…a lot of notes. Sharing a few….

- Leadership Starts at 0600. Leaders inspect rooms, account for their Soldiers, set expectations for the day, and lead physical training. Good leaders don’t delegate discipline or shy away from their responsibility to enforce standards. Leadership is about active, positive, and proactive engagement. Good leaders don’t run on idle.

- Good Leaders coach, supervise, and set an example in physical readiness. Being able to do more pushups or run faster doesn’t make you a better human, but rather the work required to do more pushups and to run faster makes you a better human. It’s about the discipline of process.

- Leaders Inspire a Sense of Accountability. We own our Battalion. We own our team, squad, platoon, company, whatever. If there is a problem, then it’s ours, and yours, to fix. There is nobody else. The Ranger Creed is specific in language when it describes the expectations of “our Ranger Regiment.” It’s about ownership and accountability.

- Good training must be tough, gritty, and realistic. We build cohesion and trust through shared experience; it’s best when that experience requires challenge and perseverance (hardship).

- Good training must be conducted to an objective and rigorously assessed standard. We only get better when we’re honest and hold ourselves to known and achievable standards.

- Good training should be “whistle to whistle” – and will have the feel, tempo, synchronization, and choreography of a good college athletic practice. Imagine a rapid-fire series of plays and drills at a NCAA team practice…a great training event will have that same tempo and energy.

- The Army is really, really big, and it’s really, really small. On any given day, the Army, in practical and experiential terms, is the team that we workout with, or the people we eat breakfast with, or fix trucks with. The Army is a huge enterprise, but on any given day, for most of us, it’s about the size of a squad.

- Great leaders are ALL IN. Great leaders commit themselves entirely and utterly to the unit that they are with and to their subordinates. They lead with intention and inspire a sense of purpose. Great leaders aren’t consumed with their next evaluation and they aren’t politicking for their next assignment. They simply serve…with a passion. Be present; grow where you’re planted.

- Great leaders are great teammates, and they know that being a great teammate is about the sacrifice when things are hard, not when things are easy.

- The opportunity to serve in our U.S. Army is like a daily slice of humble pie. There is always somebody who is faster, smarter, stronger, or better in almost any regard. Nobody cares what you did last year, or last deployment, or yesterday. Your rank and position, while respected, only go so far. True credibility is born from hard work and mastery of the profession…every day.

Like I said, CSM Johnson is a master in leader development and team building. And, not to embarrass him, but he’s the best mentor and coach that I ever served with. RLTW RB!