Becoming A Non Commissioned Officer

The accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of ones Soldiers. These two basic responsibilities are at the heart of what it is to be a Non Commissioned Officer. They are in essence the yardstick in which to measure the success on an NCO. However, there is more to being an NCO than just ensuring the mission is accomplished and ones Soldiers are taken care of both on and off duty. There are three major principles, which define Leadership, Purpose, Motivation and Direction. (ADP 6-22, 2012) Not only does a Non Commissioned Officer need to provide these three things in order to accomplish the mission and take care of their Soldiers, but the Non Commissioned Officer also needs purpose, direction and motivation from his Superiors. Without

My leadership philosophy revolves entirely around the Army Values. In every action I take as a leader, I assess whether or not it lines up with the Army Values and the potential impacts. I have had a variety of leadership assignments during my career, all requiring a different leadership approach, spanning from team leader through platoon sergeant. My conflict resolution skills have greatly evolved through my twelve years in the Army, from rudimentary conversations to in depth problem solving. My professional development has had a profound effect on my leadership abilities, from NCOPD’s to mentorship from senior non-commissioned officers (NCO’s).

Given the opportunity to take command of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Attack squadron actively engaged in combat is truly humbling, and standing on the shoulders of giants, now is the chance to test whether training, examples, both good and bad, and a lifelong building of one’s philosophy is enough preparation to meet that test. My leadership philosophy is one of proactive engagement, continual process/self-improvement, honest feedback, and 360-degree accountability. On Col Waddell’s continuum of Leader Behavior, my leadership style trends toward follower-dominant but not as far as TQM. I present ideas and problems, get suggestions and ultimately make the calls.

As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several

Authentic leadership is a real and genuine leadership. (Yoder-Wise, 2015, p. 195) According to the Journal of Nursing Management, (2015) an authentic leader gathers others viewpoints, as well as opinions, before making decisions that are important while having a balanced process. (Regan, Laschinger, & Wong, 2015)(p. 2) In the Volume 18 of that same journal Wong, Laschinger, and Cummings (2010) described authentic leadership as a leadership that built trust making the work environment healthier, retained staff, as well as promoted patient safety and satisfaction. (p. 890) Servant leadership is one that puts others first. (Yoder-Wise, 2015, p. 225) Servant leadership is described as putting the desires to serve others before personal gain. (Reed, 2015, p. 73)

Military duties, responsibilities and integrity is important to the Army. An NCO duties includes taking care of his or her Soldiers and accomplishing the mission. A Soldier’s duty includes obeying orders. Duty and Responsibility is part of the Army values for a reason. I’m accordance with Army regulation Field Manual 7-22.7 covers the duties,responsibilities and authorities of a Non Commissioned Officer.

The Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Corps needs help in the promotion process or the future of the NCO Corps will be in danger of having well educated NCO’s without job-related experience. It has automatic promotions for lower enlisted soldiers, letting them get promoted without knowing military or job-related items. NCOs’ can get promoted in the current process without even doing their job as long as they know how to get by a promotion board. NCO’s only had to memorize some regulations, field manuals, and a few Creeds to pass a promotion board. The promotion boards do not even ask job-related questions to see if the NCO knows anything about his current position. The current promotion process uses a points system and holds soldiers back from getting promoted. The point system is broken down but puts too much emphasis on certain areas which have nothing to do with their current position. This current promotion system has to change just like the way the military is asking NCO’s to change and become more civilian-educated.

The core leader competency ‘Develops’ is broken into four key objectives: create a positive environment, prepare self, develop others and be a steward of the profession. The behaviors associated with these objectives are essential to the successful implementation of the Army SHARP program. Creating a positive environment decreases the risks of disciplinary issues in general. When an NCO is familiar with the required reporting procedures and available support programs they can more effectively train their Soldiers in what needs to be done given a situation that requires intervention. By passing the knowledge of how to handle situations to subordinates a NCO is ensuring the next generation of leaders carry on the ideals of the profession. When all of these objectives are met the unit becomes an environment where all personnel can be assured that not only their leaders, but also their peers will be invested in their wellbeing.

As I begin my journey as a RRNCO (Recruiting and Retention Non-Commissioned Officer) there will be many obstacles that I will have to overcome to be the best recruiter I can be. I want to be able to give others the same opportunities the National Guard offered to me. I was not always supportive of the military, but in the end I owe all my success to the time I spent in the Army National Guard. Throughout this paper I will be showing different statistics or demographics of the high school I feel is the most important school I need to focus on. When I start to look at the school year, I have to devote certain time and effort, so I need to develop a school program that will help generate leads and referrals. By conducting presentations about the ARNG (Army National Guard) on such topics as the role of the ARNG, state/federal missions, features and benefits, employment opportunities and ARNG history.(NGR 601-1 2-18(f)) My yearly plan will be broken down month by month. This school plan will help me build and sustain relationships throughout the FY (Fiscal Year). The soldiers I enlist will be joining the Ohio Army National Guard.

Three weaknesses of authentic leadership are: lack of trust demonstrated from top to bottom and vice versa, a lack of development due to the infancy of this theory and the pursuit with passion can lead to a blind pursuit. Trust must be given in order to receive it, if managers are not being fully authentic with their employees, the trust and level of commitment expected will never be reciprocated. Although John usually displays this trust to his team, he is only human and at times, as with any other manager or person, people are not trustworthy. For example for years, Big Hospital has preached that everyone is a family, yet, due to certain circumstances, there had to be a lot of layoffs, and whether granted or not, this is looked as being deceitful or not being honest with your employees. The second weakness of authentic leadership can be related to its infancy and its lack of leadership development. Fusco, T. (2016, p.119) argues that the next challenging frontier is to establish genuine leadership development. Often times, leadership seems to simply fit someone’s personality, however, leaders must continue to read and develop oneself to become a better leader, either through experiences or personal training. Big Hospital provides continued training for all its employees, and although some may take it more than others, employees are often encouraged to take training classes. Lastly, the third weakness of this theory is that of a “blind pursuit” or following an idea with

Being a leader in today’s United States Air Force is more than supervising subordinates or leading a project or program. A leader is someone who influences others to achieve a goal, they are typically men and women, though not perfect, strive to display ethical behavior, virtues, and character strengths in their actions as they battle their own vices and idiosyncrasies (crse 15). Not only must all Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) posses these abilities, they must be able to articulate them and pass them on to their subordinates, mentoring future generations of Airmen to strive to be better than they are today. Today, I believe I am on the right path as a leader; ensuring tasks are completed on time and encouraging, and utilizing my subordinate’s

The NCO creed states, “Soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership.” If I had to sum up my leadership philosophy in a phrase, this would be my answer. In my early years as an NCO I wasn’t always applying one of the most underrated tools in the Army to effectively develop subordinate Soldiers for the next level of responsibility. Specifically, I wasn’t properly utilizing the military counseling process on form DA 4856 – Developmental Counseling Form.

The definition of disrespect is lack of respect, discourtesy, or rudeness. In the United States Military, there are rules and regulations you must follow, one of them being respect to a non commissioned officer. No matter the circumstance, whether you agree or not, you are not allowed to talk back, physically fight back, or question judgment. If this does happen, there are consequences and repercussions from the actions taken on your part. Uniformed Code of Military Justice states that you can ultimately be separated, honorably or dishonorably for actions taken on your part. You can also receive an article fifteen, which takes your hard earned money away from you and your family. It also will take any free time you may have, and can also

Master Sergeant (MSG) Ofelia Kernan (used to protect her personnel information) is the prime example of a Noncommissioned Officer (NCO). As my legacy leader, she has mentored me throughout my years in the military and helped mold me into a Senior NCO. From the first time, I met her as Staff Sergeant (SSG) and now as a MSG, she has always displayed the key Army attributes of intellectual capacity, presence, and character. Her dedication to instilling the NCO army core competencies, leads, develops, and achieves, into personnel not only in her charge but also to any Soldier, NCO, or Officer, is an example to anyone with whom she has contact. Any person exposed to her, would like to emulate her leadership style, her ability to transition soldiers to NCOs, and to not only follow the Army Values as a Soldier but to become examples of leadership within their community. Her direct interactions throughout my career has not only developed me as a leader but has instilled the virtues of passing my leadership to those in my charge.

According to organisational behaviour by McShane, leadership is defined as influencing, motivating and enabling others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organisation of which they are members (page 382, McShane).Becoming an effective leader depends on the leader’s leadership style. Successful leaders have vision and charisma, also the leader should have an ongoing personality, talkative, careful and self-disciplined. The leader must also have self-concept