CENTER FOR JLBC LESSONS LEARNED
Ineffective Leadership
Unwilling to Listen
When planning our first small arms range as an officer in charge (OIC)/ noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC), my PL and I went over
the plan multiple times. I recommended we work on a chow/water plan
into the range, making time in the timeline for chow, and having a water buffalo on-site. Just out of Ranger school, my PL wanted the platoon to eat on the move and carry water. Despite me telling him the commander would not go for it, he briefed his plan during the training meeting. The commander came down on him. Luckily, I supported my PL, telling the commander we would rotate Cadet off the line for chow and that I had planned to take water cans out with us. After our first range, we started working better together, but it was challenging to overcome his lack of trust in me.
— Military police PSG
Vague Orders
When I took over as PL, my battalion was on a read cycle, and we had cadets supporting multiple taskings from the platoon. It was hard
to get all the squad leaders together daily for meetings. I decided to
start sending out updates and taskings by text so we could all share information in real-time. This worked for a few days until I sent out
“I need two vehicles dispatched Tuesday by 0900 to support a company preparing a defense in the training area (TA) 16.” My squad leaders dispatched two interim high-mobility engineer excavators (themes). These are great for digging individual fighting positions, but the company wanted vehicle-fighting classes. After getting chewed out, I started
a 1600 meeting with all squad leaders and team leaders. At times, not everyone was there, but the time spent face-to-face with my NCOs helped us communicate better.
— Engineer PL
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