Platoon Sergeants: Leadership In A New Era

Leadership in a New Era

SSG Steven Quinn

Non-commissioned Officers Academy

Advanced Leaders Course

Class # 179-17 Phase 1 DL

Abstract Leadership in this new era can be difficult to overcome successfully with the amount of hurdles that there are in this day and age. With strong leadership and quality values starting to be instilled in Soldiers earlier will create a better foundation for success and create stronger leaders in the future. We cannot change the people’s upbringing or values that they have learned from society before they reach us but we can mold and develop them for the future once we come into contact with them. Platoon Sergeants are known as “Platoon Daddy’s” because it is our job to take care of their needs and develop

The objective of AR 600-9 “Is to ensure all Soldiers achieve and maintain optimal well-being and performance under all conditions” (U.S. Army, 2013). This regulation is not there to kill Soldier’s self-esteem but to better the Soldier, make them healthier and physically fit for the road to come. AR 600-9 (U.S. Army, 2013) plus FM 7-22 (U.S. Army, 2012) are both tools used to combat this new era of this societies upbringing of lazy, unhealthy obese people and turn them into what the military wants to be successful Soldiers leading the force. After a Soldier gets a good foundation from the RSP leadership they will get sent to BCT and AIT. This is where the next stage of leadership will come into play. The Soldiers will build upon their basic skills and learn how to be their own leaders during formations. They will be assigned as Platoon Guides (PG) and Squad Leaders (SQL) which they will manage and train their peers. Drill Sergeants will teach the student leadership how to lead. Drill Sergeants will show the Soldiers team building and marksmanship skills. After graduation the Soldiers then move to their AIT which is MOS specific. They will continue to growth of the leadership skills and knowledge they gained at BCT and transfer what they learned to new Soldiers they meet in AIT. This is where they learn their job and get qualified with the skills of their job and learn the different roles and leadership of that

Army, 2015). “Leader development is fundamental to our Army, leader development is the deliberate, continuous, sequential, and progressive process founded in Army values that grows Soldiers and Army Civilians into competent and confident leaders capable of decisive action” (U.S. Army, 2015). Within this doctrine we learn how to not only train ourselves to be good leaders but we learn how to train others on how to be good leaders. To me FM 6-22 (U.S. Army, 2015) should be the Army’s bible on training Soldiers. It has everything needed to help understand and implement leadership. I know personally I am not as spun up as I should be on FM 6-22 (U.S. Army, 2015) but I do believe I am a good leader and knowledgeable enough to groom lower enlisted to be future leaders that we would all be proud of. I fully take pride and responsibility of helping not only lower enlisted but everyone on gaining knowledge, skills and physical attributes that it takes to be a Soldier in the Army today. I like to lead by example. Everything I do is to the upmost of my ability. I counsel Soldiers for positive things as well as negative to let them know they are noticed and I appreciate them. Soldier’s like being recognized. It is not easy in this new era to mold Soldiers who do not have the skills or mentality when they first join the military. As leaders we have to come up with creative ways to overcome the