Sometimes in life, we find
ourselves with a less than stellar hand. Such was the case when I was in the 4th
Infantry Division at Fort Cavasos (previously Fort Hood). I was serving as the
Signal Battalion Representative in the Division Tactical Command Post, or DTAC.
Though not very prestigious, it was a position of some responsibility. I had to
make sure that all the signal equipment; radios, tactical telephones, computers
for unclassified and classified traffic, copiers, and the coffee pot worked and
integrated appropriately. When things worked well, I was part of the furniture.
When something did not work properly, I got plenty of face time with the general.
Naturally, I wanted the best soldiers and NCOs on my team; consequently, I was
disappointed when the Battalion Commander (BN CDR) assigned Sergeant First
Class (SFC) Johnston to my section.
A known malcontent who was
counting the days until eligible for retirement, SFC Johnston was lazy and
borderline insubordinate. But, he possessed the right rank and Military
Occupational Specialty (MOS) for the position. His poor reputation proceeded
him. The Sergeant Major (SGM) of the DTAC pulled me aside at the beginning of
the first Field Training Exercise (FTX) and said, “Sir, I’m sorry you have SFC
Johnston. I know he’s lazy and constantly gripes; but sir, I still expect all
the signal equipment to work properly. I cannot give you a pass because you
have a poor NCO in your section.”
I knew that he was correct.
Professionalism demanded that I perform no matter who was assigned to my
section. I leaned on SFC Johnston. I hectored him for minor misdeeds, such as
carping publicly to the SGM about being assigned to a position of
responsibility so close to the end of his career. I counseled him in writing
when he failed to complete his duties appropriately, made himself scarce during
FTXs, and did nothing to ensure that the junior soldiers assigned to our
section received appropriate training. Nothing seemed to work. Everyone in the
DTAC knew he was a bad apple, a person whose foul attitude drug down the
section and did not help the DTAC function effectively or efficiently. I
complained to Major (MAJ) Williamson, my immediate supervisor, who agreed with
my assessment and how I was handling it. Eventually, my complaints reached the
BN CDR, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Richardson. One day, LTC dropped by for a
visit while we were in the field.
Surprisingly, he went and chatted
with the SGM first. I expected him to seek me out and talk with me. He also
talked with the General in charge of the DTAC for a few minutes. Then, he came
and found me, saying, “Matt, come with me and let’s talk.”
We walked in silence out to his
HMMWV, where he stopped and took off his helmet and stared off into the
distance for a while. I grew uncomfortable in the long period of silence. For a
few moments his fingers drummed on the hood as he gathered his thoughts.
Eventually he turned to me saying quietly, “Matt, you’ve got to stop treating
SFC Johnston as if he were the enemy. He’s a member of your team and it is up
to you to bring him along, convincing him to work at a level he does not want
to. Start working with him. He’s not going away, and you might find that he has
a lot to offer. Got it?”
“Yessir,” even though I didn’t.
But, I did start trying, and even though he never got fully on board with what
we were doing, he became an asset instead of dead weight. I learned a lot about
leadership, and life, through that experience, and we face a similar challenge
in our own sociopolitical life as a nation.
We’ve come to point where we
consider anyone who thinks differently than we do as the enemy. We speak of
those on the opposite side politically as if they were out to destroy our
nation. We gleefully share memes which degrade others, not caring a wit if they
distort, blatantly misrepresent, or outright lie about some group we disagree
with. We carelessly savage elected officials from the other party, forgetting
that they were elected by fellow citizens to serve the interests of their
district. We seem to have fallen into the same trap that I fell into with SFC
Johnston, that of labeling someone whom we do not like or agree with as the
enemy.
In the Army, successful officers
learn to listen to all their subordinates, even the ones that they may find
repugnant. I consider myself a successful, if not great, officer. I scrambled
up from the rank of private to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Through
sometimes painful experience, I learned to work with almost anyone. Successful
commanders learn to keep a razor-sharp focus on mission accomplishment. We need
that in our political intercourse.
While there are ideas and policies,
I may consider unsuitable and reject; I need not savage those who put them
forth. Instead, I should carefully and thoughtfully state the ideas that I
think are worthy. I need not add to the rancor that already pervades political
discourse. Additionally, I should not give my support to those who seek it
through demagoguery, as they appeal to my baser emotive instincts without
clearly articulating why they and their policy ideas deserve my support. It is
through thoughtful consideration and respectful conversations that worthy ideas
emerge. Meme and soundbite wars do not forward the cause of the nation; rather,
they serve only to deepen the chasm between parties. Like it or not, I need people
who look at things differently.
Returning to my recalcitrant NCO,
while I never transformed SFC Johnston into the model sergeant, I did manage to
coax him into more productive performance. I stopped treating him as if he were
the enemy. Instead, I treated him as if he were a valued member of my team. I
listened to his suggestions and found that he did have good ideas…at times. And
while he continued to mark the days until retirement, he developed enough
motivation to make a positive contribution to the section. Even the crusty old
SGM noted that SFC Johnston seemed to be pulling his weight in the DTAC.
Perhaps that is what we really need in our country, a sense of pulling together
toward the common goals of solving problems and bettering our nation. Fewer ad
hominem attacks and more thoughtful examination of policy recommendations might
be a good place to start.
