Are You on the Train or Still on the Platform?

Command Sergeant Major Thomas J. Donohue 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) Artillery

As I go around the Division Artillery talking to soldiers and NCOs, I hear a lot of concerns about changes occurring in the Army. I've seen a lot of changes in my 26 years in the Army. I've seen people opposed to change and try to stop it from happening. I've seen the same people stagnate in promotion, be left behind and, eventually, get out of the Army.

Regardless of how much you may oppose change, it's inevitable. So accept it and start preparing for it.

The Army's goal is to transform into a better-equipped, more responsive force with technologically advanced units. The goal is to be ready to go anywhere in the world our National Command Authority may send us to accomplish the mission--be it peacekeeping, peace enforcement or low- or high intensity conflict--and return home safely.

As leaders, we must set the example by embracing the changes that will fulfill the Army's goal. For if we oppose change, our soldiers certainly will oppose it; a unit takes on the personality and attitudes of its leaders. Each of us must keep an open mind and maintain a positive attitude.

Training to Standard. To implement the transformation, we must establish a good plan to train soldiers, NCOs and officers. This starts at the training meetings. We must schedule relevant NCO and officer professional development classes.

We must train soldiers using hands-on repetitive, realistic training until they meet the standard. Leaders must use their leader's books to track subordinates' proficiency in the tasks being trained and take advantage of every opportunity to reinforce training while waiting for the next event to happen. The better we are trained and familiarized with the new equipment and its maintenance or the more informed we are about the changes in tactics and procedures, the less stressful and more effective the change process will be. We all have to be proactive in staying abreast of the changes.

Staying with the Times. The computer age is here. If you haven't learned how to use computers, you have missed the train and it is speeding away, leaving you standing on the depot platform. You must know computers and ensure your soldiers get the computer training they need to stay competitive--that means computer training during duty hours or in civilian classes after duty, whatever is necessary.

Distance learning is here to stay. Regardless of how you feel about longdistance instruction, accept it. It's your job to get soldiers enrolled in the courses they need for their professional development and to be competitive for promotions.

Once you have soldiers enrolled in the proper courses, you have to set them up for success by ensuring they have the time and resources to complete the courses. You must ensure each has a schedule to complete his work and assign him a sponsor to help when he has trouble and keep him on track.

The changes I hear the most about are the changes in promotions. Because of shortages of sergeants, the Army has been pushing promotions for specialists--notably for the FA to fill the shortages of 13B sergeants. That does not mean we have to promote every specialist in the Army. But it does mean we must do our best to prepare every specialist to assume responsibilities as a sergeant.

If a specialist is fully eligible for promotion but won't be recommended for promotion, then you must counsel him on why he won't receive the recommendation. First-line leaders must counsel soldiers monthly and explain to them their promotion status, what the requirements are for promotions, their strengths and weaknesses, and exactly what they need to do to be recommended for promotion. Two tools leaders can use are career maps for that soldier's military occupational specialty (MOS) and the Army web page at www.counseling.army.mil.

Too often I hear the statement that soldiers are just not ready for promotion, yet when I ask the leader why, the leader can't explain. Those same leaders fail to remember that we recommend soldiers for promotions based on their demonstrated potential. No one expects a soldier to know everything there is to know for his new rank before he is promoted. He is expected to read his MOS FMs and TMs, gain proficiency in his new job and have a self-development program. And his supervisor is expected to coach, train and mentor him through this process.

The Army is changing--with or without us. We must train our subordinates to be adaptive, flexible leaders to help implement the force of the future. That means we must train soldiers to fight today or tomorrow and develop them to make them proficient and promotable.

You can be proactive and help the Army speed forward or you can stand on the platform and complain. Which will it be?

Command sergeant Major (CSM) Thomas J. Donohue is the CSM of the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) Artillery in Germany. In his previous assignment, he served as CSM of the 4th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery, part of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. Among other assignments, he served as the Operations Sergeant Major for the 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized) Artillery in Germany. He has held every key position from Section Chief, to Platoon Sergeant, to Intelligence Sergeant, to First Sergeant, the latter in three headquarters units. He also served as a Drill Sergeant in A Battery, 1st Cannon Training Battalion (One-Station Unit Training) in the Field Artillery Training Center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He holds a bachelor's degree in General Business from the University of the State of New York.