Military Review English Edition November-December 2013 | Page 79

(U.S. Army, Sgt. Amanda Hils)

LEADERSHIP

From left, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Terwan D. Crawley, the combined joint operations command noncommissioned officer in
charge at Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division; Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas R. Capel, center,
the incoming command sergeant major of the International Security Assistance Force; and Command Sgt. Maj. Bryant C.
Lambert, the 82nd Airborne Division and Regional Command (South) command sergeant major, talk on 16 January 2012.

manning levels, deployability status, etc.,—but
often grow into other measures with questionable
relationship to the subject at hand—Association
of the United States Army Memberships, Army
Family Team Building participation, public school
partnerships, or the number of specialists being recommended for promotion. These briefings can and
do have a place for senior leaders, but only when
what is being measured and briefed is important
and relevant to the subject at hand and the amount
of information and guidance exchanged is worthy
of the time invested.
Focused telescope. A further potential solution
to the problem of being able to truly see subunits
in their natural state is the “focused telescope”
approach. This technique is the process where a
senior leader selects a key data point or event that
is representative of a larger picture of the unit. The
leader uses this technique as a lens to examine a
specific item or event to “see” many units quickly.
Here, it is important to ensure the leader focuses on
the right thing—whatever is selected should serve
MILITARY REVIEW

• November-December 2013

as a true indicator of what the leader really wants
to see—and know. As an example, observing an
after action review is often a great indicator of the
overall performance of a unit.
Learning what to look for. Finally, given that a
senior leader does not have time to visit each unit
frequently enough to become an invisible part of the
environment (another electron, maybe), the leader
should truly see and feel a unit, even when it is not
in its natural state. So while subordinate leaders
are introducing the senior leader to great soldiers,
the senior leader seeks out soldiers in the shadows.
When the subordinate commander shows an arms
room, the senior leader insists on visiting another
arms room or supply room, selected randomly.
When briefed on a successful mission, the senior
leader asks about an unsuccessful mission and what
changes the unit made based on the lessons learned.
The senior leader can sit in on an orders brief, a
rehearsal, a training event, or an after action review.
Importantly, the visit should not be scheduled or
planned. The leader must show up unannounced.
77