Military Review English Edition September-October 2014 | Page 10

and staff; however, it specifies very little about how
those principles apply to sergeants major. The doctrine
says that command sergeants major are among the key
personnel dedicated to mission command. According
to doctrine, they carry out policies, enforce standards,
give advice, and initiate recommendations about matters pertaining to soldiers. In operations, commanders
employ command sergeants major, company first sergeants, and platoon sergeants to extend command influence, assess morale, and assist during critical events.7
Cohesive teams and shared understanding.
Sergeants major can be the commanders’ confidants.
They work to support commanders in developing a
climate that fosters mutual trust and team building.
Effective team building depends on fostering communication, understanding, and relationships. To that end,
the sergeants major strive to ensure there is a shared
understanding of the commander’s
intent, at all levels, and they provide
feedback to commanders to assist
with unit assessment. In conjunction with this, sergeants major use
their training, education, and experience to serv