When I first heard I was selected to attend the Sergeants Major Academy (I was a master sergeant at the time) back in early 2006, I was excited and a little trepidacious.  Was I up to the challenge…and what would people expect of me once I had graduated?  My friends and colleagues in the Army Reserve told me not to worry, and that it would be a great experience. 

(L to R) SGM Patrick McEver, CSM Paul Belanger and SGM Troy Falardeau pose in front of the U.S. and Iraqi national flags in the conference room at the Combined Press Information Center (Photo by SGT Ferdinand Thomas, 222nd BOD).

When I asked the few sergeants major I knew they jokingly told me “the Army did all it could to cram six weeks of training into a 10-month course.”   However, they were quick to add that the coursework was not the most important part of the experience.  No, they would say, the most important part is getting to know sergeants major from the active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve (and other countries I discovered once I got there) who will be serving in positions throughout the world once they graduate.   This was the biggest benefit of being there — the connections that I would make and the military fraternity I would be joining.

Of course, being the over-achiever that I am, I threw myself into the coursework and other academic-related programs.  I tried to learn as much as possible, but despite my best efforts to do otherwise, I started to make friends with my fellow students and develop those bonds.  I began to realize that in the Army, like in all areas of life, talent and ambition will only get you so far.  It truly is who you know and how to leverage that friendship to bring about success. 

I have been thinking about this off and on during this deployment, but it really hit home last week when we had a visit from MG Eldon Regua, the commander of the Army Reserve’s 75th Battle Command Training Division, and CSM Paul Belanger, his command’s top enlisted Soldier.  During the visit CSM Belanger, SGM Patrick McEver and I had the chance to take a group photograph. 

When I was looking at the photo last night, I began to think back to other times during this deployment I have called back to the U.S. Army Reserve Command in Atlanta to ask one of my fellow sergeants major to point me in the right direction with a problem.  I knew I could not solve it myself.  More than once they gave me a piece of information that made a huge difference in the life of  a 314th PAOC Soldier…and that helped me to maintain my status as a trusted leader of our Soldiers. 

But, the longer I am here in Iraq the more I am realizing that this acknowledgement of the tantamount importance of “the team approach” is the key to success in the Army (and to some lesser degree in all organizations).  I am sure many social science researchers have studied the dynamics of military units, and I probably even read some of this during my NCO professional development courses over the years.  However, until you see it firsthand, until you are the direct beneficiary of this comradeship (or worse, the recipient of a lesson in working against this norm), it doesn’t really hit home. 

I don’t want any of you to think I was totally clueless of this fact all these 28 years in the Army Reserve.  I always knew I had to “play well with others” to ensure a team victory, and I have always known my first and foremost job is to take care of the Soldiers who serve with me; that is the role of a leader.  However, I am the first to acknowledge that I am somewhat of an outsider within this organization.  I may have the outward appearance of being gregarious, but inside I am a loner in many social settings.   That trait has probably caused me to miss out on opportunities to help my Soldiers in the past since you can only change human nature so much.

Of all my personal discoveries about teamwork here in Iraq, however, the one that I hope I never forget (and the one I hope you take away from this blog entry) is that no leader can succeed without the support of his or her subordinates (I am hesitant to use that word, in light of this lesson).   No matter how good an idea from a leader — even when it is done with the best of intentions to help Soldiers — the true test of its chances of success is how much groundswell of support that leader inspires in others.  And, the best way to ensure that support is to make sure any “good ideas” have been developed with a team approach.

Yes, it is always possible for a leader to impose his or her will on others, especially in the military, but perhaps GEN Shinseki would have garnered more support for his policy change requiring berets if he had turned this good idea into a team effort, rather than what seemed to be a personal goal.  Any leader who accepts this approach must acknowledge up front that the team approach could lead to any idea being rejected or changed. 

With that in mind, I have tried to slow down the flow of “good ideas” I throw out for implementation, and instead talk to section NCOICs and other key individuals in the 314th PAOC.  In the end, I know the unit will be more successful with this team approach, rather than my over-achieving “get it done quickly and move on to the next thing” approach.  And, the team approach usually results in improvements on the original idea — and isn’t that the ultimate goal?

Perhaps there is still time to teach this old dog a few new tricks before I retire and join the ranks of old sergeants major.