Mark Gerecht | AskTOP.net – Leader Development for Army Professionals

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How do I convince a Toxic Leader to treat me with respect?

CSM--What is your recommendation? HELP! Senior NCO (1SG) reprimands a subordinate NCO (E-5). The 1SG has a low tolerance, constantly curses and degrades Junior NCOs. E-5 NCO states that he is uncomfortable speaking at this point and would like another NCO or an Officer present during the conversation. The 1SG starts cursing and swearing telling the young E-5 he does not have the right to request that and he will "get into my office right now." I do not feel that this is correct. I searched through FM 6-22 and I could not find anything specific to this situation. To your knowledge, is there a Regulation or an FM that states anything about this? Would it be a Command Policy, and if so what if the Command has no written policies in place? Is this a situation that needs to be brought to the IG?.. Read the Answer»

Will it hurt my career if I am unable to sign my NCOER?

How important it is to sign my NCOER? My CAC card is not working and there is no way I can replace it for another 15 days. My rater wants to write "Soldier not present to sign." I keep hearing that this could affect my career later on, though my rater said is not really a big deal. Should I let them submit unsigned or should I tell them that I want to wait until I am able to sign?.. Read the Answer»

Can my leader inspect my off-post housing?

What AR governs the inspection of your privately owned, off-post house?.. Read the Answer»

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Can I request course credit for WLC if I have prior USAF leadership schooling?

Why are the USMC courses considered equivalent to Army courses when Air Force and Navy are not? I went through Airman Leadership School. The basics are the same for training NCOs-to-be. I just found out that I have to attend WLC because of this AR. Obviously I am in the Army now and have been for almost 4 years with almost 13 years of active service. WLC is a waste of my time. Is there anything that will get this rule changed?.. Read the Answer»

Introducing The Arms Room

After months in development, today marks the official launch of the AskTOP Arms Room. We have compiled what we believe to be one of the largest collections of free downloads for U.S. Army leaders available on the internet. We have …Read More

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Video Killed the Blog Star

We just uploaded a new welcome video to the site. Check it out and let us know what you think. This is our first attempt at publishing video for AskTOP. We plan to make more videos in the future. We …Read More

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What should I do if my leader is abusive?

I am an SSG in the Army. After 3 years on recruiting duty I came back to the line unit. Now I am A Squad leader and I am having a lot of issues with my Platoon Sgt. I know I have been out of the line for a while, but many things that this platoon sgt does seems wrong. For instance, he treats all the squad leaders like privates and yells at us in front of our subordinates. I have approached him and told him that I do not appreciate that and he gave me the "I do not care" treatment. Corrective training that he conducts does not address the mistake by a Soldier so they do not learn anything. He also abuses his position all the time. He writes counselings about insignificant incidents when a verbal could have yielded better results. The other squad leaders are used to his way or the highway, I personally do not think that is right, what is wrong is wrong and I will not allow this to happen. Soldiers are pretty much drinking themselves to sleep, cause they have no motivation to come to work on the mornings, you could feel how the soldiers fear this Platoon Sgt, but that is very unproductive for the platoon... Read the Answer»

Do I have to give the Soldier a reason before they do corrective training?

I have a Soldier who cited some AR that supposedly says I have to give them a reason before they have to begin corrective training. He wanted me to explain why I was making him do lunges. Is there actually such an AR?.. Read the Answer»

Is being restricted to post considered punishment?

I was recently prevented from going off post by my Chain of Command, isn't this a form of punishment?.. Read the Answer»

Can stolen valor be mentioned on a Soldier’s NCOER?

An NCO in my unit was busted for wearing an unauthorized Ranger Tab. Can this be noted on his NCOER?.. Read the Answer»

Can a voluntary For Record APFT be denied after it was conducted?

TOP, thanks for providing a place to get hard-to-find answers. I have a strange question. I took a Voluntary For Record APFT and now the Chain of Command is saying it did not count. Can they do this?.. Read the Answer»

Can my unit use a Record APFT administered during non-rated time on my NCOER?

If a PT test is conducted during unrated time (TCS less than 90 days), should that PT test be used as the test recorded in Part IVc on an NCOER? Or should another test taken prior to that during rated time be used?.. Read the Answer»