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

Bradley On NCOs 2

The American Soldier expects his sergeant to be able to teach him how to do his job. And he expects even more from his officers.

Article by Mark Gerecht

Bradley On NCOs 1

The noncommissioned officer wearing the chevron is supposed to be the best soldier in the platoon and he is supposed to know how to perform all the duties expected of The American soldier.

Article by Mark Gerecht

Done Right

The American Soldier is a proud one and he demands professional competence in his leaders. In battle, he wants to know that the job is going to be done right, with no unnecessary casualties.

Article by Mark Gerecht

Leadership Bradley

The greatest leader in the world could never win a campaign unless he understood the men he had to lead.

Article by Mark Gerecht

Delegation

Delegation of sufficient authority and proper use of subordinates helps develop future leaders. This is a moral responsibility of every commander.

Article by Mark Gerecht

Initiative

When a subordinate is free to do his job, he perceives this trust and confidence from his superiors and takes more pride in his job, himself, and the organization’ goals and objectives.

Article by Mark Gerecht

Use Your People

Use your people by allowing everyone to do his job.

Article by Mark Gerecht

When Your Gone

Don’t begrudge the time you spend developing, coaching and helping your people to grow so they can carry on when you’re gone. It’s one of the best signs of good leadership.

Article by Mark Gerecht

Good Leadership

Good leadership promotes professionalism–a renaissance of standards, involving quality of life, service, discipline and total commitment to our Army and the United States of America.

Article by Mark Gerecht

There must be, within our Army, a sense of purpose. There must be a willingness to march a little farther, to carry a heavier load, to step out into the dark and the unknown for the safety and well-being of others.

Article by Mark Gerecht

Does a Soldier have to be notified of a flag action?

I have an E-8 who falsified documents, went AWOL, and committed another violation under the UCMJ. He is pending a General Letter of Reprimand. I initiated an adverse action flag on him once I knew the LOR was going to be signed. His counseling statements for these issues contain the "magic" language. He filed a complaint saying he didn't know he was adversely flagged. Is it required by regulation that he be informed that a flag is initiated or is it just courtesy? Does the "magic" language meet the requirement? I thought the "magic" language covered it all. Does this Soldier have a legitimate complaint?.. Read the Answer»

Can I ban a Soldier from smoking at work?

I have a Soldier who smokes. We work in a hospital, and all hospitals are no tobacco use areas. It takes approximately 15 minutes to smoke by the time you leave the area we work, walk to smoking area, smoke, come back, wash your hands, and become a rejoin the team.

This Soldier is the only smoker in the section. Our staffing changes depending on night/day shift. We work in the intensive care unit/post operative care (icu/pacu). Due to this, our patient load changes at the drop of a hat. So if the Charge Nurse allows this Soldier to smoke then a patient comes to the section, a patient may experience a delay in pain medication, or in the worst case scenario, a patient could die.

The question I am trying to ask is: Can I legally tell a soldier that he is not allowed to leave his area to smoke?

I know someone will say he could when it's lunch time, but the same thing applies during the whole 12-hour shift. I cannot know exactly when a patient arrives to the floor, or if a patient needs assistance that requires two people at any given time. Being a nurse is a very time-demanding job, and there are days you feel lucky to have any break at all... Read the Answer»