The Lieutenant Paradox: The expectations of new lieutenants in the Army vary wildly. At one end of the spectrum, a lieutenant is responsible for everything his platoon does or fails to do. At the other end of the spectrum, a lieutenant can be viewed with suspicion and treated like a child — a man or a woman that retains lingering habits from his/her college years and has not yet realized the responsibilities of leading men and women into combat.
A new lieutenant, through his actions, can choose to meet one of those expectations, but not both. He or she can rise to meet positive expectations and become a leader that men and women can rely on, or be a burden on subordinate NCO leadership and the chain of command.
As a Company/Battery level Commander, I’ve spent a significant amount of time counseling lieutenants (inside and outside of my organization) on what is expected of a professional officer. Many young officers are shocked to discover the negative impacts of actions they believed to be insignificant. The vast majority of these behavior points will appear to be common sense. Sadly, many lieutenants still retain habits from their years as college students, or they may have developed bad habits through their time in the Army. I will explain the “So What?” in bold for each section to emphasize the significance of simple actions and behaviors.
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