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Be Prepared for mission reset

3/13/2014

3 Comments

 
Team,

You are getting it done!  Your hard work and persistence is showing up in the number of young men and women volunteering to serve this great country.  We are not there yet…in fact we are just starting to turn the corner.  However, I can sense the shift in momentum and know each of you believe…in yourself, and your team…in our ability to achieve our mission.

We are in the process of conducting a “mission reset” allowing us to see our full mission – to see ourselves. The mission has remained constant; however, as a command, we have not achieved 100 percent.  Our current systems do not allow us to see our shortfalls from the last six months and I am concerned we have made little progress at making up shortfalls year to date.  We might be in an “out of sight, out of mind” situation.

The mission is the mission. The numbers do not go away when we miss our marks at the phase line – they roll over into the future months. So beginning next week you will see two new changes in Leader Zone. First, is a mission reset.  Your past missions were changed to what you achieved.  We will distribute your shortfalls, from October through February, through the remaining months of the year.   This allows everyone to see the total mission and not lose sight of the effort required.

The second change is we are shifting our focus in Leader Zone from phase line missions to year-to-date missions for the rest of the year. We are modifying our IT systems to reflect this change.  The Leader Zone screen will now track your progress on the year-to-date mission with the objective to end each phase line with at least 100 percent mission accomplished.  If you do not achieve the YTD mission at the end of the PL, the shortfall rolls into the next PL.  You will clearly see your total mission.

Resetting the mission allows us to see the current requirements and positions us to make up the past shortfalls by the end of the fiscal year. I am confident we will achieve these goals as long as we remain focused and know what we have to do...I believe in your ability to achieve our mission!

As always, the headquarters missions the brigades, and the brigade leadership will exercise mission command and distribute the mission to maximize accomplishment. This could result in mission increases for some centers. We need every center performing to its maximum potential. Do not slow down or just aim for the minimum standard…set the standard!  Show others how it’s done.  I expect leaders to recognize and reward performance…decide now that you are the team your leaders will recognize!

This mission is achievable. It requires focus, dedication and a team effort to finish the year at 100 percent or better.

I applaud all you have done up to this point, and I ask you to dig in and persevere as we make up the shortfalls of the past few months and finish the year as a team.

Provide the Strength!

MG Allen W. Batschelet


3 Comments
Greg Melcher
3/13/2014 10:07:33 am

Sir,

A very soft and gentle message, letting your Soldiers know they aren't doing their job. How many more systems can an organization create that help it identify shortfalls.

As a leader in the corporate recruiting environment, I assure you USAREC is second to none in developing systems that monitor, assess and provide leader feedback. There are many leaders within your HQ who believe these systems greatly impact a recruiter's ability to influence young men and women to join the Army.

There comes a time when all these systems create a conflict of interest. In fact, they become excuses for your recruiters to lock themselves in an office or their homes.

Although I retired in 2004, I keep abreast of current people, processes and profit within USAREC. I am called to assist friends and fellow Soldiers get in touch with recruiters.

That last statement is one of your most challenging obstacles you face. Getting access to your recruiters. How many people have your, your BDE Commanders, BN CDrs or any operations influenced (recruited) someone to join our great Army? I suggest none is the most common response.

My point is, your recruiters are not recruiting. What new system will motivate them to act? None. Your leaders are afraid to lead and teach because many have not learned how to recruit and only know how to process people into the Army.

I care.

Greg Melcher

Reply
SFC(p) Crane
3/13/2014 11:25:14 am

I rarely comment on stuff like this but Greg, you are off the mark and what you wrote is very irritating. You assume that our environment is the same as it was in 2004. You assume that the NCOs "are not recruiting". You assume that leaders are "afraid to lead and teach". You assume that the way ahead is to pile more systems on the NCOs and not make them more effective. Finally, you cannot possibly know the reasons for the mission adjustment. I don't see how anything you wrote is constructive, or has value added, just a rant. Instead of ranting about perceived failures, provide solutions. Thank you for your service.

Reply
Mike Faruqui
3/14/2014 01:54:26 am

Sir, I'm a firm believer in the Soldiers within this Command. As a recent retiree, I am able to devote more than my share of time to FB and see the atmospherics within the command through the eyes of these Soldiers unvarnished comments. The team wants to make the mission. The YTD lens is a great start whose usefulness will decline as 31 September approaches. An alternate metric might be a 12 month rolling mission accomplishment approach; this would keep the team focused on the current ongoing (never ending) battle. This would also force leaders to plan for future success rather than surviving the current fight. The challenge in implementing would rise largely with the processes at HQs but the leaders beneath will get it. Just my .02 VR. Mike

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