Thread by @TheCompanyLDR

Staff work ain’t the most desirable work, but it's important – it's the hard, scientific work of war. And the CMD v. Staff is a crap dichotomy…be good at both. Good staff work at echelon is about the fundamentals. Here are just 21 Principles… 1/23 @FieldGradeLead

https://twitter.com/FieldGradeLead/status/1378678805074747400

Principle #1-Always pin the tail on the donkey. Non-specific or third pronouns will bite you in the ass. Assign the owner. Train the owner. Inspect progress. 2/23

Principle #2-Knowledge management IS staff management. Start with the end/continuity during transition in mind. Future-you will thank Past-you for the forethought. Progress = Showing someone how to fish for info. Winning = Self-service. 3/23 @AKM_Proponent

Principle #3-Make friends. This is a team sport and nothing requires the team more than staff work. Always “have a guy/gal for that.” Compete against the standard; not against each other. 4/23 @ArmyCJO

Principle #4 – Know & serve your audience(s). Serve your principal...balance this with service to your peers, subordinate units, higher. Serving others well is also doing a service to your principal. 5/23

Principle #5-Exude a positive attitude, and an unflappable (cool, calm, collected) demeanor. A positive attitude fuels positive & productive staff work. Nobody likes the angry staff officer…unless it is @pptsapper 6/23

Principle #6-Build bridges; don’t dig moats. Be the unit that higher and sister units want to take a call from, but don’t burnout your subordinates or detract from your mission by always offering help. Do what you can with what you got. 7/23

Principle #7-Love the one you’re with. Don’t be the “in my last unit” guy or gal. The best organization is the one you’re in. If it’s not – then own it and change it. FGOs are true believers & apostles…but not bobble-heads. 8/23

Principle #8-Chase synergy; think at echelon. Anticipate friction points beyond your foxhole and far enough out to effect change. Build in efficiencies across the organization where you can. #psyched 9/23

Principle #9-You CAN disagree with your boss…ONCE. You owe them thought-out and well-supported advice provided before the decision is made. After that…execute with violence of action & enthusiasm. 10/23 @Ross_Coffman @jimrainey10 @scottjstephens

https://twitter.com/scottjstephens/status/1296816419351465984

Principle #10-Make contact with the smallest possible force. If your subordinates can handle it…let them. Not all problems rise to your level. Triage, supervise, & provide QA/QC. More on this in #12. 11/23

Principle #11-Be Multi-lingual...know and speak to your audience. Sometimes that’s GOFO/SES, other times it is grunt, and then everywhere in between. Choose the right language for the right audience to communicate the message. 12/23 @USArmyMCCoE

Principle #12-Own the Monkey (Next Task)…unless it’s not your monkey; then find the right monkey handler, train them to care for and feed the monkey, and inspect. You can’t do it all yourself, and if you try, then you are doing your team a disservice. 13/23 @kenblanchard

Principle #13-Have the humility to realize you might not be the smartest person in the room, and the hustle to prepare as if you’re expected to be. @DoctrineMan 14/23

Principle #14-Be a nuclear reactor…not a coal silo. Produce and proliferate energy. You bring the motivation…BYOE(nergy). P.S. This kid is my spirit animal. 15/23

Principle #15-You’re not Luke Skywalker…but you also aren’t Yoda either. You aren’t the hero of the story…but also not the sage mentor in observe mode. You’re Ep 1-III Obi-Wan – teaching and coaching, but also nuggin’ on some PPTs & LRTCs. @simmering216 16/23

Principle #16-Speaking of slides and calendars….Font and Format matter. It’s not form > function…it’s attentive & deliberate form improving function. Your products represent you and instill confidence and the work/thinking that went into them. 17/23

Principle #17-Higher isn’t as jacked up as you think….and you’re probably more jacked up than you think. Have a little freakin’ humility. Higher will make mistakes…so will you. Refer back to principles #13. 18/23

Principle #18-Never miss a hit time. Perfect is the enemy of good; the 90% solution delivered on time is better than the 100% solution delivered late. That simple – meet suspenses. 19/23

Principle #19-Peel back the onion and go 1, 2, 3…questions deep. Keep asking the next question until you bump up against principle #18. Continue to reevaluate your assumptions and running estimates. 20/23

Principle #20-Tell the story…the short story. People think in narratives. Tell them a story they can remember. An OPORD is a story. You aren’t paid by-the-word. 21/23

Principle #21-Yours is the science of war. CDRs get to wax poetic. You make their visions into realities through detailed analysis and systems. Yours is the LRTC not the vision statement. Welcome to middle management. @KleisnerTeddy 22/23
fieldgradeleader.themilitaryleader.com/grad-week-klei…

At the end of the day, good staff work is about keeping the main thing the main thing…winning f’n wars and developing leaders. Staffs don’t win a battle…but they can sure as hell lose one. What did I miss? 23/23