NCO Journal April 2023 Articles

The official magazine of noncommissioned officer professional development

Creativity

By Richard McConnell, D.M. (U.S. Army Command and General Staff College) & Angus Fletcher, PhD (The Ohio State University)

If NCOs could provide their officers with more creative, innovative, novel and surprising solutions that could help them anticipate what is coming next and seize the initiative from the enemy, why shouldn’t they? The study findings resulted in tools NCOs can pull off the shelf and use in the field to make that happen.

Article published on: April 17, 2023

Drill Sergeant Misconduct: Analyzing and Tackling a Critical Recruitment Issue Part 2

By Command Sgt. Maj. Robert M. Theus

This follow-up article focuses on leadership and ethical theories and concepts. First, it analyzes counterproductive leadership types which enable unethical behavior. Next, the concept of groupthink offers insight into its pitfalls. The article also briefly examines who is fit to identify the positive and negative effects of placing someone in the right or wrong position within an organization. It looks at literature discussing ethical fading, ethical climate, and ethical leadership.

Article published on: April 7, 2023

Drill Sergeant Misconduct: Analyzing and Tackling a Critical Recruitment Issue Part 1

By Command Sgt. Maj. Robert M. Theus

This article explores drill sergeant misconduct. In this first part, the author explores who drill sergeants are, where they came from, how much responsibility lays on their shoulders, training issues, and the senior leadership environment. Drill sergeant misconduct, while not the standard or the norm, severely impacts mission readiness and success, and contradicts the Army's people-first strategy.

Article published on: April 3, 2023