Gen. Tony Thomas
Editor’s note: This month, around the United States, cadets at service academies and ROTC programs are commissioning and taking the next step in their careers as members of the profession of arms. We originally published this advice for new lieutenants from Gen. Tony Thomas in 2018, while he served as commander of US Special Operations Command.
1. At your first meeting with your first platoon sergeant:
Shut the door, tell him or her, “I think I’ve had a pretty good preparation to be a PL, but before I do anything, how about you tell me what you expect of me?” If they are good, and most of them are very good—and you aren’t the first or last PL they’ll have the privilege of serving with—they’ll say, “Be our leader, make the tough decisions, don’t try to be our buddy (we may eventually like you, but that’s not the objective), enforce the standards.” (And, while they may never say it, you can take to the bank that they will strive to never let you fail). You may be an LT, but you are their LT.
2. Care for people.
They are our most precious resource—the decisive, competitive, comparative advantage.
They are more important than hardware.
If you don’t really know them you won’t really care for them.
Active mentorship: Who are your “12 Disciples?”