Get to know your team—you like them, they’ll like you. Photo by Sultan Abdulrazzaq on Unsplash
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One of the most exciting things you can do as a young tank platoon leader is participate in a tank gunnery exercise. Essentially it’s going to a shooting range with some really big cannons mounted on a 68-ton chassis. One particularly hot summer in Colorado, I went to my second gunnery.
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About six months before this gunnery exercise, I had a new soldier transfer into my platoon (let’s call him Specialist England). He had been in the army for about three years by the time he made it to my platoon. He wasn’t the spiffiest soldier, nor was he fond of all the regulations (he’d occasionally break them—flagrantly). In short, he was a bit of a “problem child.” Nonetheless, I was responsible for him and his performance.
England went on several field problems with us during those six months. He was usually pretty difficult to motivate to perform his job well. He simply didn’t have a fire in his belly to train hard. My platoon sergeant and I had multiple conversations with him about his lack of performance, but for some reason we were never able to get beyond, “Yeah... I’ll try to do better.”
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Recognizing a worker for being an individual
There is a lot to be said about the value of individual recognition. It is unclear why some people may not feel highly motivated, be actively involved, engage in conversations, or adhere to rules. As a manager, there are certain things that are beyond our control. In my company, the pay rate is determined by upper management, which they refer to as "Corporate," and is not within the hands of our local management team. When I started my role in QA management, the turnover rate for our Incoming Inspection position was less than a year. I attributed this to it being the lowest-paid and least experienced position within the Quality group. The Inspection team now comprises individuals with a combined experience of 29 years, with individual tenures ranging from 3 to 9 years. While I couldn't increase their pay, I invested time and attention in them. I hosted monthly parties with snacks and team-building activities. Bringing together various personalities was not always easy, but through these events, I learned about each individual's preferences in food, drinks, and activities. This made the work environment more inviting and inclusive for everyone.
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