A Call to Action

I have found that if you ask junior leaders and junior Marines what they want, what motivates and inspires them, and where they think the institution’s priorities should be, you get insight to the culture on the ground and you can see that, by and large, they’re frustrated that it’s not being upheld. Then Dave interviews senior leaders—2 and 3-star officers, sergeants major, first sergeants—and you realize that these leaders also have this same cultural mindset. So where is the disconnect? How is it that the commander’s intent isn’t being met if these two groups are aligned? I think the answer is “mid-level management.” Mid-level staff officers and SNCOs are often the ones driving events (or not driving them) and we need to ask why. MIL offers great stories and insight, but it really should drive meaningful conversations about internal recruiting of key billets and be a call to action to hold the mid-level staff of the institution accountable for failing the expectations of its most junior and senior Marines and sailors.