Ex-WO1 – RSM Med Mor Regt 1992-1997Trekking through my military life has been like standing at the shore and observing the tides. They ebb from the shore and receding back from where it came from. Such has been life. The Compass of Life must be directed towards a good cause.
Looking back, I’m convinced the new generation of RSMs that sprang up in mid 80s and 90s revolutionized the Ghana Armed Forces. The crop of RSMs who were products from the erstwhile Junior Leaders’ Company changed the outlook and perception about the enlisted.
The clout of competence exhibited, these Warrant Officers/Senior Noncommissioned Officer brought to fore the meaning, the wisdom and the essence of the school and its establishment. New flexibility and mobility, coupled with finesse of lateral thinking about soldiering was ushered in. “The old order gave way to the new order” during this contemporary period. That resulted in a new breed of RSMs. “The Modern-day Regimental Sergeant Major.
I reached the end of my non-commissioned career, finishing my time as the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) at the former Medium Mortar Regiment. Presently the 66 Arty Regt, “The Gunners.”
Before I left, I wanted to share my thoughts on what I think it means to be a Regimental Sergeant Major these days in this write up.
In the past times the typical Regimental Sergeant Major was someone with a well-built physique, heavy moustache and devoted much of their time as rear marker on CO’s PT. The RSM’s preoccupation seemed to have concentrate his energies on guard duties, fire, and discipline and shouting; a compelling being presence seems to be the utmost viable or valuable consideration.
One important milestone over the years has been, how the role and responsibilities has developed, gradually from a simple to a more complex form; RSMs are required to now add up, much value to their soldiers, their unit and the Army.
To put it clearly, by no means did I come about as the best RSM around. I did make mistakes down the path to that office, notwithstanding, it got me there. But every mishap or mistake has helped me developed towards where I am now. And perhaps nothing I write, is totally new or will modify the intuitive understanding and insight. However, what I can say is that, I passionately believed in what I write here and did practiced what I preached. I’m clear in my mind and believe that, I added value to my soldiers, my unit and, in a little way, to the Army.
In my estimation, if I have done that, it has been by bringing to mind that, the degree of excellence was never a singular act, but a standard I set out to pursue. This practice was not achieved singularly, but, relying on my team, not just I. It was through understanding my role – the absolutely important segments and also the less glamorous segments. And by making certain, people are at the focal point of what I have done. Even though, I always felt, I could be doing more for them.
Honestly, if asked to give a statement of the exact meaning for the role of RSM, the simple answer – RSMs are the caretakers and custodians of our soldiers.
My Suggestion to the Modern-day RSM: To Be Seen or Regarded as Exerting a Powerful Influence, Is Not an Individual Act.
The central purpose, once I set off as RSM was to create a culture and build up, both the RSM role and my soldiers. I deemed it as a responsibility and made certain I have the appropriate knowledge across the G1 – 9 spectrum: so that I was confident and able, to deal with anything that came across my desk.
The modern and forward-thinking RSM is younger, ready to go, more forceful, expressive and proficient, of bridging the gap between, being a fighting soldier and a member of the battalion or the regiment’s central staff. Guard, fire picquets and other key duties remain, but, you will need to spend a lot of your time, very much invested in G1/3/5/7. As a good RSM, it will be your task to add meaning to any state of affairs, and be ready to provide very valuable advice to the CO.
Always bear in mind, as the RSM, you are a leader of training and assurance nest for the Battalion or the Regiment events, and make certain, the best possible training is provided. Not forgetting that you are a safety net for the CO, to make sure what the unit does is right. You are the standard of standards, the defender of leadership in the unit. As a caretaker and custodian, you must be seen – be engaging – be the voice of the soldiers and a responsibility, to look down before you look up.
Reminding yourself always – you are the voice of the soldiers and an unending responsibility to look down before you look up.
You must always be open-minded and welcoming; you are failing your soldiers, if they do not feel that, they can speak to you. I tried to keep up an open-door code of practice and discipline for all ranks. You are the senior soldier of the Battalion or the Regiment and have a lot of understanding and knowledge, so share it. People truly value what your judgment is and what you have a say.
It’s commendable to be seen as much as possible. Get out and be on fitness routine with the troops. Do not underestimate how much of an impact that can have. The RSM should be fit and uncompromising and forceful. I did take every opportunity, to be on fitness with every physical training and recreational activities of the unit, as well as, every promotional course selection cadre; these I would not miss. It was my responsibility as the RSM, to hand pick prospective leaders from these selection processes. You cannot do that from flicking through reports, you need to get amongst it. A one-hour fitness session with the troops that you set, will serve as the standard.
Since you remain the enforcer of standards and discipline, even more so, the champion of leadership; you become a coach and mentor, to every soldier and officer you come across. Others will keep an eye on everything you do, every determination you make. You must make certain everything you do is for the right reason. Weighing up each assessment and its possible aftereffects; more importantly, considering its effect.
Do not ask people to do things you would not do; I often recall JNCOs and Gunners on ‘Bush Exercise’ asking, why I usually insist on mopping up the corridor. Always remind yourself “you are never too good to do a job that needs doing”.
The greatest pledge as the RSM was to look down first. It should always be your resolve to look down before you look up! As the guardian of your soldiers, you must make certain that, their opinions, concerns and thought processes are voiced in the top corridor. If you do not get this right, you are failing; look after your soldiers and they will look after you.
There is a quote by Aristotle that sums all this up for me. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” I try to live by this motto.
The Modern-day Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) should know himself – “As a Leader Know Your Blind Spots”. It is usually refreshing that your example is of value, however, do not be an individual. Use your team.
Standing afar now, and many times in recent years, I have seen RSMs feel their opinion is right, their answer is spot on. “I am the RSM, I must be right”. Learn not to be that person. Listen to your team; ask for help, support, thoughts and opinions on things, prior to pushing out directives. You will be surrounded by great people and there is always, a worthier opinion amongst those around you. You need to master get to the bottom approach of those ideas and exploiting them. Use the wealth of knowledge around you and play to the strengths of individuals.
Employing the 360 degree feedback is very vital, to develop and to improve self. Your Warrant Officers’ suggestions and recommendations are valuable and priceless. Give them the latitude to freely exercise discretion, to add up to yours, without compromising ethics. Do what you can to encourage this culture in the wider team, especially amongst the unit-level leadership.
It was a common practice that I cultivated. I frequently had to meet my CSMs to deliberate and answer a series of delibrate on simple issues and questions for me:
What should I stop doing?
What should I continue doing?
Is my direction clear?
Do you feel empowered by me?
Do you feel I am approachable?
What could I do better?
Do I engage enough with the soldiers and officers?
What would you like to see me do more?
Is there any other feedback you wish to give? The need was to get engaged in frank talk usually.
Apart from your CSMs, make sure you have an experienced sounding group be the RQMS or a Late Entry officer. Have someone you trust, that you can express yourself to, run ideas by and will be brutally honest with you. Sometimes you do not see it, but others will: you need people who will tell you when you have a bad idea.
Understand Your Role as the Heartbeat, Centrality and Life Force: The phrase “the heartbeat of something” emphasizes the core activity, energy, or importance of a place or thing. It suggests that the “heartbeat” is the source of vitality and character, much like the physical heartbeat is vital for human life.
The tempo and morale of a unit serves as heartbeat which ebbs and flows as tide within the Army. The RSM as the heartbeat should always be one step ahead in identifying when the unit has reached capacity – they should single out the warning signs and indicators to make certain the unit does not get to the breakpoint. The RSM needs to be out in the unit, talking to soldiers and officers to appraise and assess morale and tempo, among other factors and convey back to the Commanding Officer (CO) on how the unit is keeping up together. It is imperative that, the CO must rely a lot on the RSM, as the senior and most experienced soldier of the unit.
You are in a position of command, and with that come huge responsibility, more than I realized. If you do not accept the responsibility and are not there when you are needed you will fail. The job is very weighty and, honestly, you can do as much or as little as you want. I did throw everything into the role and, as a result, I walk away each week pretty tired but satisfied.
Sometimes you will get it wrong, on a few occasions I did. I often reacted too quickly. I’m not sure I got the balance right with the amount of time I did/did not spend in the Mess. I did not reward those outside the ‘top third’ enough. Sometimes I did not manage my Regimental Duties team as efficiently as I would want. All of these points I realized during my tenure and I reacted and changed. The lesson is: do not beat yourself up over failing. Even as a WO1, learn from your mistakes, move on, and go again.
I was privilege to have held positions of Secretary, Accounts Holder, Wines and PMC. There is so much most of us did not know or did not understand. Some things were small. After being the President of the Mess Committee as a Warrant Officer Class 2, many RSMs thought they had mess finances swept up. They did not. I entreat they learn quickly.
But the big things are even more important. I was never ignorant about the religions and cultures of my soldiers. Take time to understand those in your unit specifically and make sure the unit provides accommodations for all. That does not mean treating people differently, it just means you cater for all and make certain everyone is in high spirits.
I did understand the importance of diversity and inclusion and during my time I came to recognize guidance as an important topic for the unit, the Army and society.
When you have to set in motion an intellectual change in your unit, trust and encourage your junior commanders to keep up. They are the best important base, therefore support them accordingly. The source to solving critical issues is having them bring up and discussed in the right way: once our soldiers are aware and understand, they deal with it. When we in the chain of command, communicate the subject of inclusion insensitively or without involving our soldiers intellectually, we create add up stumbling blocks.
One of the high points during my tenure, I never underestimated the problems with mental health in my unit. Until you are the RSM you do not really see the full range and seriousness of the issues which affect the soldiers – no matter what their rank. It is something you need to take hold of quickly and understand. You must ensure your CSMs also get this. They will not have fully understood the situation in their battery or company until they took their position. Keep in mind that everyone in your unit serves as a measuring device and can notify the chain of command about an individual who is falling off in their health and the signal can be lifesaving.
Make Space for People
Make sure you reward your people, from a show of your appreciation to an award; never take too lightly the impact of rewarding someone. Do not just focus on the top third blades – the SNCOs. Share the affection as far and wide as you can. A core principle of the Army Leadership Code is how you stick on to reward.
In the same way, people will approach you for advice on their career, their training plans or their personal situations. Make sure you have your door open and relate with people. If you are time constraint, re-schedule. Do not forget. Individuals come to see you for a reason. It will have taken strength of mind as they will think of your interaction long after you have forgotten it.
Life is a Highway. It is like two roads that diverged in a wood. You decide which to travel on. It is for the same reason; a ‘disappointed dad’ is a far more effective than ‘angry, shouty RSM’. Make sure that your soldiers learn lessons from their disappointment. We all know what it feels like to be told you have let someone down.
When it comes to the dealings between the CO, RSM and their soldiers, the same applies. COs and RSMs have traditionally lived in each other’s pockets but this should not be the case in the modern era. Do physical training and visits together but do not be fearful and nervous to own your own diary, and inform the CO of where you are going and what you are doing. Sometimes you are well-organized as a team when you move separately; seeing more people and conducting more visits mean interacting with more people. Remember: they will remember the interactions. Covering more ground you spread your influence.
Understand Leadership and Leadership Development
The RSM must “Understand the Army Leadership Code and use it”. It is the guide rail to develop your Junior Non-Commissioned Officers. But do not become enveloped up in it though. Remind yourself always to relate things to the real world and real experiences. I achieved good, thought-provoking leadership training through sessions where JNCOs briefed me on leadership styles from their outlook. Understand clearly you do not know everything about leadership development, too. There are some bright people about who can add to your knowledge
Get amongst fitness schedules and lead from the front; as the RSM I focused on leadership and fitness. You need to own this and push it. Push the will for competition. Make sure you maintain and develop a competitive attitude amongst your soldiers. Fitness should be the base for everything we do. I achieved this through generating regular competitions between sub-units.
The Modern Regimental Sergeant Major RSM Must Not Forget To Make Space for Self. Throughout all of this, and although you are in a position of command and need to be on the end of a phone 24/7, you must find a way to switch off and enjoy your life. Do not let the appointment consume you. Manage your diary and time well.
Make enough time for your family. They fend for you until this point so do not fail to care for them properly due to your busy schedule. My wife was great at grounding to me and was, another great sounding platform, who gave me a very different perspective. This applies professionally, too. If you isolate yourself from your CSMs the role will be lonely. There is no need to do this. Keep up close ties and have a good rapport. You should be looking for CSMs to come to your office for a chat.
As a final point, set realistic and achievable goals. You got to RSM by being motivated. Do not push yourself too hard now that you are there. I had four goals:
Be the best version of myself, always. Try and leave a legacy.
Genuinely care about my soldiers. Do not just say it, show it.
Promote an ethos and spirit of competition and the will to win.
Leave Things Better Than When You Arrived
I approached the role of RSM with everything I did have. I devoted a lot of my time to it, so that I could walk away feeling, I had achieved my goals and would be remembered for the legacy I had shaped.
I have learnt so much about myself along the journey. If you are due to become an RSM, do not underestimate how much support, you have around you. Play to people’s strengths. Let your warrant officers advice and challenge you. And start the job understanding, you will get things wrong. Accept it, learn from your mistakes and move forward.
The modern Warrant Officers of today were forged in the discharges of UN Peace-Keeping Op and ECOMOG Op. Our operational experiences, combined with our mission – and people-focused attitudes make us a force multiplier. Purely, through how we conduct ourselves, modern Warrant Officers are shaping the future leaders of the Army.
“The Modern-day Regimental Sergeant Major”
Remind yourself always, if we get it right, our soldiers will want to be like us. But then, to do this you have to take on board the idea of the innovative Warrant Officer and the influence it can bring.
Remember: success is when your soldiers emulate your actions and deeds.
By Nana Akwah, Dip. Fire Sup Spec., Dip. Fd Arty Survey
