People Will Be What They Can See: a Case Study in Leadership 1St Squadron, 3Rd Armored Cavalry, September 1994-September 1996 by LTC Joseph Kopser and CPT Allen M

People Will Be What They Can See: a Case Study in Leadership 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry, September 1994-September 1996 by LTC Joseph Kopser and CPT Allen M. Trujillo

Why should we study decade of war, this is an appropriate time for such a critical self-evaluation, so as to successful organizations? build upon our strength and confront our Successful organizations are constantly ex- weaknesses. Such reflection, coupled with amining their practices to determine what decisive action aimed at the professional works. In the process, systems evolve over improvement of the total force, will ensure time and take new shape. In the U.S. Army we will always have an Army prepared to today, there is renewed effort to examine meet any challenge and defeat any foe.”1 It leader development and assessment to en- is important to look to our past for exam- sure we are choosing the best leaders pos- ples of best practices. sible to fit each organization’s mission and purpose. As we foresee future reductions in To create great units and still be good stew- the force, it is more important than ever ards of our resources, we must find and ex- that we identify and retain our best leaders amine successful organizations that build who have the greatest potential for creat- high-quality leaders who go out and build ing a positive impact on our institution. more high-quality units. It is a better re- turn on our investment in both human To examine the tenets of our organization, capital and fiscal capital. After all, “Soldiers the Army began an in-depth analysis of the are not in the Army. Soldiers are the Army.”2 values of our profession and made this Therefore, we must examine the long- challenge: “As the Army transitions from a term impact on our people when assessing

October-December 2013 65 successful leaders. We have all read stories power to affect positive change. Or there of short-term success where a leader can be a dark side of “people will be what pushed his people too hard and caused they can see” if young and impressionable more long-term harm than good for the or- leaders see their leaders acting in a nega- ganization. As the business world moves to tive or toxic way and think that is accept- a more responsible lifecycle cost of a re- able behavior. source, so too should leadership assess- Mentorship and leader development. ment. In fact, during a recent survey of Long-term mentorship and career counsel- more than 40,000 Army professionals, the ing allow the subordinate to visualize him- overwhelming trend among respondents self/herself in a certain role in the future, was that the Army needed to “enforce our thereby increasing the likelihood of it hap- standards and values, and integrate more 3 pening. Laying out a roadmap or career Army culture into our unit activities.” Peo- timeline allows a person to set conditions ple want to be part of healthy, productive now for future success. Perhaps the most organizations. important question a leader can ask a sub- Members of 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cav- ordinate is “So, what do you hope to do alry Regiment (ACR) from 1994-1996 pro- next?” vide an example of this concept. Since their Set the conditions to replicate the suc- time together in 1994-1996, the squadron’s cess: stories, vision and social media. leadership has remained in the Army at People in successful and healthy command very high rates of retention and has provid- climates are more likely to use the stories ed a large number of key leaders across the and anecdotes in describing to future team Army. By almost every measure, Tiger members what is possible as they develop Squadron was a successful unit with a com- their own teams down the road. The often- mand climate that produced a generation mentioned “war stories” play an important of successful leaders throughout the Army. role as people say, “Do you remember how These leaders emerged despite early expo- we used to …?” We should never underes- sure to some of the worst leadership in the timate the power of a story or anecdote in Army at the time. replicating quality leadership across the The authors surveyed 70 former members Army. of the squadron. Among the survey’s many The preceding factors are discussed in more insights, one of the most powerful was the detail, following. impact of good leadership in repairing command climate through leadership by exam- Leading by example and ple; developing and mentoring subordinates; and replicating that success repeat- role modeling edly throughout the Army via its alumni. Toxic leadership: background on Tiger Squadron before Fall 1994. When an or- Thesis: people will be ganization turns around quickly and moves to top-level performance, it begs an impor- what they can see tant question. Was it good people or good The impact of leaders on a unit and its leg- leadership? Did good people cause the last- acy is as simple as one phrase: People will ing legacy, or was the reason the presence be what they can see. This phrase actually of good leadership? has several aspects representing different The story of Tiger Squadron serves as an factors that potentially led to the long-term example where good people were stifled by success of Tiger Squadron and the people toxic leadership, then quickly transformed inside its organization. into a high-performing unit with a deliber- Leading by example and role modeling: ate change in the overall climate. The plight the leader’s traditional role. In the Army of Tiger Squadron and its higher headquar- profession, role models provide inspiration ters, 3rd ACR, before Fall 1994 was well to their followers, most especially in times known throughout the Army. Officers and of trouble. Over time, an organization’s cli- noncommissioned officers (NCOs) not in the mate reflects the leader, creating great unit were being warned away from the unit

66 October-December 2013 and encouraged to change their orders.4 Leading by example: Both the squadron and regimental commanders were known as abusive and self- training, recognition and serving leaders. socializing By Summer 1994, the climate was at an all- Cone wasted no time after taking command time low. Allegations of misconduct, exces- to improve the climate. He led by example sive spending and improper relationships in three major areas: effective training, Sol- were eating away at the morale of the en- dier recognition and focus on “work hard, tire regiment and squadron simultaneously. play hard.” To do so, he used the unit’s war- It was not long before word spread of offi- time mission as a vehicle to focus the squad- cers working weekends and briefing the col- ron in a positive direction. Cone used the onel “pool-side” while he enjoyed his Sun- concept of group buy-in. He organized his day with his family. One officer commented subordinate leaders to cultivate a unified that he learned more about leadership by idea of the most important principles to use seeing what not to do than he was able to as a guiding force within the unit. from positive leadership. Fundamentally, Soon after taking command, Cone organized both squadron and regimental commanders a training conference to learn his leader- had undermined the unit’s trust. ship’s perceived strengths and weaknesses. A change in leadership in Tiger Squad- More importantly, he was there to gain buy- ron. Remarkably, Tiger Squadron’s leader- in from all members of the team. Cone asked ship and culture changed in an instant when his leaders to develop their own ideas of the regimental and squadron commanders what key elements it would take to become were both relieved. In Fall 1994, the unit a successful organization and compiled the was operating with no lieutenant-colonel most important tasks into what Cone called commander, and people were making plans the “Big 5,” a list of the top five training ob- to transfer out of the organization. Within jectives that defined Tiger Squadron. This weeks, the new squadron commander, LTC list of training objectives became the sim- Robert W. Cone, arrived, and things began ple rules that described Tiger Squadron’s to change quickly for the better. In fact, a vision. As the unit began to unify around Tiger Squadron survey found that more than these key ideas, they strived for the high- 85 percent of the respondents strongly est levels of excellence in everything they agreed that Cone’s positive leadership style did, creating a high esprit de corps, which 6 led to a rapid turn-around in the unit. He in short is “honor and pride for your unit.” seemed to genuinely be having fun as a The training climate he created welcomed leader while building valuable relationships honest mistakes as a sign the organization and making loyal followers of almost every- was learning. In fact, it created confidence one in the command.5 among young leaders that they could make Looking back at Tiger Squadron’s success, honest mistakes (once) in a protected en- three trends emerge and are supported by vironment. As stated by LTC Jason Wolter survey results. First, Cone led by example (now a battalion commander himself), “We and demonstrated firsthand how to effec- worked harder to not let LTC Cone down, and we worked hard to show constant im- tively train a unit. Second, Cone invested 7 time in the leader development and men- provement.” Tiger Squadron was constant- torship of young officers, restoring their ly evolving and learning. Most of the unit trust in the Army profession. Finally, he set members took that passion for development the conditions for future success by con- with them to their next assignments, ex- stant storytelling that inspired the next gen- tending that influence throughout the Army. eration of stories and anecdotes used by Another critical factor in the rapid improve- those who followed. He reinforced the im- ment of Tiger Squadron’s command climate portance of having fun and sticking togeth- was the emphasis on individual/team rec- er as a team. These three changes created ognition and unit ceremony. Subordinates the conditions that cemented a legacy of saw events as recognizing their value and quality leaders who would go on to lead our contributions. Tiger Squadron did not fail to Army through some great challenges. recognize its subordinates, and as a result,

October-December 2013 67 more than 95 percent of survey respon- commander’s house was cited more times dents agreed that “ceremonies mattered.”8 than any other single event as a defining One respondent mentioned that “[Tiger moment in the unit’s culture.9 Never under- Squadron placed a] great emphasis [on] estimate the potential of hosting a party at ceremonies and traditions, [overall unit] your house. esprit de corps,” while another stated that ceremonies “reaffirmed our success. It was When asked, 100 percent of the survey re- a way to let us know that we were accept- spondents agreed that Tiger Squadron cre- ed and doing the right thing.” ated a culture where it was as “important to play hard as it was to work hard.” This The combination of promoting esprit de critical component of leader involvement corps and recognizing excellence is essen- shows us that in extremely successful or- tial to an organization’s long-term success. ganizations, leaders go above and beyond People also enjoy the ceremony and social in showing their subordinates that having side of organizations because it links them fun together is just as important as being to their predecessors. It is a kind of rites of successful together.10 passage and tradition that gives a larger sense of community. Mentorship and leader Finally, in restoring a healthy and positive command climate, Cone did more than just development focus on the unit’s wartime mission. He took Active and involved mentorship. One of deliberate steps to restore the organiza- the most important aspects of the Tiger tion’s social aspects. Recognizing that trust Squadron renaissance between 1994-96 was is stronger among friends than just cowork- Cone’s career advice and coaching. His in- ers, Cone never missed an opportunity to vestment in his junior officers and NCOs build connections among his team. provided an example for them to follow later in their careers – people matter. To foster those connections, however, requires a sincere interest in other members Cone would often tell stories about his own of the team. There are few ways to better development as a young officer growing up foster a connection among a team than to in the early 1980s. He would cite the influ- socialize together as entire families. In re- ence of senior leaders (generals such as storing the climate, Cone worked hard to Eric Shinseki, Scott Wallace and “Doc” Bahn- bring his leaders together outside the con- sen, to name just a few) who helped shape text of the strictly work environment. It is his style, personality and focus on training. not only the moments that include just the In many ways, everyone under his com- adults around a keg of beer but the Satur- mand felt that connection to their “ances- day picnics, weddings or children’s birth- tors.”11 Squadron members began to visu- days that begin to build those bonds. It’s alize their own future in the long-term. Just best described as “friends at work make as Cone had grown over the last 20 years, work more friendly.” they could too if they maintained a long- term view of their lives and careers. That was certainly true for Tiger Squadron. The parties and socials did something far LTC Brian Byers described why Cone invest- more important than allow people to see ed so much time in the mentorship and ca- each other. It brought together junior and reer development of his junior officers. He senior officers and their spouses for con- stated that Cone was “focused on building versations that ranged from the Army pro- teams at the lowest level.” Cone wanted the fession to the best brands of baby formula. unit to know that the Army was a good place Those exchanges were important on so to work with good ideals and that it had many levels. Mostly, because when families been good to him. He didn’t want them to know and respect each other, it is easier to walk away from an organization that had treated him so well and for them to not be get them to spend time together. The more 12 they are together, the more they talk. The jaded by their prior experience in the unit. more they talk, the more they share ideas. Empowering subordinates. A significant The more they share ideas, the better the aspect of Cone’s unification and success unit becomes and the richer their lives within Tiger Squadron was his ability to em- become. Something as simple as a chili power his subordinate leaders as well as his cook-off hosted at the squadron unique ability to work beside them rather

68 October-December 2013 than over them. Cone took personal inter- the context of the much larger mosaic of est three levels down in the organizational the professional Army. It felt like he was hierarchy. He became a transformational letting them in on a secret. It was one thing leader, giving his subordinates both the abil- to do just the job, but when he explained ity to be leaders themselves as well as in- where the unit fit into the larger picture, it spiring them to excel. gave its members a much clearer sense of purpose. It allowed them to connect the Another member of the unit, LTC Chip Dan- dots in their understanding and career de- iels, who also went on to successful battal- velopment (which later reinforced his points ion command, stated, “Cone empowered his in the mentorship he provided). But more [junior officers] because he trusted us. This importantly, as he developed this learning made me feel like my opinion and decisions organization – as Cone shared with unit were valuable to the Tiger Squadron team. members the much larger issues – it went He demonstrated this trust by allowing [us] a long way to create a sense among junior to develop our own training plans, and even officers that they were “part of the club.”15 gave us full days to maneuver our [unit dur- What he was really doing was instilling a ing training]. I know that a young [24-year- connection to the Army profession in every- old second lieutenant] probably lacks the one. experience to fully maximize that opportunity. There was likely some short-term waste Staying connected through social me- that could have been prevented if more se- dia. Part of the long-term success of the nior officers had strictly managed what I unit over time was the power of social me- did with that time, fuel and other resourc- dia. Social media and today’s technology es. However, that opportunity fostered a makes it even easier for high-performing sense of responsibility and ownership in me. units to stay in touch and share news of I wanted to use the time to [train my team family, promotions, struggles and success. to accomplish our goal]. That is what we Email, mailing lists and Facebook aid not did. In short, there was a short-term cost only Soldiers to stay in touch, but also their in terms of fuel, time, etc., but the long- family members. In fact, when spouses term gain in leadership development was stay in touch, this might be one of the most vastly more important and enduring.” powerful connective forces of all. That allows two sets of eyes and ears to remain Within Tiger Squadron, evidence shows that connected. Cone focused on allowing his subordinates the opportunity to exercise creativity and By leveraging the power of email distribu- initiative in accomplishing their tasks. In tion lists, Facebook and holiday-card mail- the authors’ survey, more than 80 percent ing lists, the friends and families of Tiger of the respondents stated that leaders in Squadron stayed in touch. Almost two de- Tiger Squadron did not micromanage their cades later, most officers and NCOs the au- subordinates.13 Furthermore, a remarkable thors interviewed commented that they rou- 100 percent believed that subordinates were tinely stay in touch with the people of Tiger allowed the opportunity to learn from their Squadron. Even more impressive to see are mistakes. One respondent mentioned that the examples of Tiger Squadron alumni “leaders were given a task and the freedom reaching back to start helping the children to execute within the commander’s intent,” of their friends as they enter college, mili- and another mentioned, “I was allowed a lot tary service or their own careers. of freedom to explore different ideas and im- This connection and network of former col- plement several programs to try to increase 14 leagues was able to stay better connected readiness throughout the squadron.” to help each other. In some cases, it was a simple case of sharing written products or Cementing the legacy: the example copies of standard policy letters. In other cases, it was a friend in another power of stories command or another country looking into a Restoring the command climate (both matter personally. Regardless of the context, on and off duty). As Cone was restoring it was through bonds and trust created in the unit’s trust in senior leadership, it also the beginning and then fostered through helped considerably that he took time to social media that kept the Tiger Squadron explain in broad ways how the unit fit into family together. Later, all those connections

October-December 2013 69 translated into career and professional func- there was more than just a lucky conver- tions that contributed to a healthier institu- gence of quality people in the squadron. tion. This transition in leadership highlights the The stories we tell our teams now. In importance of the presence of a high-per- addition to keeping friends and family con- forming mentor in determining if in fact a nected, the stories and visuals of Tiger good unit will produce good leaders. Cone Squadron continue to influence and improve appears to be just as responsible as Tiger our Army decades later. One of the most in- Squadron itself in explaining the organiza- teresting findings from conducting the Ti- tion’s success. Similarly, Cone was success- ger Squadron survey was the influence of ful as a commander because of the excep- the experiences from Tiger Squadron on its tional personnel already present before he members. All the respondents said they use arrived. The highly selective nature of Tiger Tiger Squadron “as a teaching point” and Squadron set conditions for leaders to ex- believe this was “one of the most memora- cel. When analyzing both facts simultane- ble times” of their Army career. The climate ously, one can begin to discern the impor- in Tiger Squadron helped define its mem- tance of both factors in the squadron’s suc- bers and created a sense that they “wanted cess. to emulate its characteristics” everywhere When we asked survey respondents to name they served. Leaders in Tiger Squadron rou- the most influential person in Tiger Squad- tinely cited examples they saw in those two ron, as expected, a large majority specifi- years that still influence them 17 years cally mentioned Cone and several members later. of his leadership team. However, one re- Even more impressively, these future lead- spondent stated that the most influential ers took those very same lessons and are person was “[the regimental commander applying them throughout the Army today. who was relieved due to the poor command Wolter, a former platoon leader in Tiger climate]. The lifecycle pattern of [Tiger Squadron, said he used Cone’s command Squadron] then was very similar to E/1- philosophy (originally written in 1994) in 506th in World War II. When Dick Winters 2012 when he wrote his own command phi- was asked at the U.S. Military Academy in losophy.16 1999 why Easy Company was so cohesive, he responded immediately with ‘Captain Sobel.’ The previous dysfunctional climate Conclusions and set the conditions that allowed exceptional recommendations leaders to excel.”17 Prior to Cone’s arrival, Tiger Squadron was When looking at the success of a great under the control of an underperforming leader in a great unit, one cannot forget the leader. It was not until Cone arrived and circumstances that surrounded their exis- changed the culture within Tiger Squadron tence. For Tiger Squadron, the failures of that its members received a chance to re- the previous commanders set the stage for alize their full potential. Because of his work, great changes to follow. In an email to a the people of Tiger Squadron were able to former Tiger Squadron troop executive of- “see what they could be.” What they be- ficer in 2009, Cone acknowledged that had came is impressive. the previous commander not been removed Now a four-star general and commanding in the dramatic fashion surrounding his de- general of the Army’s Training and Doctrine parture, Cone would have inherited a “can- Command (TRADOC), Cone came from their cerous unit” and the chances of success ranks. Sergeant Major of the Army Ray would have significantly decreased. Cone himself realized the importance of this cir- Chandler, a former command sergeant ma- 18 jor in TRADOC; retired CSM John Sparks; cumstance in his eventual success. and general officers Robert Abrams and Paul Following situations of great organizational Funk also came from their ranks. Other no- turmoil, it requires positive leadership to tables include a brigade commander, Scott step in and set a new direction. Tiger Squad- Efflandt; a growing list of more than a doz- ron’s highlights from 1994-1996 are exam- en battalion commanders; five division G-3s; ples of the potential of such change. Through six special assistants to four-star generals; a focus on leading by example, powering and a large list of sergeants major. Clearly, down to subordinates, investing in leader

70 October-December 2013 development and then cementing those Notes changes through fun and positive social ex- 1 TRADOC annual report, “U.S. Army: Army Profession periences, great things can occur for the Campaign” April 2, 2012, http://cape.army.mil/repos- long-term health of an organization. itory/CY11ArmyProfessionAnnualReport.pdf. 2 Abrams, Creighton, quoted in A Better War by Lew- is Sorley, Harcourt, Inc., 1999. 3 TRADOC annual report. 4 The author was in Germany on vacation in June 1993 a year before arriving and was warned by a sergeant in line at the airport not to go to the 3rd ACR, that the LTC Joseph Kopser is a professor and the chair climate was terrible. of military science for Texas Army ROTC at the 5 Kopser, Joseph, and Allen Trujillo, Tiger Squadron University of Texas, Austin, TX. His previous unit survey conducted March 22-Aug. 1, 2012. assignments include special assistant to Army 6 Interview with LTC Doug Boltuc April 20, 2012. Chief of Staff GEN George Casey; special assis- 7 Interview with LTC Jason Wolter, April 20, 2012. tant to the director, Future Force Integration 8 Kopser and Trujillo. Directorate, Fort Bliss, TX; battalion executive 9 Ibid. officer, 2-7 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, and 10 Allen Trujillo, Kiara Ward, Leena Vazirani, Laura Ro- squadron executive officer, 1-9 Cavalry, 1st driguez and Matt Brown, “Tiger Squadron, 3rd ACR – Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss. His military school- Team KALLM” research paper, April 30, 2012. ing includes Command and General Staff Col- 11 Essay of comments about Tiger Squadron by LTC lege, Armor Officer Advanced Course and Ranger, Chip Daniels, Jan. 6, 2012. 12 Interview with LTC Brian Byers, April 27, 2012. Airborne and Air Assault schools. LTC Kopser 13 holds a bachelor’s of science degree from the Kopser and Trujillo. 14 Ibid. U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, in 15 Daniels. aerospace engineering and a master’s of arts 16 Interview with Wolter. degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School in pub- 17 Editor’s note: CPT Herbert M. Sobel commanded lic administration. He is a recipient of the Company E for the unit’s basic training at Camp Toc- Bronze Star. coa, GA. A strict disciplinarian, he earned the hatred of many of his men. However, many of the company’s veterans also credited the intense training he gave CPT Allen Trujillo is studying for his master’s th degree with the U.S. Army Student Detach- them with creating the finest company in 506 Para- chute Infantry Regiment. Sobel was negatively por- ment, duty at the University of Texas-Austin. trayed as inept in the television series Band of His previous assignments include company Brothers, a television miniseries focusing on MAJ commander, 4-6 Infantry, 4-1 Armored Divi- Richard Winters’ experiences. Winters was one of the sion, Fort Bliss; and platoon leader and execu- officers to succeed Sobel in command of Company E. tive officer, Headquarters and Headquarters 18 Interview with LTC Michael Donahue, March 2012. Company, 2-7 Cavalry, 4-1 Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss. CPT Trujillo’s military schooling includes Armor Officer Basic Course, Maneuver Captain’s Career Course and Airborne School. Acronym Quick-Scan He holds a bachelor’s of science degree from the U.S. Military Academy in systems engineer- ACR – armored cavalry regiment ing and is pursuing a master’s of science de- NCO – noncommissioned officer gree from the University of Texas in operations TRADOC – Training and Doctrine Command research/industrial engineering.

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