“Be, Know, Do” the Army has built this model to represent the attributes and competencies that an Army leader should possess. These six evaluation blocks that our NCOER is developed around tied in with the Army values and the Warrior Ethos will set the frame work to develop a Soldier to prevail versus any unified land operation. It is the duty of our current leaders to ensure we set the standard of what “Be, Know, Do” represents and the responsibility of our seniors to ensure we develop and guide Soldiers to be successful in their Army and civilian careers. The Army Military Life Cycle depends heavily on current leaders to emphasize the importance and understanding of how a Soldier should peruse his or her Army career. A leader should be able to provide realistic expectations to pave the way towards a variety of paths to pursue for personal and professional goals.
Branch managers play an important role in developing and mentoring peers and subordinates towards a successful Army career. The 13F PDNCO works hand in hand with FAPO to ensure the Army is meeting current and future requirements while still allowing Soldiers to develop a logical and realistic career. The branch manager duties and responsibilities consist of co-managing a Soldiers career by ensuring that a he or she is developed in both an operational and institutional assignment. The branch manager will utilize numerous sections of a Soldiers records to decide where a Soldier could possibly PCS in order to meet the Army’s operational needs and ensuring the Soldiers are provided with opportunities for professional development. It is the responsibility of the PDNCO to stay up to date with an ever-changing proponent leader development template and PDMs in order to better understand potential assignments for individuals in his or her branch. The PDNCO will play a vital role in being able to conduct career development counseling’s and mentoring for Soldiers within his or her branch. The assignment manager must have a clear understanding of the Army learning concept and how it applies to assigning personnel in order to help develop adaptive thinking Soldiers. This concept is built around the seven leader development imperatives 1. Commit to Army profession, lifelong learning, and development. 2. Balance the Army’s commitment to training, education, and experience components of leader development. 3. Manage military talent to benefit both the institution and the individual. 4. Select and develop leaders with positive leader attributes and proficiency in core leadership competencies for responsibility at higher levels. 5. Prepare adaptive and creative leaders capable of operating within the complexity of the operational environment and the entire range of military OPS. 6. Embed mission command principles in leader development. 7. Value a broad range of leader experiences and developmental opportunities. (DA PAM 600-25 ch 2).
A Soldiers upkeep of records play a vital role into his or her next duty station. For instance maintaining an updated ERB, ASK, ACT and also taking leaders recommendations based off of the Soldier’s NCOER. The DA PAM 600-25 will drive guidance for a PDNCO based of DOD directives and Army regulations. These policies help the branch manager assist the Enlisted Personnel Management System on managing Soldiers in accordance with Army needs, develop a professional enlisted force, support the Army Life Cycle, and retain quality Soldiers to stay at appropriate strength levels. DA PAM 600-25 Chapter 3-7 Assignment-making decision process outlines the appropriate guidance that an assignment manager will take into consideration when developing NCO’s and managing Army personnel. The proponent will play a key factor in all decisions that a career manager might make during his decision making process. The proponent will establish proficiency requirements and be directly responsible for the PDM, which the branch manager will utilize to seek out NCO’s that are available for career advancement opportunities and potential professional development opportunities. The branch manager must be able to communicate these goals and objectives that the Army has established for the CMF / MOS. This will allow the branch manager to counsel and mentor the NCO’s within his or her branch about the way forward for a specific CMF / MOS. The Army outlines necessary outcomes to meet requirement and challenge NCO’s for increased self-development and broadening opportunities. NCO’s must understand that their comfort will not always be the top tier decision factor for an assignment manager. “The ultimate measure of a man is not when he stands in comfort and convenience, but when he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” (Martin Luther King, Jr). Once an NCO understands the PDM and what the Army is asking of him it will allow him to set the framework for his future and allow the branch manager to assist in properly positioning him or her for the benefit of not only the Army but also the individual. A Soldier should be open minded in broadening their career opportunities by applying or volunteering for different institutional, operational, and self-developing assignments. These three well balanced pillars will establish the three crucial leader development components: training, education, and experience.
In conclusion, a Branch manager / PDNCO will work directly for his peers and subordinates to allow the NCO core to build on the “Be, Know, Do” attributes and competencies that an Army leader should possess, while assisting the EPMS in managing the Army’s enterprise. It all starts with the individual Soldier setting goals and progressing from the initial phase through retirement and back into the civilian sector; The Army Life Cycle. In the end Soldiers manage their own careers, but a PDNCO assists in balancing the interest of a Soldier against the Army’s mission (DA PAM 600-25 ch 2). “Subordinates are the ones who guide units and organizations through the challenges of tomorrow. If today’s leaders do not adequately develop their subordinates, then today’s leaders have not succeeded in accomplishing tomorrow’s mission.” (DA PAM 600-25 ch 2)
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