It's been amazing to see how many jobs and staff positions that used to be quite well run with a Colonel and a MSG now require a flag officer and a CSM just to turn the lights on and start the coffee machine.
Upon my return from Germany, I had the good fortune of working again for my last Battalion Commander in Germany. I was his S-4 (Supply Officer) during his last year in command, and it was one of the best times of my life.
He was promoted to Colonel, and put in charge of the (then) Air Defense Artillery Board at Fort Bliss. It was a military-civilian directorate that tested weapons in the acquisition and development cycle. Any and all VIPs made trips to the Board, all the shiny new toys were on display.
As luck would have it, we rented apartments in the same complex in El Paso, and he offered me a job when I completed the Captains course. For 18 months, I was the operations officer, a young Captain in a Lieutenant Colonel's slot. Great job...my power did not come from the position, but from the implied power of the relationship developed in Germany.
I was cognizant of that "power", and it was imperative that I backed that up with competence, to not let the old man down. It was a high profile position, as I was the primary briefing officer when VIPs stopped by. Up to 3 stars, I did the briefing. VIPs above that (including civilian equivalents) were handled by the Colonel, though I was there to answer all questions. I often updated the text and slides 2-3 times a week, based on developments in testing certain weapons.
My rep was solidified when I was tasked with coordinating the monthly status briefing. The first one I attended took nearly 3 hours...lol, I knew that wasn't going to fly with the Colonel. Within 5 minutes after it ended, he said "you're now in charge of it, and I want it done in an hour!"
The GS-14s and 15s were happy to drop it on my lap. No problem...next month, we were done in 55 minutes.
Nah, that position didn't require a Lt Colonel.
ETA: why did I have such a great working relationship with him? Simple: he demanded imagination and independence from his officers. I didn't get off on the right foot with him (a long story interesting only to me...lol), but once he saw my work in person, his initial attitude changed. He chewed me out numerous times (heck, I was still an LT), but I knew it was over and forgotten within 5 minutes after leaving his office.