SMA: NCOs Must Take Time to Know Their Soldiers
Sergeant Major of the Army Michael A. Grinston delivers remarks
Wed, 10/13/2021 - 15:34
Working to get after some of the social challenges facing the force, the Army’s top enlisted leader urged NCOs to think differently about what it means to take care of their soldiers.
Outlining his top priorities Oct. 13 during a forum for NCOs at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston took aim at the phrase, “All I see is green,” that over time has become a way of telling soldiers they are all being treated equally.
“I think I learn best through my failures, and I used to say, ‘All I see is green, one standard,’ and somebody said to me one time about a year ago, ‘When you say that to me, you’re not acknowledging when I take the uniform off, I will be treated differently,’ ” Grinston recalled. “As a leader, I wasn't even acknowledging that this person would be struggling when they drive out the gate or that somebody wouldn't serve them at a restaurant or whatever would happen.”
https://www.ausa.org/news/sma-ncos-must-take-time-know-their-soldiers