Top general in ISIS fight’s advice to junior officers: Be ‘humble enough to listen’
Army Maj. Gen. Joel “JB” Vowell, who leads all US troops in Iraq and Syria, advises junior officers to listen to noncommissioned officers.
JEFF SCHOGOL
POSTED ON JUN 24, 2024 4:27 PM EDT
BAGHDAD – The top U.S. general in Iraq and Syria said some of his most valuable leadership lessons came in his first weeks in command, fresh out of training as a young lieutenant.
“I learned to be a little bit humble and ask questions that I didn’t know. I thought I was really good at jumping out of airplanes, really good at tactics,” Army Maj. Gen. Joel “JB” Vowell told Task & Purpose last week at the headquarters of Operation Inherent Resolve. “But getting the best out of people with different capabilities, different backgrounds, I learned that because I had good NCOs.”
For newly minted junior officers, the prospect of leading troops for the first time can be intimidating, especially if they are joining a unit with a lot of combat experience.
Vowel said he advises young lieutenants and junior officers to be “humble enough to listen” to their noncommissioned officers and try to empathize with their senior enlisted leaders.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/us-military-general-leadership/
