The CSM is the senior non-commissioned officer in a unit who advises the commander on any issue allied to the enlisted ranks. Commanders use their CSM throughout an operations area for extending command influence, assessing the force’s morale, and assisting during critical situations. A major responsibility of CSM is the ability to help commanders in developing the organization’s vision and extending command influence.
In order to succeed CSMs need empowerment from their commanders. This requires gaining and upholding the commander’s trust. Having the trust of commanders allows for freedom of movement across the setup and creates open dialogue with juniors command teams. This creates a shared understanding because it enables sharing of relevant information between commanders, organizations, brigade staffs and battalions ( Miller & Turner, 2015) . A CSM serve as channels of perspectives between the soldiers and brigade planners. Through collaboration, CSMs can help in influencing parallel planning across the battalions and brigades.
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As a future CSM, there are various ways through which I would extend the commander’s vision and influence in my organization. As a CSM, I do not require being a technical expert in each war fighting function, but I should be knowledgeable enough to ask difficult questions and observe things critically ( Miller & Turner, 2015) . By doing so, I will be able to leverage experience to influence battalion and brigade staffs, which would help in plan development. Essentially, as a CSM, I must be engaged in synchronization meetings or the military decision-making processes during plan development, to properly identify decisions pertinent to the operations. Without knowing or understanding these important areas, a CSM cannot extend the vision and influence of the commander or offer help during critical conditions. Additionally, without understanding the effort, there is a degradation of the ability of a CSM to advise staffs and the commander.
As a CSM, I should leverage the subordinate units to own their enterprise and empower and encourage my colleagues to assume their responsibility with a focus on the commander’s vision. It is my responsibility to also make sure that the brigade logistics and operations officers such as medical operations officers and support operations officers execute their tasks properly. Building effective relations with a commander is pivotal to ensuring the extension of the commander’s influence and vision ( Walker & Bonnot, 2012) . A great relationship between the CSM and commander could aid the CSM in becoming a power broker for extending the commander’s influence and vision across the organization. In order to extend the commander’s vision, I will also constantly define expectations, and offer consistent feedback on performance to the commander.
Further, I will be focused on implementing the change envisioned by the commander to the organization, through sharing the commander’s vision with the subordinate staffs. This will require commitment from the guiding coalition as it would lead the implementation plan and aid in fostering a sense of urgency in its implementation. Executing a development pan for an organizational-level vision focuses on leading change. Empowering juniors is a crucial aspect of implementation and, when performed appropriately, will highly influence commitment, motivation and performance ( Miller & Turner, 2015) . Of course, a CSM cannot singlehandedly help in extending the vision and influence of the commander, but requires the input of the subordinate staffs. Thus, these subordinate staffs need a sense of being part of the commander’s vision to demonstrate their commitment and support.
In conclusion, the army doctrine describes the roles of a CSM as a senior enlisted advisor who extends command influence, evaluates the force’s morale, and helps throughout critical events. Consequently, a CSM should share with the commander’s vision and influence, and collaborate with the commander in an effort to extend the vision in the organization.
References
Miller, B., & Turner, K. (2015). Leading Organizational Change: A Leaders Role. L103RB Reading, Command and General Staff College Curriculum .
Walker, C. W., & Bonnot, M. J. (2012). The Vision Process: Seven Steps to a Better Organization. L100 Developing Leaders and Organizations .
