[JGarcia]

3. Teach leaders the process of goal-setting and incorporate it into the counseling process.

One of the best ways to inspire iniative, motivation, and productivity typified in a warrior ethos is by having soldiers set goals that they envision about accomplishing and having leaders help accomplish these goals. Too often, the counseling process involves supervisors fixing problems, and telling subordinates how they are doing and what they need to do the next quarter or month. By using the goal setting process, supervisors are now asking subordinates what the individual wants to achieve and accomplish. This goal-setting process is centered on the soldier, not the leader. This simple process demonstrates caring leadership and facilitates intrinsic motivation and further self-awareness of the subordinate. The counseling session should involve the supervisor using his experience and leadership to help the subordinate make a blueprint to reach his goal. Below is an example of a goal plan for a young soldier desiring to become an NCO. Notice that the blueprint or action plan effectively uses a selective perception and effective thought process described above.

By counseling war fighters to focus on goals which will propel them forward in their profession and assisting them in building a comprehensive, detailed action plan to get there, warriors are apt to aggressively follow a clear path that will make them successful and enjoy the rewards of a professional warrior.

4. Encourage instinctual abilities and focus skills

Having established the great attitude of a warrior and a motivational goal plan to move forward in achieving excellence, another key element within a warrior ethos is the ability to focus like a lion. The infrequent “lion” focus can best be described in the Medal of Honor citations of past warriors. For example, “The total disregard to one’s safety amidst the hail of machine gun and rocket fire” is a common citation comment which clearly depicts total absorption in the moment and a level of intense focus unparalleled in any other human endeavor. Learning to stay in the present and maximize one’s use of all senses is a skill that can be taught and encouraged. This skill requires letting go of the dominant “logical thinking” side of the brain, which is partially achieved through developing trust and confidence from within. As an example, the actions of SGT York were said to be facilitated by the instinctual hunting skills he learned and honed as young boy in the woods. Focusing is about using natural instincts versus the use of modern analytical logic. The ability to focus and maximize one’s instincts is critical to rapid and effective action. Unfortunately, a systematic methodology seems to be lacking other than relying on rote physical repetition.

The modern education field of applied Sport Psychology can provide systematic TTPs to facilitates one’s ability to focus on the appropriate task at hand amidst distractions as well as encourage the mental agility needed to quickly shift focus on a rapidly changing battlefield. These techniques are too lengthy to describe here, but are available. (where?)


5. Teach soldiers the techniques to manage stress and energy, thus enabling them to thrive under pressure.

The stress placed upon soldiers in combat is of utmost concern to the Infantry. The ability to persevere through such stressful conditions is a hallmark of a warrior ethos. Tough, realistic, and demanding training provides a stress inoculation experience often by an inefficient trial and error process not usually attained until service as mid-career officer or NCO. Demanding and stressful training is a necessity, however young warriors generally learn to cope with stress using whatever developmental skills they already possess. It would make sense to supplement or complement tough, realistic and demanding stress inoculation training with appropriate self-regulation techniques so the warrior can thrive, rather than just survive the experience. The education and skills required include understanding stress, reinterpreting the stress response as beneficial, promoting optimism, and practicing autogenic relaxation techniques which can easily be applied for sustained and continuous operations.

6. Promote the use of mental visualization and imagery skills as a concrete form of mental preparation

The use of visualization and imagery is a natural skill which involves using all the senses to create or recreate a desired outcome in the mind’s eye. It is a vivid daydream. It is a current standard of training practice at the Olympic and elite, professional levels of athletic competition, and a standard mental practice routine of the Navy Blue Angel pilots. The effectiveness of imagery has been scientifically documented as the brain’s inability to distinguish between a real and an imagined stimuli. The importance of this skill is it’s effectiveness in enhancing performance by calibrating the mind for success. By using imagery, warriors can achieve mental and emotional readiness and execute with decisiveness through the creation of “déjà vu experiences.” The thought is “I’ve already seen it, done it, and felt it in my head, and I was able to just execute like I had envisioned myself doing.” The use of rock drills and rehearsals are similarly useful but warriors can internally use this preparatory mental skill to ensure total conviction indicative of a warrior ethos.


The warrior ethos is essential to the success of our profession and must be cultivated as our Army places a heavy emphasis on the use and role of technology. We in the Infantry know that at the end of the day, the raw human performance of the Infantry warfighters, who will close with the enemy by the means of fire and maneuver, and kill and capture or repel the enemy’s assault by whatever mean’s necessary, will determine the outcome of any war. We owe to our soldiers and young leaders the appropriate leader development training and tools to enable soldiers to harness their mental and emotional endurance. This is paramount to a warrior ethos. By investing in such training, we will maximize the human economy of our force. At least six hours of instruction should be instituted at all Infantry schools starting with Basic Training, PLDC to IOAC, providing appropriate levels of instruction based upon the audience. These recommendations come from a majority of NCOs and officers from various units who have received such training through the outreach efforts of the United States Military Academy’s Center for Enhanced Performance. Teaching the underlying skills that make up a warrior ethos will increase the effectiveness of tomorrow’s warriors at low cost.

Authors

Major Gregory Burbelo is an Infantry officer and 1990 ROTC graduate of the University of Rhode Island. He is a former enlisted soldier and has served in 82D Airborne Division and commanded D Co. And HHC at the U.S. Army Airborne School. He holds an undergraduate degree in education and a Masters degree in Athletic Counseling. MAJ Burbelo currently serves as the Executive Officer, Center for Enhanced Performance at the United States Military Academy.

Dr. Nate Zinsser holds a PhD in Sport Psychology and is the current director of the Performance Enhancement Program at the United States Military Academy’s Center For Enhanced Performance. Dr. Zinsser is also a member of the United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology registry, a 3d degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and a former elite level mountaineer.

Recognize MSG Jose Gordon for his contribution in providing assistance in the goal sheet.