As the Army’s top enlisted Soldier, Sgt. “When you think of ‘my squad,’ you think of something positive you do every day to take care of each other,” Grinston said. A newly promoted sergeant should receive additional training on organizational socialization, team dynamics, leadership training, emotional intelligence, and other psychological aspects useful to building strong leaders and cohesive teams. They embrace humility, curiosity, feedback from others, and invite other team members' opinions, questions, and challenges to current trends and beliefs (Rozovsky, 2015). https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN3758_AR_600-100_FINAL_WEB_.pdf, Duhigg, Charles. In remarks Oct. 14 during a forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Grinston called on the audience, many of them NCOs, to focus on an initiative he calls "This is My Squad." At TSAAS, Grinston spoke with the Soldiers training there and discussed his experiences in the Army as well as his hopes for a more united Army through Project Inclusion and This is My Squad. When we say This Is My Squad, we are trying to show the world our achievement. They are our greatest strength, our most important weapon system” (Kimmons, 2019, para. Taking care of our people is important during difficult times. If NCOs embrace ownership and the TIMS philosophy of building positive relationships, not only will this positively affect mission success and unit readiness, but it will lead to greater Soldier retention and recruitment of top talent for the U.S. Army. These topics include: The loss of Army SPC Vanessa Guillen, racial inclusion and diversity in the Army, the impact of “This is My Squad,” an update on COVID-19 p… Grinston discusses "This Is My Squad" Concept. “This is my squad, I don’t let anything happen to my squad,” Grinston said. New York Times Magazine. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Buagala, A. L. (2017). By Devon Suits. Building cohesive teams and tackling suicide within the Army are some of the ways to do that. Additionally, because of the closeness of these teams, they usually have better knowledge of each individual team member and their families. “In my opinion, all of the issues with racial injustice and bias is because we don’t take the time to ask questions,” Grinston continued. NCO Journal. Counseling sessions and communication with each squad member can keep Soldiers on the same page, a quality essential for cohesion, Grinston said. One of the programs he mentioned was the Not In My Squad initiative — something started in 2015, which SMA Grinston has transitioned into This Is My Squad. Download Taking care of our people is important during difficult times. 1st Class Christopher Dunlap is a tactical NCO for Company B-2 at the U.S. Military Academy West Point. (2019). These NCOs will meet regularly and serve as a sounding board for Grinston. After Team 3's discussion and research, it was decided the most important factors to focus on to ensure teams would build cohesiveness would be: in-processing of new Soldiers to teams, noncommissioned officer (NCO) education throughout the Army, “know your people” in order to develop the individual and the team, and ensuring proper leader development. It is free, but registration is required here. https://www.armyupress.army.mil/.../2020/September/This-is-My-Squad These topics include: The loss of Army SPC Vanessa Guillen, racial inclusion and diversity in the Army, the impact of “This is My Squad,” an update on COVID-19 protection measures, and the new Army Combat Fitness Test 2 rollout. Sergeant Major Read more The Integrated Personnel and Pay System - Army (IPPS-A) is the Army’s online Human Resources (HR) solution to provide integrated HR capabilities across all Army Components. ga('send', 'pageview'); Miller has deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and to Germany in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Grinston was appointed 16th sergeant major of the Army Aug. 9, 2019. The most cohesive teams are able to question and give feedback up, down, and across the hierarchy (Duhigg, 2016). A virtual panel of company-level leaders discusses “This is My Squad” with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston hosts a panel of NCOs on Facebook Live at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Jan. 30, 2020, about the “This is My Squad” initiative that encourages group activity and building unity. Contact information: traditionnelmusette@gmail.com [Author]: … With this goal in mind, SMA Grinston requested that one team from Cohort Five of the Benavidez Leader Development Program at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York examine the TIMS concept and predict any problems that may affect team cohesion as well as offer possible solutions. There are numerous tools used in educational and business settings like the Kolb Learning Style Inventory that help identify how someone learns best from experience (Kolb & Kolb, 2013). A good way to start is to talk to your soldiers, Grinston said, especially about their lives and whether they face discrimination in their daily lives. In remarks Oct. 14 during a forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Grinston called on the audience, many of them NCOs, to focus on an initiative he calls "This is My Squad." Shortly after assuming the duties of Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA), Michael A. Grinston set forth an initiative entitled, “This is My Squad” (TIMS). m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) Taking care of our people is important during difficult times. ‘This is my squad’: SMA Grinston talks about his push to build cohesive units | Army Times in North America , Special Operations Forces News The new sergeant major of the Army, Michael A. Grinston , wants to find and replicate the model of strong, cohesive units across the Army by focusing on the positive aspects of being a soldier. Soldier Today, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, focuses on what is important to Soldiers and NCOs. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. SMA Michael A. Grinston visits the U.S. Army Training Doctrine Command, Center for Initial Military Training at Fort Eustis, VA, 23-24 Jun 20 for "This is My Squad" Campaign. Dunlap has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation New Dawn. Through this initiative, Soldiers are empowered to incorporate and adapt the Army's best practices into their own squad in order to improve efficiency, unit readiness, and mentor their subordinates for a successful Army career. The new sergeant major of the Army, Michael A. Grinston, wants to find and replicate the model of strong, cohesive units across the Army by focusing on the positive aspects of being a soldier. Team 3 looked over a broad list of possible topics communicated from SMA Grinston and concluded that an overarching theme of ownership applied to the majority of these topics and is applicable to any unit level in the Army. Bon: Well stated, and a fantastically written article. Home Search results for "SMA Michael Grinston" This Is the Army’s Newest Tool to Help Squad Leaders Connect with Soldiers . Army.mil. Prior to West Point, Pride served as an operations sergeant with the 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Autoplay is paused. Note: The following article provided the concept for the future TIMS App. Sgt. Want Daily SOF News Articles and Job Listings Delivered to Your Inbox? Army News Service. Grinston also is putting together a This is My Squad Leadership Panel, made up of 24 staff sergeants from across the Army. in North America, Special Operations Forces News. Cancel. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (Five ways to build company culture). As the Army’s top enlisted Soldier, Sgt. Contact information: traditionnelmusette@gmail.com [Author]: … Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston (center) assists with the promotion of Sgt. Ideally, the squad leader, platoon leader, and first sergeant would have new Soldiers automatically uploaded to their own profile by their personnel staff. Grinston said the biggest issues he acknowledged after reading the report was a failure to communicate the importance of cohesive teams, and the failure of small-unit leaders in understanding their soldiers. In 2015, researchers at Google published their findings on Project Aristotle. jQuery("html").addClass("ie ie8"); 1st Sgt. Today’s discussion with the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff, GEN Martin, and top NCO, SMA Grinston, covers how initiatives like “This is My Squad” (TIMS) and “A Life Worth Living” work together to help leaders at every level address tough issues and build strong teams. February 11, 2021 by Brian Hill. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. “I don’t let soldiers harm my soldiers,” Grinston said. ‘This is my squad’: SMA Grinston talks about his push to build cohesive units. 1st Class J. Andrew Porter is a rudimental drummer and drum section leader in the West Point Band’s field music group, “The Hellcats.” Porter also serves as the personnel and administration NCOIC for the West Point Band. Sgt. Building cohesive teams and tackling suicide within the Army are some of the ways to do that. FORT BENNING, Ga. – Sgt. TOMORROW: Join us Feb. 17 as SMA Michael A. Grinston provides an update on People First priorities, “This is My Squad,” the Army’s SHARP program, Resilience, and Suicide Prevention efforts. In my opinion, the fundamental of This Is My Squad consist of pride, leadership and teamwork. New chief of staff: Taking care of people key to winning the fight. Taking care of our people is important during difficult times. (2015). 1st Class J. Andrew Porter, and Josephine M. Pride Benavidez Leader Development Program, U.S. Military Academy S hortly after assuming the duties of Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA), Michael A. Grinston set forth (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Grinston hopes by shifting Soldiers’ focus to shared experiences, they can form the unity needed to solve personal crises and combat misconduct. Psychological safety is a shared belief by all team members that it is safe to take risks. Training young NCOs in these practices will help them to be better followers, team members, and leaders, as well as help them recognize and prevent toxic leadership behavior (Department of the Army, 2017). This is My Squad is “not a slogan,” Grinston said. Grinston said these team and squad leaders should have meals with their Soldiers, lead them during physical training and have … Since being sworn in last August, the Army’s 16th SMA has traveled the globe to meet with Soldiers and help them learn about the educational and technical tools needed to become better leaders. This can lead to issues with team dynamics. Jacob Miller is the first sergeant of the U.S. Army Garrison West Point Military Police Company. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston discusses the future of large-scale training rotations at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, May 13, 2020. Instead, it’s a call for leaders to take ownership of their teams and get to know their soldiers. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston during an Oct. 15 virtual roundtable that was part of the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition held entirely online this year. NCOs also are empowered to act—whether it’s counseling or corrective training or just talking to their soldiers—when they see an issue or something wrong or out of place, he said. https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team/, What is team culture in the workplace? These topics include: The loss of Army SPC Vanessa Guillen, racial inclusion and diversity in the Army, the impact of “This is My Squad,” an update on COVID-19 p… var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); “This is my squad, I don’t let anything happen to my squad,” Grinston said. Like, subscribe and comment below! Ownership must also be demonstrated by unit leaders, especially at the squad and small group level. (U.S. Army photo by Casey Slusser). Each team member must have confidence the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish someone for speaking up or contributing a new idea. Since being sworn in last August, the Army’s 16th SMA has traveled the globe to meet with Soldiers and help them learn about the educational and technical tools needed to become better leaders. Soldiers round up resources to be effective sponsors. Grinston spoke Oct. 15 during a This is My Squad panel that featured company-level leaders from Army Futures Command, Army Forces Command, the Military District of Washington the Army Reserve. These topics include: The loss of Army SPC Vanessa Guillen, racial inclusion and diversity in the Army, the impact of “This is My Squad,” an update on COVID-19 protection measures, and the new Army Combat Fitness Test 2 rollout. ga('create', 'UA-88796901-1', 'auto'); https://www.opensourcedworkplace.com/news/what-is-team-culture-in-the-workplace-five-ways-to-build-company-culture, Woods, J. Squad and platoon leaders must take ownership of training, supporting, and caring for the members of their teams. Grinston said these team and squad leaders should have meals with their Soldiers, lead them during physical training and have … Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston has worked to build stronger unit cohesion throughout the force by pushing his signature initiative “This is My Squad.”. 'https://' : 'http://') + 'stats.g.doubleclick.net/dc.js'; USASMA is now a branch campus under CGSC. Jacob Miller, Sgts. .skin-header-background { background-image: url(/Portals/_default/Skins/DOD2/resources/img/header-back.png) !important; } There is the possibility current team members would still view them as an equal. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ Sgt. })(); ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? To ensure unit leaders understand how to assimilate new Soldiers into the team culture, it is important new members are trained in positive cultural socialization. 1st Class Christopher Dunlap, Joshua M. MacNary, 1st Sgt. There were five factors that were consistent in the most effective teams. SMA emphasizes ‘This is My Squad,’ inclusion during visit to Fort Campbell . Taking care of our people is important during difficult times. Sgt. “This is more than about a section or an infantry squad. Building cohesive teams and tackling suicide within the Army are some of the ways to do that. It is free, but registration is required here. This helps unit leadership effectively anticipate problems that may arise so they can prevent or fix them early (Rempfer, 2019). https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html, Kimmons, S. (2019). SMA Michael A. Grinston visits the U.S. Army Training Doctrine Command, Center for Initial Military Training at Fort Eustis, VA, 23-24 Jun 20 for "This is My Squad" Campaign. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston during an Oct. 15 virtual roundtable that was part of the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition held entirely online this year.