Drama Free Zone

One week in from the field and I'm ready to return. Not because I hate spending time in MY bed, with MY wife, drinking (literally) MY wine. Nope, I want to go back because it takes our companies and gets them busy on Army operations instead of the "high drama" of home station. I hate drama. Please, dear readers, do not make the fatal mistake of thinking high drama is limited to the female gender. Oh no, men are more than capable and willing of generating, participating in and feeding the phenomenon known as "high drama". Before I go on a real tirade and start naming names, let me define "high drama". From where I sit, "high drama" is that behavior which places self far before the whole (if it considers the good of the team at all), goes against all the Army stands for, and forces those in charge to spend 90% of their time addressing. Usually "addressing" the high drama doesn't really involve a true solution at all, it usually just involves paying attention to the NCO or Officer who is demanding the attention.

For those of you who have two year old children, this behavior should sound familiar to you. Unfortunately, the Drama Queens I have the privilege to deal with are commissioned officers and senior NCOs in the US Army.

This is the challenge of leadership - to turn the focus of the Drama Queen back to the good of the whole instead of being self centered. The Benedictine in me (the saint, not the liquor), would go to the individuals in question, gently remind them once, maybe twice, then boot them clean out of the brotherhood. I'm not kidding, read the Rule sometime, Abbots are charged with some pretty serious responsibility and authority, both spiritual and temporal. So, the solution, I think, is to remind everyone of this at the next Monday meeting (which, thanks to Vets' day will be Tuesday, which I consider to be a far more appropriate day for a Big Meeting than Monday). Maybe remind everyone that the success of the whole - both company and battalion - is more important than looking good individually. Maybe remind folks in general that we're a battalion team and that "battalion" really isn't out to screw anyone (well, I won't go that far, nobody in the battalion proper, anyhow).

All I know, some of these Officers and NCOs have some serious individualism to get past before we go downrange. I also know, I have to help that process.

Enjoy!

PS - oh, go visit my wife's blog!