When you first take Company Command, you are required to conduct a Command Climate Survey.  In essence, a Command Climate Survey reveals the unit morale and Solider morale within your company.  In addition, the Command Climate Survey also helps identify what is working well and what areas need to be improved.

You should conduct a Command Climate Survey within your first 30-days as the new Company Commander.  And, Command Climate Surveys are really easy to do.  You can have someone from your battalion administer the Command Climate Survey or preferably, someone from outside the organization.

Once you get the results of the Command Climate Survey, you need to look for patterns and trends.  If you find 5-10 or more surveys that all say the same thing, you should conduct your due-diligence to find out what is causing the problem.  And, if possible, fix it.

Another key to success is to share the results of the Command Climate Survey with your Soldiers.  You could type up a summary sheet and give each Soldier in your unit a copy.  You could also have a short meeting to discuss your findings and inform your Soldiers on what you plan to do about it.

Remember to follow through.  Don’t just conduct a Command Climate Survey and forget about it.  That’s poor leadership.  Also, make sure you inform your key leaders and Soldiers about what you did to fix the problems.

Once you’ve finished correcting the problems identified in the Command Climate Survey, make sure that you check unit morale and Soldier morale every drill weekend.  I call this leading by walking around.

When you see one of your Soldiers, pull them aside and ask them how their morale is.  Ask them what’s working well in the unit.  You could even ask them, “If you were the Company Commander today, what one thing would you improve in the unit?”  This worked well for me.

Additionally, after 12 months in Company Command, you should conduct another Command Climate Survey to monitor the progress of your company.  Did unit morale improve?  What about Soldier morale?  If unit morale and performance improve drastically, great job! 

If not, keep working at it.  Remember, strive for progress not perfection.  If your company can continue to make small improvements every month, you will make great progress in a year’s time.

In conclusion, Command Climate Surveys are a very helpful resource for Company Commanders.  In addition to being a mandatory requirement, Command Climate Surveys also help Company Commanders improve the Soldier morale and unit morale within their company.

Learn more about the Command Climate Survey in my Company Commander eBook