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In any Army company, the First Sergeant's duties are endless. Let me start by telling you that the First Sergeant is the backbone of most companies.
Not only are they the senior enlisted Soldier, but they are usually the most experienced Soldier. Remember, there’s a reason why the Army teams up all Officers with a more experienced NCO. That reason is to teach, mentor and help you.
In a typical Army company, the First Sergeant duties include individual training, discipline, Soldier issues, NCO development and Soldier morale. There are additional First Sergeant duties as well, but these are their primary First Sergeant duties.
Here is my list of the Top Ten First Sergeant duties:
1. Individual Training: First Sergeants are responsible for individual training within their unit. The First Sergeant is responsible to ensure her Soldiers are proficient in their MOS and with their Warrior Tasks. In essence, his top duty is to ensure his troops are prepared for combat.
2. Administration: The First Sergeant works with the Readiness NCO and Training NCO to ensure all administrative paperwork is done, done right, and done on time. This includes promotions, awards, reports, etc.
3. Enlisted Promotions: The First Sergeant oversees all enlisted programs in his unit. He recommends potential promotions (up to E-4) to the Company Commander. And he ensures his NCOs know about promotion opportunities in the unit and outside of the unit.
4. NCOPD: The First Sergeant oversees the NCOPD program. He is always looking for creative ways to teach and develop his subordinate NCOs. He teaches classes and oversees classes.
5. Counseling: The First Sergeant invests lots of his personal time counseling his direct reports, the Platoon Sergeants. He also ensures his subordinate NCOs are counseling and developing their subordinates.
6. Reenlistments & Retention: One of the significant First Sergeant duties is reenlistments and retention. The First Sergeant tracks enlistments and knows when his Soldiers need to reenlist or leave the military. He is very involved with helping his Soldiers make the best decision for their career.
7. Schools: The First Sergeant knows which Soldiers need schools and he helps them get enrolled ASAP. He ensures his Soldiers are MOS qualified and also helps them get additional schools for career advancement.
8. Soldier Discipline: The First Sergeant is the tip of the spear when it comes to Soldier discipline. He works with the Platoon Sergeants to handle 99% of the Soldier issues, so they don’t need to get to the Company Commander level.
9. Health & Welfare: The First Sergeant monitors the health and welfare of his troops. He knows about their family life, their personal problems and their living conditions. He does whatever he can to help his troops.
10. Senior Enlisted Advisor: The First Sergeant is a Soldier Advocate and he is also the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Company Commander. This means that he keeps the Company Commander informed about all Soldier issues and he “keeps the Company Commander grounded” from making dumb decisions that affect the Soldiers. This is his second most important job, other than preparing his troops for combat.
As you can probably tell, the First Sergeant has an incredibly tough job, with lots of responsibilities. These ten things listed above are only a small portion of the potential First Sergeant duties.
As the Company Commander, you and your First Sergeant must cooperatively work together toward a common goal. That’s the only way you will both achieve success.
More importantly, you must give your First Sergeant the authority to execute his or her job. You must establish your “lanes” as I like to call it.
For instance, when I was a Company Commander, my top three priorities were mission planning, collective training and leader development. My 1SG's Top 3 First Sergeant duties were individual training, Soldier care and discipline.
Since we knew each other’s duties and priorities, we stayed in our lane and were more effective. When an issue arose, we knew whose job it was to fix it. That made life much easier for both of us.
Your secret to success working with your First Sergeant is to sit down with them and do the following:
1) Establish Unit Goals: As the Company Commander, you set the vision for your organization. Your First Sergeant needs to know your vision so he or she can help you get there. And, if you are ideas are unattainable or unrealistic, your First Sergeant will bring you back to reality. No matter what, the two of you must work together towards a common goal.
2) Determine Each Other’s Primary Areas of Responsibility: You must have your own lanes. If you don’t establish areas of responsibility, you will step on each other’s toes. And, you will micromanage each other while being less effective. Remember to determine your lane and stay in your lane.
3) Identify Each Other Strengths and Weaknesses: You won’t hear this one very much in the FMs or in any textbook. One of your secrets to success is to determine your strengths and weaknesses. And, use your strengths to your advantage. If your First Sergeant is a dynamic writer, have him oversee the awards program. But, if they are horrible at it, delegate it to someone else. Adjust your responsibilities based upon your strengths.
4) Build a Strong Relationship: Personally, I think the First Sergeant and Company Commander should become friends. Not on a first name basis, but you need to have a strong relationship based upon trust, loyalty and mutual respect. Therefore, you need to spend time together. Get together with your families from time-to-time. By forming a strong bond, you will improve your effectiveness.
In conclusion, First Sergeants are the back-bone of the Army. A good First Sergeant will make an average Company Commander good and a good Company Commander great. Make sure that you work together with your First Sergeant to help your company succeed.
Learn more about the First Sergeant duties in my Company Command eBook.
