If you are a new Army Platoon Leader, one of the most important things you will do during your first few weeks on the job is conduct your Platoon Sergeant initial counseling. Unfortunately, this is also something many new Platoon Leaders struggle with.
Think about the situation. You might be a brand-new Second Lieutenant fresh out of BOLC, while your Platoon Sergeant could be a Sergeant First Class with 10, 12, or 15+ years of military experience. They might have multiple deployments, several leadership positions under their belt, and significantly more practical Army experience than you do. That can be intimidating, especially if this is your first real leadership position in the Army.
My advice is simple: don’t let their experience prevent you from doing your job. Your Platoon Sergeant deserves to know what you expect from them, and just as importantly, you need to know what they expect from you. Your initial counseling gives both of you an opportunity to get everything out on the table and start building a productive working relationship.
During my time in the Army, I learned that the officer-NCO relationship can make or break a unit. When the Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant communicate, trust each other, stay in their lanes, and work toward the same objectives, the platoon normally performs well. When they don’t, everyone in the platoon eventually feels it. That’s why I believe the Army Platoon Sergeant initial counseling should be treated as much more than another piece of paperwork. It should be the foundation for your leadership relationship at the platoon level.
What Is a Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling?
A Platoon Sergeant initial counseling is the formal conversation between the Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant where the Platoon Leader establishes expectations, responsibilities, standards, priorities, and the way the two leaders will work together. Typically, this should be documented using the appropriate Army counseling documentation, but the actual conversation is just as important as whatever you put on paper.
The counseling should answer several basic questions. What does the Platoon Leader expect from the Platoon Sergeant? What can the Platoon Sergeant expect from the Platoon Leader? Who is responsible for what? How will the two leaders communicate? What are the platoon’s priorities? What standards are non-negotiable? How will Soldier issues be handled? How will disagreements between the PL and PSG be resolved? And how will training, maintenance, readiness, and administration be managed?
Don’t overcomplicate it. The purpose isn’t to prove that you’re the Platoon Leader or show your Platoon Sergeant how much you know. The purpose is to make sure two key leaders understand how they will work together to accomplish the mission and take care of Soldiers.
Why the Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling Is So Important
Your Platoon Sergeant is arguably the most important person you will work with as a Platoon Leader. They are typically the most experienced NCO in the platoon and serve as the Platoon Leader’s senior enlisted advisor. Depending on the type of platoon, they may oversee everything from Soldier accountability and discipline to maintenance, logistics, training, administration, and Soldier welfare.
One of the biggest mistakes a new Platoon Leader can make is assuming, “My Platoon Sergeant already knows what to do.” They probably do, especially if they have been around the Army for a long time, but that’s not the point. Initial counseling isn’t about teaching an experienced NCO how to be a Platoon Sergeant. It’s about establishing your expectations and your working relationship.
Every Platoon Leader is different. Every Platoon Sergeant is different. Every unit and mission are different as well. What worked for the last PL and PSG team might not work for you. That’s why expectations need to be discussed instead of assumed.
When Should a Platoon Leader Counsel the Platoon Sergeant?
I recommend conducting the initial counseling as soon as practical after assuming the position. Personally, I wouldn’t wait a month if I could avoid it. You want to establish the relationship and expectations early rather than waiting until problems develop.
During your first few days, spend some time observing the platoon, talking with your Company Commander, First Sergeant, XO, Squad Leaders, and Soldiers, and learning the unit’s systems. Then sit down with your Platoon Sergeant and have a meaningful conversation. You don’t need to know everything before you conduct the counseling, and you shouldn’t pretend that you do.
If you’re a brand-new lieutenant, your Platoon Sergeant probably knows the platoon much better than you do. That’s okay. Leadership doesn’t mean pretending you know everything. It means establishing standards, asking good questions, listening to experienced people, making decisions when necessary, and building a team capable of accomplishing the mission.
Army Platoon Sergeant Duties and Responsibilities
One of the most popular questions about this position is: What does an Army Platoon Sergeant actually do? The exact responsibilities depend on the unit, MOS, mission, and type of platoon, but generally speaking, the Platoon Sergeant assists the Platoon Leader in leading and running the platoon.
Common Platoon Sergeant duties and responsibilities may include:
- Soldier accountability
- Soldier welfare
- Discipline and standards
- Training management
- NCO development
- Counseling oversight
- Maintenance and equipment readiness
- Property accountability
- Administrative requirements
- Medical and personnel readiness
- Supervising Squad Leaders
- Enforcing standards
- Preparing Soldiers and equipment for missions
- Keeping the Platoon Leader informed
- Advising the Platoon Leader
- Developing junior NCOs
- Assisting with platoon planning
- Assuming additional leadership responsibilities when required
One thing I would emphasize during the counseling is that there should be very few surprises between the PL and PSG. Your Platoon Sergeant should not be learning important platoon information through the rumor mill, and you shouldn’t discover major Soldier problems five minutes before the Company Commander or First Sergeant asks you about them.
Keep each other informed. Establish a simple communication system and use it consistently. That one habit alone will eliminate a lot of unnecessary problems and frustration.
What Should Be Included in a Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling?
There is no magical counseling statement that works perfectly for every Platoon Sergeant. Your counseling should reflect your personality, leadership philosophy, commander’s guidance, unit mission, and the needs of your platoon.
However, there are several subjects I recommend covering.
1. Mission First, Soldiers Always
Make it clear that accomplishing the mission and taking care of Soldiers are not competing priorities. Good leaders do both. Your Platoon Sergeant should understand that you expect the platoon to meet the standard while also treating Soldiers with dignity and respect.
Standards, accountability, training, and readiness all matter. At the same time, Soldiers matter too. A platoon that accomplishes every task but burns through its people isn’t nearly as successful as it might look on paper.
2. Communication Between the Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant
This might be the most important part of the entire counseling. Explain how you want to communicate and establish some basic rules from the beginning. Do you want a quick daily update? A weekly sync? Text messages for routine issues? Phone calls for emergencies? What situations require immediate notification?
You should also tell your Platoon Sergeant that if they think you’re making a mistake, you want them to tell you. You want an experienced NCO who gives you candid advice, not someone who simply agrees with everything you say because you outrank them.
At the same time, there is a time and place for disagreements. Whenever possible, disagree privately. Have the discussion, listen to each other’s perspective, make the decision, and move forward. Once the decision is made, both leaders need to support it publicly.
3. Soldier Accountability
Your Platoon Sergeant should always have a good understanding of where the Soldiers are and what they are doing. That doesn’t mean they personally track every Soldier every minute of the day. It means there is a reliable accountability system through the NCO support channel.
This becomes especially important in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. When you only have Soldiers together for a limited amount of training time, you cannot afford to waste half the morning figuring out who showed up, who is missing, where everyone went, and why. Develop a reliable accountability system and make sure Squad Leaders understand their role in it.
4. Standards and Discipline
Your Platoon Sergeant should be one of the primary standard-bearers in the platoon. That includes military appearance, customs and courtesies, physical fitness, weapons standards, maintenance, training, accountability, military bearing, timeliness, and professional conduct.
Don’t walk past problems. If you repeatedly ignore a standard, you are essentially creating a new standard. You and your Platoon Sergeant should be on the same page about what right looks like and how standards will be enforced throughout the platoon.
5. Training Management
The Platoon Sergeant should play a major role in training the platoon. The Platoon Leader might establish priorities and provide guidance, but the Platoon Sergeant and Squad Leaders are often the people who help turn those priorities into actual training.
Discuss your expectations for training preparation, rehearsals, risk management, resources, instructors, training aids, PCCs and PCIs, After Action Reviews, retraining, and NCO-led training. Don’t simply focus on what training will happen. Talk about how you expect the platoon to prepare for it.
This is especially important in the Guard and Reserve, where every training day matters. You don’t get Monday through Friday together to fix poor planning. When Saturday morning arrives, you need to be ready to train.
6. Maintenance and Equipment Readiness
Another important area is maintenance. Vehicles, weapons, radios, generators, communications equipment, and other platoon equipment need to be maintained, accounted for, and ready to use.
As Platoon Leader, you shouldn’t simply assume maintenance is happening. Your Platoon Sergeant should help supervise the systems that make readiness happen, while Squad Leaders and Soldiers execute their responsibilities. Make maintenance part of your battle rhythm instead of something you suddenly worry about right before an inspection, field exercise, annual training, or deployment.
7. Soldier Development and Counseling
Your Platoon Sergeant should ensure subordinate NCOs are developing their Soldiers, and that includes counseling. I would discuss your expectations for Squad Leader and Team Leader counseling during the initial PSG counseling.
Don’t allow counseling to become a paperwork exercise where leaders copy and paste the same statement every month. Good counseling should help Soldiers improve, establish expectations, identify problems, recognize good performance, and prepare people for greater responsibility.
8. NCO Development
Your Platoon Sergeant should develop the NCOs in the platoon. That means teaching them how to lead Soldiers, conduct counseling, plan training, enforce standards, solve problems, manage their time, communicate effectively, and prepare for increased responsibility.
One measure of a great Platoon Sergeant is the quality of the NCOs they leave behind. If your PSG leaves the platoon and every Squad Leader underneath them is better prepared to lead because of their mentorship, they did something right.
9. Soldier Welfare
Make sure your Platoon Sergeant understands your expectations concerning Soldier welfare. You want leaders who actually know their Soldiers instead of simply knowing their names and ranks.
Your NCOs should have a basic understanding of what’s happening in their Soldiers’ lives, especially when those issues affect duty performance. This could involve family problems, finances, civilian employment, military career concerns, education, or other challenges.
That doesn’t mean becoming involved in every detail of someone’s personal life. It means knowing your Soldiers and giving a damn about them. There’s a big difference.
10. Keep the Platoon Leader Informed
Tell your Platoon Sergeant what types of issues you want to know about immediately. Examples might include serious injuries, arrests, significant disciplinary problems, missing Soldiers, safety incidents, lost weapons or sensitive items, serious equipment problems, major personnel issues, or anything likely to reach the Company Commander or First Sergeant.
My philosophy is simple: bad news doesn’t get better with age. I’d rather hear about a problem early when we still have options than hear about it after it becomes a crisis. Your PSG should never feel like they need to hide bad news from you.
Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant Expectations
Your counseling shouldn’t be one-sided. One of the smartest things you can ask your Platoon Sergeant is, “What do you need from me to be successful?” Then stop talking and listen to what they have to say.
Your PSG might tell you they need quicker decisions, clearer guidance, better communication, more protection from unnecessary taskings, more resources, or simply more predictability. You might also learn about problems within the platoon that you didn’t know existed.
You should also explain what they can expect from you. Tell them you will treat them with respect, listen to their recommendations, make decisions, accept responsibility for those decisions, support the NCO chain, communicate, and do your best to provide the resources and guidance necessary to accomplish the mission.
That creates accountability in both directions. The counseling isn’t simply “Here’s what I expect from you.” It’s also “Here’s what you can expect from me.”
New Platoon Leader and Experienced Platoon Sergeant
This is another common concern for new lieutenants: How should a new Platoon Leader work with an experienced Platoon Sergeant?
Start with humility. Your rank makes you the Platoon Leader, but it does not magically give you 15 years of Army experience. If your PSG has been doing this for a long time, use that experience. Ask questions, seek their advice, learn from them, and give their recommendations serious consideration.
But don’t go too far in the other direction either. I’ve seen young officers essentially hand the platoon to the Platoon Sergeant because they were afraid of making mistakes or challenging someone with more experience. Don’t do that.
You are still the Platoon Leader, and your job is to lead. The goal isn’t for the officer to run everything or the NCO to run everything. The goal is to build an effective PL/PSG team where both leaders contribute their strengths.
Platoon Leader vs. Platoon Sergeant Responsibilities
Generally speaking, the Platoon Leader is responsible for the platoon and focuses heavily on mission accomplishment, planning, training, resources, coordination with higher headquarters, and overall leadership. The Platoon Sergeant focuses heavily on execution, standards, discipline, accountability, Soldier welfare, NCO leadership, maintenance, and making sure the platoon is prepared to execute the Platoon Leader’s intent.
Don’t become obsessed with creating a wall between officer business and NCO business. You need lanes, but you don’t need walls. A great PL and PSG complement each other, communicate constantly, and step in to help each other when necessary.
DA Form 4856 Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling
Many leaders searching for this topic are specifically looking for information about a DA Form 4856 Platoon Sergeant initial counseling. The form is important because it documents the counseling, expectations, and plan of action, but remember something important: the conversation is more important than the form.
Don’t spend two hours creating a beautiful counseling document and then rush through the actual counseling in 15 minutes. Sit down somewhere without constant interruptions, turn off the distractions, and talk. Discuss your expectations, ask questions, listen to your PSG’s concerns and recommendations, take notes, and develop a plan.
The paperwork should document the conversation, not replace it.
Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling Example Topics
If you’re trying to figure out what to put in your counseling, here are some topics I would consider:
- Leadership philosophy
- Mission and priorities
- Soldier welfare
- Standards and discipline
- Training
- Maintenance
- Property accountability
- Soldier accountability
- Communication
- Counseling program
- NCO development
- Officer-NCO relationship
- Readiness
- Administrative requirements
- Safety and risk management
- Physical fitness
- Career development
- Dignity and respect
- Reporting requirements
- Battle rhythm
- Expectations during drill weekends
- Expectations between drill weekends
- Professional conduct
- Long-term platoon goals
You don’t necessarily need several paragraphs about every subject. Focus on the things that matter most to you, your commander, your mission, and your unit. The goal is to create a useful counseling document, not the longest counseling statement anyone in the Army has ever seen.
Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve
Initial counseling becomes even more important in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve because the leadership relationship continues between drill weekends. A Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant might only see each other face-to-face two or three days during a typical month, so communication between drills is critical.
I would specifically discuss how often you will communicate, who tracks upcoming suspenses, pre-drill coordination, Soldier accountability before drill, training preparation, medical and administrative readiness, equipment issues, schools, Soldier problems, full-time staff coordination, and post-drill follow-up.
I always believed that a successful drill weekend starts long before first formation. If the PL and PSG wait until Saturday morning to start figuring things out, they’re already behind. A quick weekly phone call or periodic check-in between drills can prevent hours of wasted time once everyone arrives at the armory.
Common Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling Mistakes
One mistake is making the counseling too long. You don’t need a 20-page manifesto to explain your leadership philosophy. Another mistake is copying someone else’s counseling word-for-word. Examples are useful, but your counseling should reflect your leadership style and your platoon.
Don’t talk the entire time either. Counseling should be a conversation. You also don’t need to impress your PSG or prove how much Army knowledge you have. If you’re a new lieutenant, they already know you’re new. That’s okay.
Another mistake is avoiding difficult expectations because you don’t want to create friction. If something matters to you, say it now. Finally, don’t conduct the initial counseling and never mention it again. Initial counseling should be the beginning of an ongoing developmental process, not a one-time administrative requirement.
Follow-Up Counseling With Your Platoon Sergeant
Your initial counseling shouldn’t disappear into a folder somewhere. Pull it out periodically and review it. Discuss your goals, what’s working, what isn’t working, and what needs to change. Ask your Platoon Sergeant for feedback and give them feedback as well.
Relationships evolve. Your first counseling might establish the foundation, but your follow-up conversations are what strengthen the relationship over time. As you gain experience and learn more about the platoon, some of your original priorities might change.
Also remember that counseling doesn’t always have to mean sitting behind a desk with paperwork. Some of the best professional development conversations happen while walking through the motor pool, driving to training, eating lunch, or sitting around after everyone else has gone home. Don’t underestimate those informal conversations.
Final Thoughts
The Army Platoon Sergeant initial counseling is one of your first opportunities as a Platoon Leader to establish how your platoon leadership team will operate. Take it seriously, be prepared, and put your expectations in writing, but don’t make the mistake of thinking the document itself is the objective.
The real objective is clarity, trust, communication, teamwork, Soldier development, and mission accomplishment. Your Platoon Sergeant should leave that first counseling knowing exactly what you expect from them. Just as importantly, you should leave knowing what they need and expect from you.
If you’re a new lieutenant, don’t worry about having all the answers because you won’t. Listen to your Platoon Sergeant, learn from their experience, ask for their recommendations, and give them room to lead the NCOs. At the same time, don’t surrender your responsibility to lead the platoon just because your PSG has more experience.
The best platoons I’ve seen weren’t successful because the Platoon Leader did everything or because the Platoon Sergeant did everything. They were successful because the Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant worked as a team, respected each other’s roles, communicated regularly, and kept the mission and Soldiers at the center of what they did.
Get that relationship right from the beginning, and everything else becomes a whole lot easier.
Need Help With Your Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling?
If you’re preparing to take over a platoon and aren’t sure what to put in your initial counseling, having a proven template can save you hours of work and help make sure you don’t overlook important topics.
Check out my Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling Packet. It’s designed to give Army Platoon Leaders a practical starting point they can customize for their leadership style, unit, mission, and Platoon Sergeant.
Instead of staring at a blank counseling form wondering what to write, you’ll have a framework you can modify and make your own.
[Learn More About the Platoon Sergeant Initial Counseling Packet →]