I think that it is the perpetual question of which came first; however, maybe not.
I have not been in a unit so far where you have to drink the Kool Aid to survive in the unit. Or, maybe I have been and I simply didn't know it. I have only been active duty in the Army since summer of 2007 but to this point, I have had three duty stations (including school house) and one deployment (as an individual augmentee to 101st Division BSTB). Therefore, I am currently assigned to a Division staff for my second Division staff. My first assignment was to a strategic unit.
There was no pre-made Kool Aid to be found.
But, during one of the regular post-work day discussions I was having with my section OIC and NCOIC, my NCOIC stated that you have to drink the Kool Aid no matter where you are. I thought this was odd, and said as much, because it seemed to me that many units do not have any Kool Aid to drink. SFC S proceeded to tell me how every unit has its own flavor and it is essential, especially in our line of work as perpetual staff officers, to know the flavor of our Commander and learn to engage him with a solid understanding of it. If his flavor is "blow shit up", that is an easy one to brief: where is the shit he can blow up. If his flavor is build the alliance: here is what we are doing and can also do to further the alliance. If he wants to conduct civil affairs and humanitarian assistance: here is how we keep 'em all safe while we fill their bellies and warm their toes. In this manner, there is always a Commander's Cup of Kool Aid.
Sometimes you have to mix your own Kool Aid.
I am an introvert. According to Myers Briggs, I am an INTP. For me, mixing Kool Aid for my unit and convincing others that it is to be drank is difficult. This requires building buy in from the unit: the leaders and Soldiers alike. While I am striving to learn to do this and remain true to myself, it is a struggle and a challenge. But, it is a vital one for my personal growth as well as my growth in the military.
I came into the military originally to see the world, learn about life, and what it means as history is being made. I planned to leave the service after a stint and do something subdued, such as teach history. It is interesting how life seems to choose a course that we may not have been able to see as to started walking the path.
I am thankful for the opportunities that I have chosen and turned down, for the Soldiers I have worked with and the units I have been a part of. I think that gratitude is a vital starting point for mixing my Kool Aid - and taking the first sip of my Commander's Kool Aid no matter where I serve.
I have not been in a unit so far where you have to drink the Kool Aid to survive in the unit. Or, maybe I have been and I simply didn't know it. I have only been active duty in the Army since summer of 2007 but to this point, I have had three duty stations (including school house) and one deployment (as an individual augmentee to 101st Division BSTB). Therefore, I am currently assigned to a Division staff for my second Division staff. My first assignment was to a strategic unit.
There was no pre-made Kool Aid to be found.
But, during one of the regular post-work day discussions I was having with my section OIC and NCOIC, my NCOIC stated that you have to drink the Kool Aid no matter where you are. I thought this was odd, and said as much, because it seemed to me that many units do not have any Kool Aid to drink. SFC S proceeded to tell me how every unit has its own flavor and it is essential, especially in our line of work as perpetual staff officers, to know the flavor of our Commander and learn to engage him with a solid understanding of it. If his flavor is "blow shit up", that is an easy one to brief: where is the shit he can blow up. If his flavor is build the alliance: here is what we are doing and can also do to further the alliance. If he wants to conduct civil affairs and humanitarian assistance: here is how we keep 'em all safe while we fill their bellies and warm their toes. In this manner, there is always a Commander's Cup of Kool Aid.
Sometimes you have to mix your own Kool Aid.
I am an introvert. According to Myers Briggs, I am an INTP. For me, mixing Kool Aid for my unit and convincing others that it is to be drank is difficult. This requires building buy in from the unit: the leaders and Soldiers alike. While I am striving to learn to do this and remain true to myself, it is a struggle and a challenge. But, it is a vital one for my personal growth as well as my growth in the military.
I came into the military originally to see the world, learn about life, and what it means as history is being made. I planned to leave the service after a stint and do something subdued, such as teach history. It is interesting how life seems to choose a course that we may not have been able to see as to started walking the path.
I am thankful for the opportunities that I have chosen and turned down, for the Soldiers I have worked with and the units I have been a part of. I think that gratitude is a vital starting point for mixing my Kool Aid - and taking the first sip of my Commander's Kool Aid no matter where I serve.
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