Episode 71: Lead, Develops, Achieves: The Second Part of the Triple Threat

Are you struggling to write NCOER bullets that truly capture your leadership impact? The difference between mediocre and exceptional Army leaders comes down to understanding three critical competencies: Leads, Develops, and Achieves.

In this essential episode, we break down exactly what these competencies mean beyond the official language of DAPAM and AR 623-3. Your rater and senior rater aren't just looking for buzzwords—they're evaluating how effectively you influence others, build trust, communicate purpose, and deliver results under pressure. I share concrete examples of powerful bullets that demonstrate each competency in action, helping you transform vague accomplishments into quantifiable impacts.

The "Develops" competency deserves special attention as it represents your leadership legacy. When you properly develop subordinates, you create a force multiplier effect that extends your impact throughout the organization. Too many NCOs fail here due to misguided concerns about job security. I explain why the opposite is true—strong development of your replacement actually accelerates your own advancement.

What separates truly exceptional leaders is how they bring everything together through the "Achieves" competency. It's not just about checking boxes; it's about taking ownership and delivering measurable results that elevate your entire organization's performance. Whether someone's watching or not, these competencies should inform every aspect of your leadership.

Ready to transform your leadership approach? Join me in this practical, no-nonsense breakdown of Army leadership fundamentals. Share this episode with your battle buddies, follow the show for weekly Army insights, and connect with me on social media to discuss your specific leadership challenges. Remember—you don't have to embrace the suck if you've got the right tools in your ruck.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Army Leadership
• 1:22 Breaking Down "Leads" Competency
• 3:28 Developing Others as a Force Multiplier
• 6:26 Steward the Profession
• 8:28 The Achieves Competency
• 12:31 Final Challenge and Takeaways

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

So here's a question what do the best leaders in the armies have in common? They don't just have the look of a leader, they produce results, they lead, they develop others and they achieve outcomes that impact their soldiers, their units and the mission. So welcome back to the Roger Sarne Podcast, where we talk all things army and I'm your host, sarne Cruz, and today we're going to break down the Army Corps Leadership Competencies, which are Leads, develops and Achieves, and it's coming straight out of DAPAM and AR 623-3. So, when it comes to these three words, they aren't just words. They're literally what your Raider and Senior Raider are watching for when they're writing your NCOER, and that's going to define the kind of leader you and, most importantly, the kind of leader you have the potential to be, because that's what the Raider does right, what you did, and what the Senior Raider does, what you have the potential to do. So by the end of this episode, you'll know exactly what these competencies look like in action and how to write a clear, quantifiable bullets that stand out, because, at the end of the day, the hell with filler bullets.

Speaker 1: 1:21

So let's lock in. To start off, let's talk about leads. So to lead, it means more than just giving orders, because anybody can give orders. It's about influencing others and setting the example. It's about building trust within your organization. It's about driving home the purpose, because at the end of the day, you have to understand that these troops are smarter nowadays and they just want to know what the purpose is of what we're doing. So here are some guidelines and you can see it on the support form on the dash one alpha. If you go down to page three and four, you will see them. But the guidelines are you have to lead others, you have to build trust, you have to extend influence beyond the chain of command and then you have to lead others by example and then communicate. Those are the guidelines, right For these example bullets that I'm about to give you, for these example bullets that I'm about to give you. So bullet number one led a 36 soldier platoon during a 14 day field training exercise, or you can just say FT program resulted in 25% increase in reenlistment interest. Bullet number three maintain open communication channels with three adjacent units, reducing response time to incidents by 45%. So you got to understand leading isn't just what you say, it's what you do when the pressure hits the fan at the end of the day. So as long as you stay within those parameters when writing your bullets, you're going to be just fine when writing your bullets, you're going to be just fine.

Speaker 1: 3:28

And let's talk about develops, and this one is kind of like a leadership multiplier, because when you develop others, it means that you're going to create a positive environment, it means that you're going to prepare others for future roles, it means that you're going to be counseling and mentoring and it means that you're going to be investing in their professional development or your professional development. Because, like I'm going to be honest, like in my opinion, in my humble opinion, this is kind of like the legacy piece of your leadership, like knowing that your soldier grew because you showed up for them. Right, and think about the force multiplier If I know how to conduct a certain task and I teach two people, two troops, how to do it, now it's three of us that can conduct that same task to the same standard, which means that we can divide and conquer thus the force multiplier. So let me give you the example bullets, right, because I kind of got to do it. So, bullet number one conducted monthly counseling for nine soldiers resulted in three early promotions and 100% school enrollment. Bullet number two created a mentorship program for E4s transitioning to NCOs. Six of seven soldiers promoted within six months. Bullet number three Built and maintained a developmental tracking matrix, enabled tailored training plans and improved teams' readiness by 35%. So, at the end of the day, developing is not just coaching, it's kind of like it's creating a space for others to succeed.

Speaker 1: 5:21

Right, because as ncos, it's our job to steward the profession. So think about this. You go to a section. Let's say, I don't, you want to go to the S1, because everyone has to go through the S1 at some point in their career. Right, when they get to the unit, you go to the S1 and they say, well, this person is not here, so we have to wait until tomorrow to do this specific task that you want to do right, or this action task that you want to do right, or this action, and you're like well, it's six of you in here, why can't one of you guys do it? And, by section, each section has, like, soldiers who do specific tasks and that's cool. But if everyone's trained on the same thing, then, that said, action can happen.

Speaker 1: 6:15

Another example if I'm the lead NCO, if I'm the NCOIC of a section and, for instance, I go on leave for two weeks and I'm constantly getting calls by my subordinate that I left in charge, then that tells me that I didn't steward the profession correctly, because I'm not putting them up on game, I'm not training them to do my job, to take my job right. I think that's kind of like a big deal. A lot of NCOs and, I guess, people in general, because this is also a thing that happens in the civilian world as well it's job security right. So if I learn something I won't teach it to someone else because and then they can take my job. One thing in the army you want that junior NCO to take your job because that means that you can move up faster.

Speaker 1: 7:06

When I was in um, I was in third brigade and I was in three eight and I remember Sergeant Giffen. He took my job and it was easy for me to go up to the brigade because I was. I was with the platoon, I was a platoon sergeant and I got the opportunity to. I was nominated to go to be the brigade medical and COIC and I wouldn't have probably not been able to go up there if Sergeant Giffen wasn't. He was good, naturally, but I just gave him everything that I knew, right. And who's to say that he wouldn't have taken it anyway? But I, I, I'm going to take a little bit of credit for it because I taught him everything I could. I knew about whatever it was that I knew about being a platoon sergeant, right. So I say all that to say this If they give you a call or two, that's fine, but if you're getting a call every day, then you're not stewarding the profession. So another thing if this podcast is helping you grow, do me a solid subscribe and share it with your team. And if you're listening on the, on the, on the audio version, just drop a five-star rating and follow the show. All right, let's keep it moving.

Speaker 1: 8:28

Achieves this is where it kind of like all comes together. This is like you've done A, b and now C is where it's go time. Like you've inspired, you've trained your soldiers and now it's time to execute. So Achieves is about executing the task to standard. It's about accomplishing the mission and getting measurable results, because you can sit here and you can conduct the class. Let's do something simple you can conduct a class and if everyone fails, you did conduct the mission. You did, you went from A to Z, but if 60% of your class fails, then you didn't get measurable results or positive measurable results, because you did get measurable results but they weren't positive.

Speaker 1: 9:24

So here it is right. Here, your measurable results are what? The ones that you're going to put on your NCOER? Because you're not going to put 60% failure rate, you're going to put 70%, 80%, 90% pass rate. So achieves is it? This is the bottom line.

Speaker 1: 9:44

So let's get some examples on that. Number one supervise the setup of a battalion aid station during field trainings. Treat it 112 personnel with zero mission timelines, with zero missed timelines. Number two manage annual SRP for 450 soldiers, achieving 98% deployable status in four days. And if you know how hard it is to get a battalion in one spot in a span of four days, that, right there, 98% is killer, all right. Number three coordinated with S4 to redistribute medical supplies, reducing shortages by 60% across five companies.

Speaker 1: 10:34

Now you guys have to remember, man, like results aren't just about checking the block. It's kind of like like you got to think about it. They're about like impacts that your actions have on the mission and your team. Slash organization, your leaders look good, and when that leader looks good, the next level, you and it just it's from the ground up right, you're gonna get your, you're gonna get your, your marching orders from higher and then you're gonna execute and then the mission is gonna be completed from the ground up. And if the base, like, if the ground isn't up to par and it's done mediocre, and then that's going to be a mediocre organization. And this is why I always preach, and many other leaders preach take pride in what you do. If you're fixing a vehicle, you fix it as if it's your vehicle, as if it's your freaking, as if it your, your, your your suv, your sedan, whatever it is that you drive, your bicycle, I don't care. You fix it that way because you have to own it, and that's what I like to preach you take ownership of everything that's around you. So there you have it. Man leads, is, develops and achieves right.

Speaker 1: 11:54

These three competencies define what it means to be a leader in the army. That's, I'm telling you. It's. You got your attributes and competencies. Attributes and competencies, and they're not just like for the NCOER, they're for every patrol. You go on every formation, every moment, whether someone's watching or not. That's the big one.

Speaker 1: 12:17

So what's my challenge to you? Put these competencies into action. Lead with confidence, develop your team and achieve what others say is impossible. Because you can do it, trust me. In your head, you think you can't. Sometimes your body may tell you not, because you're kind of tired, but you can do it, trust me. So if this podcast brought you value, then here's the mission send it to a battle buddy. Who needs to hear it? Follow the show for weekly army breakdowns? Because you know I do it. Hit me up on socials and I want to know what leadership challenges you're facing right now. And if you found this video on competencies helpful, then just go ahead and watch my other video about the attributes, so you can get the full spectrum. And remember you don't have to embrace the suck if you got the right tools in your ruck. I'm Sarn Cruz and I'll see you in the next one. Peace.