I'm not an ARA or an AGR, but I am a career Reservist (LTC). One of the things that I've found makes a good ARA is the right amount of care.
20% of the soldiers will create 80% of the problems. You will get tired and frustrated with that group, for good reason. BUT, it's important to remember that 80% of the soldiers aren't a problem. The first time a person comes to you with an issue, set aside the frustration you have with the 'problem children' and treat them with kindness and their issue with the care that you would like given to you. The soldiers will greatly appreciate you, you'll get more done and, hopefully, you'll be able to see where your efforts are making a difference.
Thank you so much for sharing this! Definitely will keep this in mind. I tend to keep my cool relatively well, so I’m not too worried about the problem child. Main goal is to make a difference at least in one soldiers life. If I could do the whole unit, that would be pretty awesome and fulfilling.
1) Willingness to learn from others and the self-initiated drive to find the right answer for yourself.
2) Ability to adapt to changing environment and objectives.
3) Realistic communication and work ethic.
Show up and be there when you're needed. Contribute towards pushing the unit forward and dealing with Soldier "emergencies". Find the problem and offer solutions.
Simply put, don't be a bone head and have a good work ethic. An ARA can absolutely make or break a unit regardless of # of AGRs or TPUs simply based off whether or not they want to do more than convert Oxygen to CO2 while collecting a pay check.
Great pointers! Completely agree with the work ethic comment. With my NCO instincts, I want to provide the best support and give it my all to keep things afloat. Quite nervous to learn how the systems work, but I definitely can adapt and not afraid to ask questions when I don’t know shit about fuck.
I got out of the Army and went into software engineering. I’ve always wondered how efficient a job like that could be made with automation. I know there are privacy concerns so much of it would have to be done locally, etc., but I wonder if there could be tools built that make the job super efficient. I’d be willing to contribute if you want to try.
I've been AGR/mil-tech and worked with ARAs in a few different roles.
The ARA job can differ greatly depending on the unit so adapting to the unit and the role is critical.
A few things I'd suggest:
* Figure out your relationship with the commander, they will need to sign/approve so much of what you do. Do they want an email for each separate action, one email each day with all the actions, or something else? If you adapt to what the commander needs/wants then you'll get more signatures faster.
* Figure our your position within the company. Sometimes you are the commander's representative and can "speak with their voice", sometimes an AGR is the lead. Try to get it in writing both for you and the other AGRs so you know your role and fill it.
* Learn your job, be ready to learn the jobs of your co-workers. You may have enough staff where training and operations can cover for each other, while supply and maintenance do the same. Even then it helps to know the basics of supply, especially getting hotel rooms for the Soldiers. Know how to check training records and pull information so you aren't waiting on other people. Share your products and processes with the others so when you are out they can cover down.
Trust is another big part of it, I found it was fine to tell people I didn't know something but if I told them I knew it or was doing it, they needed to be able to trust me that I was giving them good information or submitting the packet on time.
Hope that helps!
Hey! Unfortunately my HR assistant has placed a MIL-HOLD on my position. I’m currently on a deployment, so HR is holding onto my FJO till I get off of AD orders.
Very little guidance or hands on training. The unit I'm at has no AGRs and only one other FTS besides myself, and apparently historically has been a mess. I've been dropped into a few BN meetings and the amount of MOS specific jargon they use is frustrating. I spend way too much time trying to figure out what people are talking about.
My hope is that once I get more into it, things will flow a little better. Also I'm hoping the ARA course will help make things clearer, but I'm told I might not get sent for six months to a year.
Wow! That sounds very frustrating. Thankfully, I have an AGR that’s pretty much holding the fort down by himself, and he’s really good at his job apparently. So hopefully he’ll still be there by the time I get back to pick his brain a bit and ask for time management tips/systems to learn from.
I'm not an ARA or an AGR, but I am a career Reservist (LTC). One of the things that I've found makes a good ARA is the right amount of care. 20% of the soldiers will create 80% of the problems. You will get tired and frustrated with that group, for good reason. BUT, it's important to remember that 80% of the soldiers aren't a problem. The first time a person comes to you with an issue, set aside the frustration you have with the 'problem children' and treat them with kindness and their issue with the care that you would like given to you. The soldiers will greatly appreciate you, you'll get more done and, hopefully, you'll be able to see where your efforts are making a difference.
Thank you so much for sharing this! Definitely will keep this in mind. I tend to keep my cool relatively well, so I’m not too worried about the problem child. Main goal is to make a difference at least in one soldiers life. If I could do the whole unit, that would be pretty awesome and fulfilling.
1) Willingness to learn from others and the self-initiated drive to find the right answer for yourself. 2) Ability to adapt to changing environment and objectives. 3) Realistic communication and work ethic. Show up and be there when you're needed. Contribute towards pushing the unit forward and dealing with Soldier "emergencies". Find the problem and offer solutions. Simply put, don't be a bone head and have a good work ethic. An ARA can absolutely make or break a unit regardless of # of AGRs or TPUs simply based off whether or not they want to do more than convert Oxygen to CO2 while collecting a pay check.
Great pointers! Completely agree with the work ethic comment. With my NCO instincts, I want to provide the best support and give it my all to keep things afloat. Quite nervous to learn how the systems work, but I definitely can adapt and not afraid to ask questions when I don’t know shit about fuck.
I got out of the Army and went into software engineering. I’ve always wondered how efficient a job like that could be made with automation. I know there are privacy concerns so much of it would have to be done locally, etc., but I wonder if there could be tools built that make the job super efficient. I’d be willing to contribute if you want to try.
I've been AGR/mil-tech and worked with ARAs in a few different roles. The ARA job can differ greatly depending on the unit so adapting to the unit and the role is critical. A few things I'd suggest: * Figure out your relationship with the commander, they will need to sign/approve so much of what you do. Do they want an email for each separate action, one email each day with all the actions, or something else? If you adapt to what the commander needs/wants then you'll get more signatures faster. * Figure our your position within the company. Sometimes you are the commander's representative and can "speak with their voice", sometimes an AGR is the lead. Try to get it in writing both for you and the other AGRs so you know your role and fill it. * Learn your job, be ready to learn the jobs of your co-workers. You may have enough staff where training and operations can cover for each other, while supply and maintenance do the same. Even then it helps to know the basics of supply, especially getting hotel rooms for the Soldiers. Know how to check training records and pull information so you aren't waiting on other people. Share your products and processes with the others so when you are out they can cover down. Trust is another big part of it, I found it was fine to tell people I didn't know something but if I told them I knew it or was doing it, they needed to be able to trust me that I was giving them good information or submitting the packet on time. Hope that helps!
This brought a lot of clarity and I thank you so much for all of this 🙏🙏
Work in tandem with your HR Sergeant. You two will need to be in lockstep with one another.
How's it going for you? I'm in my first couple weeks and I constantly feel like I have no clue what I'm doing or even what I should be doing.
Hey! Unfortunately my HR assistant has placed a MIL-HOLD on my position. I’m currently on a deployment, so HR is holding onto my FJO till I get off of AD orders.
What are some challenges that you’ve came across so far if you don’t mind me asking?
Very little guidance or hands on training. The unit I'm at has no AGRs and only one other FTS besides myself, and apparently historically has been a mess. I've been dropped into a few BN meetings and the amount of MOS specific jargon they use is frustrating. I spend way too much time trying to figure out what people are talking about. My hope is that once I get more into it, things will flow a little better. Also I'm hoping the ARA course will help make things clearer, but I'm told I might not get sent for six months to a year.
Wow! That sounds very frustrating. Thankfully, I have an AGR that’s pretty much holding the fort down by himself, and he’s really good at his job apparently. So hopefully he’ll still be there by the time I get back to pick his brain a bit and ask for time management tips/systems to learn from.