Junior Leadership - Army Sergeant Major WO1 GH Paton

Summary of main points (Army Leadership webinar – WO1 GH Paton)

1) Purpose of the session: “Leading through crisis” (focused on junior NCOs)

• Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1) GH Paton (Army Sergeant Major) explains that junior leadership—especially junior NCOs/corporals—is the “first layer of the leadership onion.”
• Senior leaders set direction and issue orders, but execution happens at the lowest levels, particularly under pressure.
• Therefore, junior leaders are critical during crisis and uncertainty.

2) How Paton frames leadership and doctrine

• Paton contrasts leadership ideas such as:
  • Example, persuasion, and compulsion
  • Leadership as personal example
  • Inspiring people to do what they don’t want to do
• He emphasizes the Army’s leadership doctrine and model as a “handrail”:
  • It should be actively read and applied
  • Not treated as something that sits unused
• The Army leadership code, values, and standards (e.g., discipline, courage, respect, integrity, loyalty, selfless commitment) should guide daily behavior, especially under stress.

3) What junior commanders do (and why expectations have risen)

Paton argues that modern operations demand much more from junior leaders than in previous decades:

• Faster pace
• Greater technological complexity
• More oversight and media exposure
• Life-changing decisions at the point of contact

He describes junior leaders as responsible for:

• Managing large, complex systems and readiness tasks (e.g., multiple communications systems, vehicles, weapons, power/batteries, etc.)
• Managing people emotionally and practically under extreme stress (shifting from high-intensity action to caring for soldiers afterward)

He also stresses:

• Mission command
• Delegation “to the point of discomfort” so junior leaders can act within intent during crises.

4) Crisis leadership examples: junior NCOs holding the team together

Paton shares anecdotes showing how junior leaders keep operations safe and effective:

• A young corporal diagnosing and resolving signal/systems issues before a planned lift, delaying movement until safe and functional—demonstrating responsibility and competence.
• Instances where junior leaders provide calm reassurance during firefights/chaos, maintaining team cohesion and morale under fire.

5) Legacy and culture: “leave your jersey in a better place”

Paton connects crisis leadership to sustaining culture over time using an analogy with the New Zealand All Blacks (“black shirt” legacy).

• Junior leaders act as “gatekeepers” of:
  • Culture and behavior
  • Challenge and learning norms
  • Unit standards and continuity
• He advocates personal improvement and continuous contribution:
  • Earn the right to lead by sustaining performance and conduct both on and off duty.

6) Challenge culture and learning environments

Paton highlights the need for a healthy “challenge upwards” culture:

• Commands should be able to receive constructive dissent respectfully
• He warns against “loyal, evasive” behavior:
  • Agreeing publicly while avoiding meaningful challenge
• The goal is an environment where people feel safe to:
  • Offer and receive challenge
  • Experiment
  • Fail safely and learn
  • Rather than fear punishment or humiliation

7) “Ten diseases of leadership” (self-accountability tool)

Paton uses Richard Holmes’ “ten diseases of leadership” as common failure patterns, including:

• Lack of moral courage
• Loyalty without constructive dissent
• Withholding needed information (“need to know” used to reinforce authority)
• Rigidity/inflexibility and pushing plans despite new reality
• Seeking unattainable “100 percent” solutions
• Discounting wisdom because it comes from lower rank
• Micromanagement / comfort zones and failure to practice mission command
• “Big man” behavior that creates a negative climate

He encourages leaders to read and apply these daily for personal correction and improvement.

8) COVID-19 as a real-world test case for leadership

Paton describes how junior leaders adapted during COVID:

• Virtual engagement, town halls, online PT, Q&As, and remote visits
• Units pivoting quickly when no existing “plan on the shelf” covered the situation

Key lesson:

• Stay connected (preferably video calls, then voice, then text)
• Maintain cohesion and communication during disruption

9) Q&A themes: rank transitions, emotional intelligence, reserves, and CAP badges/leadership training

Rank transition (e.g., becoming Lance Corporal)

• Paton emphasizes the shift from popularity to professionalism
• He argues soldiers follow best when leaders use rank to:
  • Support people
  • Not demand favors or control

How to challenge commanders

• Challenge respectfully with the intent to improve
• He downplays the idea that junior challenge must always be strictly evidence-based, arguing lived experience and judgment also matter

Bad orders

• He notes he has received bad orders at different career stages:
  • Earlier: “got on with it”
  • Later: learned to discuss/tease out issues rather than accept blind compliance

Emotional intelligence development

• He calls for soft-skills training (including emotional intelligence) as a parallel track to trade training

LDP vs CLM and preserving cap-badge identity

• He supports LDP as an improvement over CLM
• He argues emotional/soft-skills leadership training should be cap-badge agnostic
• Tactical/branch-specific skills should remain cap-badge-specific
• He expresses support for a cross-army leadership school approach

Reserves

• Reservists still contribute to national needs
• Digital leadership/education can support consistency despite geographical and employment differences

Accelerated promotion / CASL initiatives

• He encourages following official updates (e.g., Defense Connect)
• He frames CASL as a once-in-a-generation shift to improve how the Army develops and utilizes talent

10) Closing: Paton’s “three messages”

• Use rank as an opportunity to do more for people—not for yourself
• Soldiers don’t make mistakes on purpose:
  • Leaders should diagnose under-performance and coach/mentor
  • Distinguish reckless behavior from genuine error
• Leave a legacy:
  • Set the next person up for success
  • Hand over your “jersey” in a better place

---

Presenters / contributors

• Lieutenant Colonel Langley (Host; CAO Center for Army Leadership webinar series)
• Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1) GH Paton (Army Sergeant Major; main speaker)
• Andy Steven W (Center for Army Leadership; moderator/assistant during Q&A)

Contributors / questioners mentioned in Q&A

• Edward (question from Italy)
• Joseph Petty (question about LDP/CLM and cap-badge flavor)
• Liam Beach (question about reserve reporting/COVID support and opportunities)
• Major Josey (referenced within the LDP question context)
• Brad Thorne (referenced in analogy; not a live participant)
• Field Marshal Slim (referenced)
• Field Marshal Rommel (referenced)
• Richard Holmes (referenced for “ten diseases of leadership”)
• Roger Kipling / Rudyard Kipling (referenced quote: “If you… strength of the pack…”)
• Charlie Company / Gloucester / Falklands / Canada, New Zealand, Australia (referenced context/examples, not necessarily live contributors)