Items related to Common Sense Training: A Working Philosophy for Leaders

Common Sense Training: A Working Philosophy for Leaders - Softcover

 
9780891416760: Common Sense Training: A Working Philosophy for Leaders
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
Leadership is so much a part of the conduct of training that at times it is difficult to tell where one stops and the other starts. . . . 

“The best book on military training from platoon to division level that has been published in any army.”Army magazine

“His message is that whatever works and gets results by the most direct and efficient means is good. All else should be eliminated.”Air University Review

“A utilitarian book that talks intelligently of leadership, management and common sense.”ARMOR magazine

“A hardhitting and unvarnished . . . authoritative work that should be read and reread by everyone who aspires to be a truly professional soldier.”—General Bruce Palmer, U.S. Army (Ret.)

“A gem, with few peers, invaluable . . . [Arthur Collins'] advice is always performance oriented. Don't talk so much about it, he says, Don't make so many fancy charts about training. Instead, do it. Teach it. Perform it.”Parameters

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:
Lt. Gen. Arthur S. Collins, Jr., (1915–1984) graduated from West Point in 1938 and received an MA from George Washington University. He served in the U.S. Army for 40 years and was a combat veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Collins commanded at every level from platoon to field army, before his 1974 retirement.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:
This is more than just a book on training. The ideal treatise on training would be shorter by a third—better still by a half—and would contain only suggestions to stimulate thought and action by commanders in the field of training. But the training environment that now exists is not conducive to good training. This environment must be analyzed critically, and this book attempts to do so.
 
Two major themes predominate in this work: first, that training is the number one business of a peacetime army but that it has suffered neglect; and, second, that the senior commander sets the tone on training in an army organization. The training atmosphere the commander creates prevails over all the efforts of his subordinates. This book is aimed at him and those who respond to his orders and attitudes. There is a message here for all levels of the chain of command, from the civilian secretaries who influence the quality of the soldier to the noncommissioned officer who is involved in most of his training.
 
The focus is on training at battalion level and below with major emphasis on company/battery/troop level.1 Although many suggestions on practical down-to-earth training techniques are to be found here, few detailed charts or specific programs are included. In every unit, conditions vary with respect to training areas, experience, and a host of other variables, not the least of which is the commander’s attitude. Therefore, training guidance from a distance is not much help to the trainer at the unit level. The details of particular training programs are spelled out in appropriate field and technical manuals. But no matter what is in the manuals, junior leaders cannot be effective trainers if a healthy atmosphere is not created where the training takes place. Training flourishes only in an atmosphere that invites it to do so, and only the generals and the colonels can extend that invitation.
 
If the senior commanders improve the training environment, training will improve rapidly. Ideas and attitudes conducive to good training are pervasive since they come from a true recognition of the importance of training to an army. All ranks, from the general officer to the NCO, can use these ideas and attitudes within the scope of their respective responsibilities. These ideas on training are internally consistent, and the basic themes apply to the National Guard and Reserves as well as to the active Army.
 
The most notable training achievement in Army history was the creation of a great Army and Air Force between 1940 and 1945. Churchill said, “The rate at which the small American Army of only a few hundred thousand men, not long before the war, created the mighty force of millions of soldiers is a wonder of military history ... This is an achievement which the soldiers of every other nation will always study with admiration and envy.” The pre-World War II Army that accomplished that feat did not have nearly the capability or expertise that today’s Army has. The leaders of that Army, however, had a training knack that has been lost. The task at hand is to recapture the art.
 
In addressing a new generation of leaders, I cannot emphasize too strongly that the fundamentals of training do not change. Weapons change, technology advances, and tactics adjust to what is new. The fundamentals of training, however—to prepare an army to fight in some national crisis with whatever means are at hand—change but little. The major changes in training come from the social changes that affect the human condition. The enlightened trainer takes advantage of these changes to forge a better fighting force.
 
This book is a dialogue with my fellow soldiers on a subject vital to the Army’s future. The soldier knows that death, sacrifice, and hardship are daily companions in combat; only good training or an end to the fighting alleviates them. My prejudices on training are strong, as my colleagues in the service are well aware. Although I do not presume that my training prescriptions are the best, they have been tried at every level of command—and they work. A host of solid professional soldiers taught me what I know. Few of these men were famous, but all of them were dedicated to the military profession and the Army. This book will repay a small part of my debt to them and to the Army, whose virtues far outweigh its faults.
 
If this volume illuminates the training environment, helps its readers to overcome the neglect of training, and kindles an imaginative interest in training in the new generation of officers and noncommissioned officers, who have to train an Army far more complex than the one I joined in 1938, it will have served a useful purpose.
 
1
 
A Philosophy of Training
 
Training is all-encompassing and should be related to everything a unit does or can have happen to it.
 
The essential characteristics of a good army are that it be well trained and well disciplined. These two characteristics are apparent in every unit achievement, whether in peace or in war. Discipline derives and flows from training and serves to emphasize a fundamental point essential to a philosophy of training: that training is all-encompassing. Training permeates everything a military organization does.
 
If training is so important, why is it so often neglected? There must be some inherent contradiction when commanders fail to devote adequate attention to the activity which can do so much for every aspect of a unit’s operations, maintenance, administration, and esprit. In trying to analyze this contradiction, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps a misconception exists as to what is meant by training. Through the years, I have noticed that when commanders and staff officers discuss training, they most often talk in terms of tactical exercises, firing of weapons, and those aspects of military operations that focus on “move, shoot, and communicate.” Seldom do they talk or write about training in the context of personnel and administrative procedures, maintenance, and safety. They fail to relate the serious-incident reports, which tell of accidents and injuries resulting from a broken towbar or poor rigging, to the training that might have prevented the accidents. Too many commanders are not aware that training is all-encompassing and should be related to everything a unit does—or can have happen to it.
 
A professional soldier, be he officer or noncommissioned officer, must learn early in his career not to think of training as the insatiable enemy that endlessly consumes his time. True, he and his troops will be training most of every day. But training is not just a priority to be emphasized this week because a senior commander is now pushing it, as he was “maintenance” last week and “safety” or “equal opportunity” the week before. Training affords a commander the opportunity to explore the variety of problems and missions that will always confront him. When a commander of a military unit takes this attitude, most of his problems—and those of his unit—will be met and solved in the course of daily training, and thus will cease to be problems. The same attitude will prevail again over new problems.
 
A good example of a comprehensive view of training comes from The Patton Papers. General Patton’s flamboyance in the context of training is irrelevant, a matter of personal style. Sometimes it works; most often it doesn’t. What really bears on the issue of training is that General Patton was a keen student of the military art and gave much thought to weapons, tactics, training of the individual and the small teams, as well as to physical conditioning. He stressed the fundamentals and made maximum use of limited resources:
 
The arrival of the new tanks, giving the center 25 in all, made it possible to have company maneuvers. Patton consequently modified the drill schedule in order to have the companies, in rotation, train as a unit every afternoon, and the platoons, each in turn, work on night maneuvers every day after dark.
 
From seven until noon, some men from each company took driving instruction while the rest trained on the guns and practiced such activities as message writing, grenade throwing, and gas-mask wearing; from one in the afternoon to six, one company held a maneuver as a unit while the other troops worked physically. From seven-thirty to midnight, each platoon had an exercise that featured night driving.
 
This passage might suggest ideas to National Guard and Reserve units on what can be done by concentrated training in back-to-back drill periods. But using time efficiently takes a lot of thinking, good organization, and an effective chain of command.
 
Another principle basic to my philosophy of training is that the key to all successful training lies in raising the quality of individual and small-unit skills. Success in battle is dependent on the coordinated effort of a number of small units of several arms and services working together to accomplish a mission. Other things being equal, the army with the best trained small units will prevail. Even when other things are not equal, the army with skilled soldiers and determined small units will sometimes defeat bigger and better equipped armies and will often confound and outlast their adversaries. The modern Israeli Army is a good example of the former; the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army are good examples of the latter. The importance of small-unit training to mission accomplishment cannot be overemphasized.
 
Still another principle of this philosophy is, don’t put on a show. The best way an army can gain the confidence of the people, not to mention the confidence of those who are in the army, is to do the best job it can every day. It does not necessarily follow that everything will be right. Human nature being what it is, there will be errors enough to go around. But commanders who accept the odds and decide that they are going to have confidence in their subordinates can look forward to the visit of senior commanders to their units without a flurry of activity that makes needless work for everyone. It has been my personal experience that maintaining such an attitude of calm in the face of a VIP’s appearance is no easy feat. The competitive spirit in our society naturally carries over into the service. This is not all bad, but the pressures on commanders are great and too many are preoccupied with simply looking good. It is a rare commander who has enough confidence to look with pleasure on the opportunity to show an unexpected visitor how his unit goes about its daily routine. We love to put on a show, and most commanders with any advance warning will do just that. But in so doing, they don’t fool the troops, and they don’t fool any senior commander who knows his business. The troops and the company-level commanders are the ones who pay the bill for the shows put on for visitors. The extra effort plays havoc with the training already scheduled. The Army as a whole must look critically at the things that create this worried state of mind.
 
Finally, this philosophy is based on four requirements for training. The first requirement is soldiers, and you have them in every unit. The second is equipment, and you have that in abundance—too much of it, in fact. The third requirement is a place to train, and generally you can find that once you learn to look at your surroundings and make the most of whatever is available. The last necessity is all in the head: a combination of brains, imagination, interest, and initiative that enables you to put everything together and do the training that has to be done. The first three requirements—the men, equipment, and place—are there for the using. The last requirement, mental and of the spirit, is intangible and is the hardest one to provide. But an able leader can provide it if he has in his military soul a genuine concern for the soldier and the Army’s many missions.
 
From experience I know that few trainers relish the term philosophy when it is associated with the action-filled world of training. However, I have used the term purposely with respect to training because one definition of philosophy is “the general principles or laws of a field of activity ordinarily with implication of their practical application.” Thinking of training in those terms might stimulate the interest in training that is needed. Training is hard work, but it does not have to be dull. Much military training is presented in boring fashion. The troops lose interest and do not absorb the instruction, the training program fails, and the morale of the troops drops. Good training requires a lot of mental effort; the commander must devise ways to make training intellectually and physically challenging to the troops. The unfortunate thing is that so many commanders don’t recognize dull training. But their troops do.
 

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780891410676: Common Sense Training: A Working Philosophy for Leaders

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780891410676
Publisher: Presidio Press, 1978
Softcover

  • 9788170621010: COMMON SENSE TRAINING: A Working Philosophy for Leaders

    Hardcover

  • 9780891410461: Common sense training: A working philosophy for leaders

    Presid..., 1978
    Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Collins Jr., Arthur S. S.
Published by Random House (1998)
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Books Puddle
(New York, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. pp. 256. Seller Inventory # 261023956

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 18.29
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Collins Jr., Arthur S. S.
Published by Random House (1998)
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Majestic Books
(Hounslow, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: New. pp. 256. Seller Inventory # 7872523

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 16.67
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 8.20
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Collins Jr., Arthur S. S.
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0891416765

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 23.42
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Collins Jr., Arthur S. S.
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0891416765

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 26.73
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Arthur Collins
Published by Presidio Pr (1998)
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Revaluation Books
(Exeter, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. new edition edition. 256 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.75 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # zk0891416765

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 28.87
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 12.62
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Collins Jr., Arthur S. Lt. Gen.
Published by Presidio Press (1998)
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Pieuler Store
(Suffolk, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: new. 2. Book is in NEW condition. Satisfaction Guaranteed! Fast Customer Service!!. Seller Inventory # PSN0891416765

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 19.45
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 31.54
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Collins Jr., Arthur S. S.
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Wizard Books
(Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0891416765

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 52.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.50
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Collins Jr., Arthur S. S.
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Front Cover Books
(Denver, CO, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0891416765

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 52.69
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.30
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Collins Jr., Arthur S. S.
ISBN 10: 0891416765 ISBN 13: 9780891416760
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
BennettBooksLtd
(LOS ANGELES, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.63. Seller Inventory # Q-0891416765

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 60.58
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.13
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds