CAS3 Staff Officer Guide - U.S. Army

5
Staff Officer's Guide
(3) Complete research and coordination of actions prior to forwarding the action.
General Guidelines
a. Pay attention to details. The staff officer’s job is to manage the organization’s detailed
affairs to free up commanders so they can be more effective leaders.
b. Learn to listen. Communication is not complete until the receiver understands the message.
Develop an effective note-taking system. Ask questions to understand what you are required to do.
c. Do not be a bureaucrat. A staff officer’s job is to make life easier for subordinate
commands, not more difficult and cumbersome. Consider the impact of your action on the
subordinate units.
d. Do not say “No” to commanders. You may always recommend “No.” If in your attempt to
support you find an action to be illegal or illogical, tactfully say so in your recommendation.
e. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Work to correct problems instead of finding
fault; find out what went wrong and correct it. A good staff officer always proposes a feasible
solution to any problem he or she advances up the chain. A staff officer who does less simply
becomes part of the problem.
f. Do not be afraid to tell your boss bad news. Inform him or her as early as you can gather
initial information and propose a feasible solution.
g. Do not make yourself so invaluable that you cannot be replaced. Train your subordinates to
work in your absence. Develop and update SOPs, contact lists, and continuity files so you can leave
at any moment without disruption to your internal operation.
h. Effective staff officers are rarely surprised by change. Learn to anticipate. Develop several
contingency plans in case something unforeseen blocks your plan of action.
i. Identify those action officers and staff officers in your organization and in other agencies or
organizations with whom you will deal frequently. Get to know them and the actions they are
working. Maintain an awareness of actions being taken throughout the staff which may impact on
your functional area of responsibility.
j. Learn to analyze and synthesize. More information is not necessarily better. A good staff
officer can identify the essential elements of a complex action and can reduce the action to one or two
pages of information without loss of content. Be clear; be concise; be gone.
k. Concentrate on substance when writing. One syndrome associated with the staff
environment is the tendency to spend excessive amounts of time writing and rewriting papers. Staff
papers must be written clearly and concisely, but do not need to be literary masterpieces. Substance
is the essential element. While professional writing ability is not a requirement, you will be expected
to submit papers using proper grammar, spelling, and administrative procedures. DA Pam 60067,
Effective Writing for Army Leaders, will give you valuable tips.
l. Every staff action you forward to the command group contributes to or detracts from your
reputation. Don’t send it up unless you are ready to put your name on it. Autograph your work with
excellence.
© 2005 CAS3 For Instructional Purposes Only
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