Developing Resiliency in a Squad (team)

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Informative Essay

Sergeant Brent M. Taylor

3-2 Spartans

As we continue building our history, we often look back at those who’ve shaped our story. Hearing stories of bravery, courage, devotion, and events that lead to receiving the Medal of Honor. What do all of these individuals have in common? The objective of this essay is to outline strategies and the importance, as a leader for developing and encouraging resiliency at squad level. As Theodore Roosevelt quoted “if there is not war, you don’t get the great general, if there is not a great occasion, you don’t get a great statesman, if Lincoln(sic) had lived in a time of peace, no one would have known is name.” Success and achievement is not just defined by our accomplishment, rather, how we dealt with the often insurmountable odds against us.

NCO’s are often called the “backbone of the Army,” resiliency is part of the NCO backbone. Broken down into two categories, physical and emotional resiliency are necessary for the modern warfighter to adapt to the chaos of battle.

Emotional resilience is the ability an individual is able to “deal effectively with stressors, pressures, and challenges and perform to the best of their ability, irrespective of the circumstances” (Clough,2002). As leaders, we must prevent Soldiers from remaining in a negative mindset, identifying the irrational thoughts. Examples of a negative mindset can be, why bother, it’s not my fault, it’s over,

Cohesion can be attained through building connections with Soldiers within the squad.

Physical resilience is the body’s ability to “adapt to challenges, maintain stamina and strength, and recover quickly and efficiently when faced with illness, accidents, or other physical demands” (Katie Hurley, LCSW 2019)