FORT BENNING, Ga., (Oct. 30, 2013) -- Col. Joseph Buche, the Army's special assistant to the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, visited Fort Benning Oct. 23 to share his experiences with Soldiers enrolled in the Maneuver Captains Career Course, Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course and Infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course.
Before serving with DARPA, Buche commanded 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, while deployed to Iraq. He also served as deputy brigade commander of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and the regimental commander of the 3rd Infantry Regiment.
Buche largely spoke to the IBOLC and ABOLC students about his experiences, and the lessons he has learned during his career as a commander.
One of those lessons, he said, is the importance of fundamentals.
"If people can't trust me to do something simple when nobody's watching, then how can they trust me to do something complex when everybody's watching?" he asked the students gathered at Derby Auditorium.
Buche also spoke to the students about the importance of time management as a commander or leader.
"You can put a reserve on your calendar," Buche said. "Don't schedule yourself for 12 hours each day, because I guarantee you something is going to come up."
He shared stories of Soldiers he has served with who faced moral or ethical dilemmas while serving, often because they felt pressured to cover for a fellow Soldier's wrongdoing.
"Loyalty is to the ideals of the institution," Buche said. "It is not to an individual. If somebody else chooses to sacrifice their integrity, you don't have to choose between loyalty and integrity. Integrity is the only thing that comes before teamwork."
He also spoke about the importance of noncommissioned officer evaluation reports. Buche serves on many selection boards, and said NCOERs are key to the future of the Army.
"The biggest impediment to picking our next generation of leaders is our noncommissioned officer evaluation reports," he said. "As a commander, ask the Soldiers around you where the individual stands … and then you honestly assess where those people stand, you tell them to their face and then you write it down. You will not always be popular when you do that, but you will be helping the United States Army pick the next generation of leaders."
He said commanders and leaders must be willing to stand behind their evaluations and discuss them with Soldiers once the evaluation is complete.
"If you write something formal in an evaluation of somebody and it goes in their file, you owe it to them to sign it, show it to them and talk to them about it," Buche said.
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