Col. Morris Goins sits in a chair as if he were a coat draped across it.
He uses Monty Python to explain his management philosophy as chief of staff -- not the "troupe" one might expect.
And among the scribblings he keeps in a notebook in his blouse pocket is a list of "tasks the boss gives out," as well as notations of the biggest candy dishes on post.
Goins has come to Fort Jackson to put the "fun" back in the mission. He is, he says, "just a dude trying to get things done" -- and tops on the list is making people happy.
But as chief of staff and, perhaps, top meeting presider on post, he also has the ability to keep even the commanding general on track and on topic. Nobody, he said during an interview Monday, likes meetings that "go down rabbit holes." Keeping them short gives people time to do their jobs.
"(I've been) proven in combat," Goins said, comparing his current job to his past. "When something's difficult to get done, I'll get it done."
That's easier as part of a mostly new management team, he said: There are no biased expectations.
At his first gathering with "all the Gs" he supervises -- G1 through G8 -- last week, he passed out a list he called "How I Like To(cq) Operate," which he freely admitted contained typos and errors of grammar. Then he paced as he elaborated on the list, every once in a while reading over the shoulder of a Soldier following along.
"I like helping people -- it's just whom I am," he told approximately 40 Gs before inviting them to stop by his office to sample the peach cobbler somebody brought in.
"If there's anything you think I can do for you, I know a couple of people in the Army. Just come by and chat."
Yeah, sure. "A couple." Goins came to Fort Jackson from the Pentagon.
That's where he got to know Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, Fort Jackson's commanding general. It was Cloutier who asked Goins to be his chief of staff, and Goins has "always been one to go where people asked me."
Since the age of 8, Goins never has wanted to be anything but a Soldier, says his wife, Yolanda.
"Morris always demands the most of himself," she said. "He lives by the self-management philosophy that 'execution' is the only word that matters. Anything other than that is just an excuse.
"When things aren't right, it will keep him up at night."
During his career, Goins has been a United Nations military observer. He has deployed to Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, and been stationed in Korea, Alaska and -- early on -- at Fort Jackson.
He finds his present time at Fort Jackson more relaxed -- the people are nice, and so is the weather. Cloutier has imbued him with "trust and empowerment." And he has time to breathe, to think, to find answers before a higher-up demands them.
"It's not so immediate," he said, comparing his two most recent postings. "The pace isn't as intense (as it was at the Pentagon, but) that doesn't mean it's not as important." What could be more important than training more than 50 percent of America's new Soldiers each year?
And what could be more fun?
Maria Jones was on leave when Goins stopped by her desk in the 193rd Brigade and found her "beast" of a candy bowl. S1 was filling in for her and got the credit in her stead. On Tuesday, Jones was philosophical about the misplaced credit, issuing an open invitation for Goins to return to sample a better stocked bowl.
"That's fantastic," she said of hers being dubbed the best candy bowl. "If he were to come in, I would fill it up" for him.
After only a couple of weeks at his boss's side, Goins's deputy also finds himself eagerly anticipating the future.
"We need leaders … with the ability to inspire and unite individuals and organizations" across post, said Gerald Henderson, deputy chief of staff. "He will, undoubtedly, be one of the best that we have ever had.
"He is tremendously team oriented, has a great sense of humor and is very Family oriented. … Fort Jackson and the community will fall in love with both him and his wife, Yolanda. They are just good people."
Goins already has invited all the Gs to his house for lunch this weekend, where he is likely to be wearing jeans and a stained red fishing cap.
Goins also says he intends to send them all birthday cards. To ask after their families. To treat them all as individuals.
"That's the difference between building a team and … just talking about it," Goins said. "In the long term, (that's how) we help the institution (Big Army) get better. In the short term, I owe it to the ones who are here" to care about them.
"The mission -- what we do here at Jackson -- that in and of itself is enormous."
And unhappy people won't get it done.
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