![]() Know your Soldiers and ensure you as a section chief give your the credit, as none of us would be in this position without the work that they put in day in and day out,” Clarke said. “Lead your Soldiers to success and then be able to tell about how that success was achieved. For section chiefs, Clarke suggested giving credit where credit is due. “What makes you different, what story do you present that can give you the extra point needed to win a board over similarly great recruiters that you will be competing against?” Clarke asked. “If you always care about the welfare of your Soldiers, your Soldiers will make sure you accomplish your mission.”Ĭlarke said the studying and preparations allowed him to ensure he’s current on all the latest guidance, which is essential given how much of his job includes relying on regularly guidance and processes.įor others hoping to compete at the state, regional or national level, Clarke said, for recruiters, they need to have something more than just numbers. Through preparation and studying, I was able to reflect and gain insight on how I can better apply the basics of being an NCO to my recruiters and Soldiers, which will in turn benefit my program,” Mapp explained. “I think that sometimes, as recruiters, it can be easy for us to lose a little bit of touch with some of the more refined skills of being a leader of Soldiers. Mapp said finding time to study was sometimes a challenge as he worked to balance the daily demands of being a recruiter for the Virginia Army National Guard, but that the preparations and the studying helped bring him back to basics. ![]() “I probably recited the NCO Creed thousands of times.” “I badgered my wife, kids and coworkers to quiz me on my knowledge,” Mapp said. ![]() Mapp, similarly, enlisted his family and peers to help him prepare. Clarke called on his leaders and Soldiers to ask him random questions, prepared note cards and read regulations and made time each day to study. To prepare, both Clarke and Mapp enlisted those around them. “The open conversation with the competitors gives us insight to the real NCO behind the spit and shine.” “We want to see confidence in your answers and elaboration on open-ended questions,” Johnson said. Recruiting knowledge is important and something the boarded Soldiers will be quizzed on, but the board members are also looking for recruiters with a width breadth of knowledge in U.S. “Their production numbers also play a factor in their total score, but it goes much deeper than that.” “Naturally we are looking for a well-manicured Soldier in a squared away uniform,” said Johnson. “Just being able to be there at the regional level representing Virginia recruiters was a huge honor for me,” Mapp said.Īt all levels, Johnson said what the board looks for in a winner is a well-rounded and successful Soldier. There, for the third time in the last 10 years, Virginia cinched wins for both the Director’s 54 and Expert 7, according to Johnson. Once named the best in Virginia, they traveled to Bethany Beach, Delaware, to compete against their regional peers from six neighboring states and Washington, D.C. “I went into the state level thinking that I didn’t have a chance to win because I was going up against some of the heaviest hitters in the state,” Mapp said. It also allows a chance for those recruiters, along with their leadership teams, to network, share best practices and bring helpful tips and tricks back home to their respective states.įor Mapp and Clarke, getting to the DSMAC started with a lot of hard work at home in Virginia, where the two first competed against their peers with an appearance board. The annual DSMAC, held this year in New Orleans, Louisiana, provides not just an opportunity to recognize the nation’s top recruiters, Johnson explained. “I feel this is a true testament to the caliber of leadership we have had in this battalion and will continue to have for the next decade.” Paul Johnson, senior enlisted leader for the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion. “There has been only one year in the last decade that Virginia didn’t have a Soldier competing for the national honors in either the Director’s 54 of Expert 7,” explained Sgt. Over the last decade, this level of excellence has become the standard for Virginia. took the second place section chief, or Expert 7, spot. Sydney Mapp took the second place top recruiter spot, called the Director’s 54, while Master Sgt. At the Director of the Army National Guard’s Strength Maintenance Conference, Virginia Army National Guard recruiters came in as runners up for both the top recruiter and top section chief in the nation.
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