Professionalism 101

LazerLordz SG

What do you think of the level of professionalism in the SAF?Are we there yet or do we have a long way to go?Below is my opinion of how superiors could inhibit the solving of a recruit's problems with his superior.

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Sometimes, going through the chain of command is not very practical, if the person you are complaining about and your immediate superior are buddies.If your superior is not impartial enough, and your case is not heard and the situation worsens, what then is the recourse?Realistically, can a mere recruit ever know enough about the system to find himself some help?No.Even lao jiaos like us still have many queries about the SAF.

Impartialism and professionalism must form the priority of every man, spec and officer in the SAF if everyone is to b guaranteed fair and equal treatment.Treat others as you would like others to treat you.I really feel sorry for those NSFs who are bullied, abused by higher-ups and run into a brick wall when they go through the chain of command.If they take the brave step of writing a letter to their MP, they are co-opted and charged.What the hell is this?This is mere abuse and usage of a very loose definition of insubordination.If the complaints are heard and resolved promptly and fairly, these unfortunate events might have been avoided.

So, guys, please treat your men well, and keep an eye out for other troopers who are not under you as well.We are all soldiers and we wear the green, be it for 2 years or 20 years.But each is a human being with feelings, a life and emotional capabilities that differ amongst individuals.Surely it is not hard to be a real man and assist the ones in trouble and help the desperate?Let us all serve our time in peace and ensure we leave the army with a sane mind and healthy emotions

SibeiSuayKia SG

lol my relatives is rich,

if ever a guy abused me...

i guess the guy once he stepped outta the camp...

"God bless his family" <

is my last prayer for him

so i do not have any worries @ all...

And this is what i call True Professionalism.

Umm and i hope im not dropping any subtle hints *cough cough *

wuming78 SG

what is professionalism and what does professionalism mean to you? any stories to tell of professionalism or the lack of it?

i would like to bring up one example: the annual ranking of regulars. what would be the most professional way of doing this? what about stories (whether substantiated) of guys being poorly ranked, because of how they had inadvertently stepped on the toes of someone up there, because of some things which those up there did not like of him that were totally unrelated to work, or guys who were favourable ranked because of reasons unknown that were, again, unrelated to work?

and would you rate moral courage as being professional too?

LazerLordz SG

Professionalism is the concept of doing things to the best of each man's ability and being impartial in the process.It's useless if you claim to follow some set of rules, say ISO 14001, but steps are only taken to alleviate pollution in camps when the audit draws near.Instead of doing things for the sake of doing, each soldier should understand the big picture and understand that each action has a reason.It's not out of defiance that people refuse to do certian things,it's more often than not due to a lack of knowledge and a sense of ownership in that activity.IF they see the big picture and come to realise that it's in their best interest to do so,a whole new ball game will begin.

Empower and enlighten your men, so that they will be more willing to understand and work from a standpoint they once thought impossible or unbelievable.A professional soldier does things for the good of others, giving his best in his vocation, yet not risking danger or following stupid orders.The culture must change for the latter to happen.Commanders must ensure that they play a part by not misusing or abusing their authority with regards to their guys, because in a military context, there is little legal recourse for a man to refuse a direct order, no matter how stupid or denigrating it may be.Commanders have the moral and professional obligation to do their jobs well and without prejudice to any individual trooper save for cases where they require the undivided attention and assistance of their superior.

(I was thinking of something on the lines of KM :Knowledge Management, anyone here has any experience on implementing KM in their units?Care to share?)

SolidSnake SG

This post brings back memories. Back when I was still wet behind the ears as a puny corporal, I often had strong inclinations to challenge, question and improve the environment in which i held my stint. I too, was hot under the collar and believed that a fair competent and "professional"; organisation could materialise. I was ready to stand up my beliefs, coupled with notions of impartiality, to right blatant wrongs. Today, one can easily accuse me of being cynical or pessismistic.

Your definition of professionalism is one sided where applicable in a military context, although many moons back, I was ready to believe a more holistic package could exist in the SAF.

Firstly, we all know professionalism towards tangible goals are more than satisfactory to everyone as they are direct benchmarks of competency and egos. Ranks and salaries are intricately pegged to achieving such targets.

Now, the "conscience" of professionalism like you say, is what fails in the system and piques soldiers (ok, ex-soldiers) like me. Impartiality to me, is only a privilege granted to those lucky enough to receive it. The SAF is a large organistion with dozens and hundreds of tributaries. The hierachies further down the channels are still cumbersome. This disrupts the flow of information. Checking up on the integrity and conduct of every decision is near impossible. Even as a peacetime unit, time is scarce to hardworking (or pretending) commanders.

Cleansing the body of bad blood is near impossible too, as no staffing is permanent. Enlistees come and leave very often. Good values that were cultivated over the periods come and go like the seasons in this transit that we call National service.

1) Superiors getting exposed to likable and detestable behaviour over the long term.

2) Recruits in turn exposed to the cynicism and sadism.

3) They leave and new freshly shaved fodder take their transient positions.

Can there be a panacea for cancerous cells that strike without warning at any point of the body? And what more, for this continually changing landscape?

Professionalism in the army is only a distant ideal in reality. It is like a game of roulette deciding your win or loss. My advice is for recruits to enter and learn the rules of the jungle, apply them for survival, and to leave intact. Dispose all pre-concieved ideas of equity that we see in dramas or read during moral education classes and just play the game wisely.

wuming78 SG

i think the first thing that comes to us with regard to this topic would always be the person, and more often than not, the commander. alot of onus then falls on the commander.

professionalism is about our people. that means every single soldier in the organisation.

it can also be about groups of people who work together to form a cohesive unit.

being professional means being skilful, conforming to the standards of a profession, and elaborating from the latter, the definition can be vast in the military context. it further defines who we ought to be, how we ought to conduct ourselves and work, and what we should do. and all these should fall within the bigger organisational context.

so professionalism could really mean alot of things to different people. but in the end, there has to be a common understanding of what the profession calls for, and an agreement to abide these requirements, to contribute to the larger goals.

think all of us more or less have a vague idea of what professionalism is - there is an implicit common understanding, perhaps based on our common asian values and norms. what needs to more clearly defined then is the organisations' requirement for the profession.

wuming78 SG

why cant being "professional towards tangible goals" co-exist and even contribute to the "conscience of being professional"?

and from what you say, large organisations, especially those where people are constantly moving, are prone to suffer from a lack of professionalism, at least in culture and as a whole.

is there a need to check on the integrity and conduct of every decision? and again, the onus falls on commanders. there is even mention of "bad blood".

so the same disease would affect all other conscript militaries?

and does it mean our navy and airforce would be much more professional since they have a smaller number of conscripts?

i sense much injustice and grudge. perhaps taking a step back and looking at things more objectively would give you a different perception? and look out for positive examples of professionalism displayed by our army too - e.g. our response to the disaster. let's not be too eager to condemn the organisation because of short personal experience.

mdfjami SG

Honestly, I think the SAF only can be truly professional, if it was an all regular army. ORD mood and chao keng is very infectious mentality in the army. Not to say regulars are garang soldiers (as if), but if everybody was fighting for good ranking and promotion, I think effeciency, and professionalism would go up tremendously.

Of cos, it's quite impossible to have a army only consisting of regulars cos of many reasons, etc..

Singapore army also quite funny.. Ppl look down on No 4, where in other countries ppl wear their military uniform with pride (esp in China and Taiwan).. and somehow I get the impression the conscripts in North Asia (taiwan etc) are a lot more professional than the conscripts in Singapore.

It's hard to pinpoint exact reasons for the difference, yet I wonder whether it's possible that one day a soldier can actually walk down Orchard Road in No 4 with pride.. went to China, and almost every commercial area there are soldiers wearing uniforms walking around (and they don't use hp, smoke, hold gf hand etc), officers and NCOs alike..

wuming78 SG

i agree it's true that if we are an all-regular army, we would be MORE professional more easily. but that does not mean that we cannot be professional now.

not sure what made you conclude that singaporeans look down on guys in uniform, especially when almost all the guys here have to go through ns. looking down on them would be equivalent to looking down on your own sons, relatives, and friends! rather, it is just not common (and not encouraged) for us to go all over the place in uniform. our weather does not help either. the distinction between our civil and military is also very clear. as for culture and pride in uniform, certainly a all-regular force would have a stronger culture, and more pride in uniform, and definitely less disciplinary problems. this is inevitable.

SibeiSuayKia SG

SAF teaches military , military is all about fighting.

Military problems needs to be solved by fighting.

duh.

mdfjami SG

we have been brought up in a army culture where you learn things like "tuang", "chao keng", "take MC" and other stuff like that. While it prob started from only a few black sheep in the beginning, very fast it spread all through out the NSFs, and to a certain extent even the regulars.

With your fate tied to your BMT results, after that there's very little incentive to motivate troops to work harder. Best soldier and all that nonsense.. honestly isn't enough. If you pass out of BMT and get posted to some enlisted vocation, the only thing that you can really look forward to is ORD.

And honestly, doing the same thing, over and over again, really gets maddening after a while. Even me in my NS term look forward to OFFs and MCs, cos it's the only really good thing that I can work for.

This isn't some problem that I can say I know the answer to, but I do have some ideas on how to improve the SAF. already SAF is starting to do some reorganisation, by shifting the OCS term to after BSLC performance, and by cutting down the NS term. I do think that these initiatives are good ones, because by reducing the service term, it's easier to motivate the troops to do better.

What we need more is some opportunities for enlisted men to distinguish themselves and excel. Start some more badge markers (like the Expert Infantrymen Badge in the US), to make promotion based on performance rather than time based, and to allow excellent individuals to go for promotion courses for example.

Maybe stick everybody to PTEs, and only promote the capable to LCP and above, offering 3SG/OCT and a regular sign on to those motivated individuals. I doubt that those who sign on during BMT, or before that, are able to make an informed decision on what a regular's life is about. And if promotion is merit based, instead of time based, enlistees would undoubtedly treat the CB hole on their side with more pride. What's the diff btwn CPL and PTE anyway? Both do the same shit just diff pay!

To address the issue of professionalism, it is necessary to discuss the improvement morale of the enlistees. Enlisted men are the main body of the army, if you don't motivate them, why should they treat their uniform, or their service term with respect?

Ogbunwezeh SG

Clap clap! well said. I like ur last paragraph. Jiang chu wo men ah bin ke de xing shen!

Ogbunwezeh SG

Anyway i feel tat every unit should employ a personnel to listen to the problems face by the men esp NSF. Let say once a moth, this fella will come to the unit to hold an interview or QNA session with the men juz like BMT. In army, if u have problems, u raise up the problems to any army related ppl, u will have the tendency of kena tekan n revenge will be taken. Hence due to this lack of human right in SAF, this persoonel muz have the power to overcome those high ranking regulars in the unit.