Ok, so I started this as a quick reply with some simple advice to a new LT on a seperate thread and it turned into a small essay. These are just some pointers I've come up with during my 12 years in the Army (3 years enlisted / 9 years commissioned). Hope something in these ramblings helps someone just starting out their career. Please feel free to add everything I missed.

One of the most important things for new officers to understand is that your rank doesn't make you better than anyone else. Some people don't want to be officers. Some people didn't have the opportunity to go to college. Some just haven't figured out what they want out of life or the military. Remember that pinning the gold bar doesn't put you above anyone else. You have a different role and responsibilities but we're all people just trying to get by.

Remember, a Soldier's decision to re-enlist or get out might be directly related to what type of leadership you gave them. We lose a lot of good people to leaders who don't see Joe as a human being.

Be a humble leader. Be grateful you've been given the opportunity to lead Soldiers. Their loved ones are out there somewhere believing their leadership will do everything they can to support them. That's what we signed up for when we volunteered to lead.

If you have siblings, nieces, or nephews, be the kind of leader you'd want them to have. Know your job, both in garrison and deployed. Go all out when you plan training, even if you're tired and there's ten other things you need to be working on. It's that tough and realistic training that might keep those young Soldiers alive in the next conflict. Watch some footage of the fighting over in Ukraine if you want an idea of the type of large scale combat they'll be up against.

Tie your NCOs into the planning process as much as possible. Do the initial planning as a starting point, ask for their input, and go from there. This helps develop shared understanding of the overall plan, irons out issues you may have missed, and establishes buy-in from your NCOs. It sets the tone that you're one team and everyone's input has value.

Do PT with the Soldiers. Do PT in your free time, too. Don't start skipping PT because you have paperwork to do. It's a slippery slope. No one respects a fat officer. I can't make it any simpler than that.

For peers, be the guy who helps everyone out. Earn the reputation of a team player. That's the person everyone wants to work with and repay when you come asking for help. Don't worry about blocks - literally everyone makes 1LT and CPT unless you screw up on a criminal level. Just focus on helping the team and the rest will follow.

For bosses, write down everything. Intent, guidance, instructions, feedback, etc. You won't remember everything. If they give an intent to focus on a specific area, look for ways to tie that into everything you do. That's what they expect and not everyone picks up on. If they give you one-on-one feedback, that's gold. Write it down and learn from it. Bosses hate giving feedback to a junior officer who doesn't have a notebook and just gives head nods and a bunch of "Roger, sir".

You'll hear it often but be sure to enjoy the early years of your career. Platoon leader is the closest you'll ever serve with junior Soldiers. As you progress, you'll work with fewer and fewer Soldiers until you find yourself on a staff job surrounded exclusively by angry majors. Enjoy your PL, XO, and command time. Also, I fully understand it's easy for me to say that now, with those positions behind me. They are good times, even if the day to day can get rough.

Again, hope a small piece of this helps someone at some point in their career. Feel free to add anything that might help a young leader.