The Journey After WOCS

Join Chief D our Warrant Officer Guide in Episode 4 of a Totally Warranted Podcast as she takes us on a journey from WOCS graduation to WOBC graduation and gives us advice on what to do after completing these two career milestones. 

This episode is packed with valuable insights and information in easily digestible chunks.

Links:

Emails: ChiefD@totallywarranted.com

Blog: I graduated WOCS now what: https://www.totallywarranted.com/blogs/a-totally-warranted-blog/ive-graduated-wocs-now-what

Blog: 10 Pieces of advice for the WOBC graduate:

https://www.totallywarranted.com/blogs/a-totally-warranted-blog/10-pieces-of-advice-for-the-wobc-graduate

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Transcript

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ATWP EP 4: The Journey after WOCS

Show Intro: 

Hi, I’m Chief D, and you’re listening to a Totally Warranted Podcast. A Podcast where we discuss all things Chief. From how to become one, to when to retire and everything in between. In this podcast we’ll discuss topics surrounding your board packet, attending school, life as a warrant officer and beyond. So grab your favorite beverage, and sit back as I take you on the journey of life as a Chief.

Hello, Hello, Hello, and Welcome to "A Totally Warranted Podcast," your go-to resource for valuable insights and advice on navigating the world of Army warrant officers. I'm your host, Chief D. 

If you aren’t following on Facebook and IG you’ve missed the affirmation of the week, but no worries I wanted to share it with you today. This week's affirmation is: This week I will reflect. This week I will reflect on the road traveled to get me to where I am today. I will determine the steps I needed to take and the paths I could have detoured over. Mostly, I will reflect on the lessons learned and the importance of them in my life so I may share them with those traveling the road behind me. 

Reflecting on this past week I have to share, this past week I had the opportunity to participate in an event that made me so proud to be an Army Warrant Officer. On Friday, I performed my second reenlistment ceremony as a Warrant Officer. As many of you know you can not perform an oath of enlistment until you are promoted to CW2. 

The first one that I participated in was last year, and it was for one of the Soldiers in my shop from my previous unit. This year, the ceremony was for a young Corporal that I worked with for the last year. At one point it was only him and I in our section and we built an amazing relationship. I’ve watched him grow and become empowered to sit in meetings that previously he thought only I could sit in. I’ve watched him brief Division Leadership, and become an invaluable asset to the Mission Control Team. To say I was honored to perform his ceremony would be an extreme understatement. 

Days and events like this where we get to celebrate the potential of the Soldiers coming up behind us are truly special to me. At the end of the ceremony I gave him something near and dear to me. It was one of my last copies of my WOC Class coin. I let him know that he had all the potential in the world to accomplish his dreams and that I’d be waiting for him to make the decision to cross over. Have you participated in a reenlistment ceremony as a Warrant Officer? If so, pop over to FB or IG and tell me how it felt for you.

Episode Begins

Let’s recap, In our last episode we discussed the journey to get to you WOCS. What it looks like after you’ve been selected until you report to 1st WOCC. If you haven’t listened to episodes 2 and 3 you’ll want to double back to those after this to get caught up.

In today's episode, we'll be discussing two informative blog posts from our blog that address the questions and uncertainties warrant officers face after completing the Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) and the Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC). Of all of the questions I’ve been asked about this journey, these are some of the topics I get asked about the most, so let’s dive right in.

Our first subject is what happens after I’ve successfully graduated from WOCS? Great question, let’s explore. So to provide you with the best options and not just my own opinions I sent out a survey a little while ago, so these are the top 5 things you should do once you finish WOCS. 

1. Number 5. Reach back to someone who is getting ready to go and give them some updated advice! The tea is always the best when fresh Chief! So make sure you are doubling back and giving someone coming up behind you some good advice to help them through. If you don’t know who to share it with, feel free to share it with me and I will post updated content of recent graduate stories.As a matter of fact, send me an email at the email address in the show notes and let me know you’d like to interview and I’ve got you!
2. Number 4. Enjoy the moment! You’ve accomplished something big. This isn’t just business as usual! Make sure you celebrate the win, no matter how small you think it is! You’ve overcome stress, anxiety, tears, fears and now it’s paid off. So make sure you sit in this moment and enjoy this win before strapping up your boots to do it again at WOBC.
3. Number 3. Maintain your physical readiness. I know in the last episode I told you to prepare for WOCS, get ready, and stay ready. Well we’re still in the stay ready phase here. Finishing this course should have you in some of the best shape of your life. Continue to improve! The training doesn’t stop at the dot. You’ll have an ACFT in the basic course also, so be ready.
4. Number 2. Regulation is key, study them well. Now that the candidate phase of training is over and you are officially a Warrant Officer you have magically transitioned into the subject matter expert of all things Army. Make sure you are knee deep in your regulations. My Basic Course instructor used to say, Study long, study wrong… You got selected because you have the potential to succeed. All you have to do now is prove to the board they got it right. The basic course isn’t designed to teach you everything you need to know about your job. It’s meant to certify your knowledge. You are already the expert, time to showcase it.
5. Number 1. This should sound familiar to you if you listened to Episode 3. The top thing you need to do once you graduate WOCS is REMAIN FLEXIBLE! Things change quickly and you don’t want to be stuck with one construct in your head while having to accomplish another. When my class graduated candidate school several of our classmates were stationed on fort Jackson (the location of the SSI and the 420A WOBC) They were pulled into an impromptu basic course due to covid and graduated a month before our original start date…. Stay flexible my friends!

Section 2
Now that WOCS is complete let's talk about the Warrant Officer Basic course. Now this course isn’t like WOCS, it’s going to be specific to your branch and Warrant Officer MOS. For me that means Fort Jackson at the SSI. The school itself is going to certify your knowledge base before they release you “into the wild”. The time frame of the course varies by MOS as well with some being as short as 6 weeks and others as long as 4 months (and our Aviators are even longer than that).

Once you graduate however you are the Chief. So here are 10 tips for the newly graduated Chief as found in my blog post “10 pieces of advice for the WOBC graduate”. I’ll have it linked in the show notes for you.

1. Number 10. Network, Network, Network…. I know I started talking to you about that in Episode 3. Make sure you are networking. It is truly one of the greatest Chief superpowers when you’ve harnessed the energy of net working properly. At this point there probably isn’t a problem I can’t solve with the right phone call. And just to show you how important this is I’ll let you in on a secret… Ok, bring it in close. Here at the Great Place we have a Warrant Officer Group Chat for the whole base with over 260 Warrant Officers in it and climbing… There has never been a problem which stayed a problem past 4 messages… We are our WOMIES keeper!
2. Number 9. Be present. Long gone are the days where Chiefs were summoned with a pot of coffee and disappeared while seemingly being in the office, because, I mean her hat is on the desk. Being seen in your unit, isn’t a stain on your Chief Credentials. It actually shows the soldiers what right looks like. Being present within my organization has ensured I’ve earned the trust and confidence of not only my Commander but my Soldiers. They know that even if Chief is physically gone for the moment, she always has their back.
3. Number 8. Let the NCOs be NCOs. Now, I’m not going to say “stay out of NCO businesS” because NCOs are our business. But I will say there are certain activities that were meant for an NCO to complete. Allow them the space, flexibility, and opportunity to grow in their positions. They are not who we used to be. Some of them need additional development, some of them are new and want to learn all they can, and some of them are our future replacements. You will never know who is who, if you dont allow them to do their jobs. Don’t step on their toes, but also don’t sit there and watch something you know is morally, ethically or legally wrong happen either. It’s a balance.
4. Number 7. Keep up that physical and mental shape! Everyone is so quick to try and figure out where Chief is for PT. Well in most cases, we do PT just not with you! If you know you know. But just like physical fitness you have to keep up your mental toughness. This job can feel lonely and isolating at times. You can feel overwhelmed and frustrated but that’s normal. As a quiet professional you have to ensure you are keeping your mind clear, and your resiliency up so you can remain the sounding board, and trusted advisor for your organization. There is nothing wrong with seeking help. Behavioral health isn’t a crutch, it’s helped me through some times and I encourage anyone who is feeling unlike themselves to go.
5. Number 6. Observe don’t bulldoze. When you first get to your unit, it’s time to check it out, take notes and figure out recommendations to make it a smoother organization. You don’t want to go in guns drawn shooting down everything you see on day one. It will make those around you hesitant to want to talk to you and make it harder for you to see what the true problems are or even better, what the true strengths of the organization are.
6. Number 5. Find your Senior Warrant NOW! Yes, right now! Go! This person is going to be a huge part of your life at this stage. They are a sounding board, mentor and listening ear. There may also be more than one depending on what kind of unit your in. Currently I respond to 3 Seniors. I have the Senior Tech in my MOS on the base which is a CW5. The Senior Tech in my MOS in my division a CW4, and my Senior tech in my brigade (not my MOS) but also a CW4. These three Warrant Officers are always there when I call, help me make tough decisions and provide me with a sounding board for my ideas. They are also in positions where they can assist me with reviewing my eval when its time, suggesting follow on positions etc. 
7. Number 4. Sometimes you have to invite yourself to the table where decisions impacting your position or your job in the organization are being made so you can provide assistance and information useful to those who have to make the final decisions. These seats aren’t always easy to find, and they aren’t always willing invites but if you allow yourself to receive back end news and are suck actioning someone else’s plan which you know could be better, or is wrong based on regulatory information you owe it to yourself and your organization to make your way to that table!
8. Number 3. The Commander’s priorities are your priorities. Know what they are and align yourself with them, So ensure you’re doing what you know to be correct, not just following blind. You are an advisor and technical expert for a reason. Act like it.
9. Number 2. You are the Expert. What does that mean exactly? That means as soon as you pinned you are looked at as an expert in your field. People rarely question  your guidance and you are known to have the answers. DO NOT LOSE THAT CREDIBILITY!!! The way you lose it is simple. Shoot from the hip instead of knowing or researching. The best thing you can do when asked a question your not prepared to answer is to let the person know you’ll get back to them with an answer. Then, do just that. Get back to them! Follow up in a timely manner and you will retain your status as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert.
10. Number 1. I won't beat this one into the ground because you’ve heard it before… That’s right. You’ve guessed it. Remain Flexible! remember your why, stick to your values and remember as a newly transitioned officer you swore an oath… But unlike in the Enlisted oath where you swear to obey the order of the officers appointed over you; in this oath, the Officer Oath you swore to uphold the duties and responsibilities of the POSITION in which you have been appointed. That means you are working to ensure you do the best at your job, not that you make the most friends or get the most credit for work. Simply that you do your job to the utmost of your abilities.

There you have it…. All the guidance you need for post WOCS to post WOBC in 25 minutes of less. If you found the insights from today's episode helpful, make sure to share "A Totally Warranted Podcast" with anyone who may benefit from it. Like and subscribe to the podcast to receive the latest updates and valuable content for warrant officers.

Closing:

Thank you for joining us on this episode of "A Totally Warranted Podcast." Next week on the podcast we will be discussing something a little different. Next week, we will discuss how to manage your mind and your time as a new Warrant Officer. Let me know what you thought of this episode. I’ve posted links in the show notes of all resources I mentioned like the blog posts. I look forward to chatting with you again next week and I’ll talk to you later. Stay motivated, keep pushing forward, and remember that your dedication as a warrant officer is totally warranted!

Outro: 

You’re listening to a totally warranted podcast. A podcast by chief for chief. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard, would you mind leaving a review. A review lets others know that this podcast is worth their time and will help them on their journey to embodying Chief. We’ll see you next time.

Links:

Emails: ChiefD@totallywarranted.com

Blog: I graduated WOCS now what: https://www.totallywarranted.com/blogs/a-totally-warranted-blog/ive-graduated-wocs-now-what

Blog: 10 Pieces of advice for the WOBC graduate:

https://www.totallywarranted.com/blogs/a-totally-warranted-blog/10-pieces-of-advice-for-the-wobc-graduate