BLUF: Highly recommended book if you are interested in understanding unit cohesion.
John Spencer does an incredible job of sharing his military experiences, both as a combat veteran and as a spouse of a combat veteran, while stressing the importance of building cohesive teams. The twelve chapters are quick reads which is a compliment to John’s writing style. Each chapter is retelling his military experience while focusing on unit cohesion. Personally, his combat stories reminded me of my own experiences that brought back some good and some painful memories. Good in being reminded of the men that I served with and our own cohesion. And yet painful at times because of the mistakes I made as a leader. Yet, John’s writing style allows you to connect to his story while he explains cohesion, both as task and social. Connected Soldiers is definitely a book for anyone desiring to build successful and winning teams.
I first heard about Connected Soldiers from the Modern War Institute (MWI) podcast on Why Cohesion Matters, dated September 8, 2022. Besides being a retired Infantry officer and prolific writer, John Spencer also serves as the Modern War Institute’s Chair of Urban Warfare Studies and is a guest speaker on many news outlets. I included a link to John’s website below, where you can learn more about his current work and find his published materials and interviews. John’s education and experience make him someone you want to learn from and I am grateful for the MWI podcast that introduced me to his work on cohesion.
During my military service, we often spoke about the importance of unit cohesion. We addressed unit cohesion, but I do not remember a lot on how unit cohesion was intentionally built and maintained. Besides serving as a Green Beret with the US Army Special Forces, I was also an Infantry soldier in my early years. Unit cohesion was always present in every company, platoon, and team, but cohesion was most powerfully experienced during my time on Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas (ODA) after 9/11. John’s work in Connected Soldiers taught the difference and importance of both task and social cohesion in a language that I connected with – combat experience. Truly, a very insightful book that helped explain what I was experiencing back in the day, despite not having the most accurate words to explain the cohesion-building process.
In John’s book, he explains that cohesion is both task and social. Something that our Armed Services understand and routinely engage in, even if our service members may not be fully aware of at the time. Let me explain. Our service members are experts in their occupational specialty, grade dependent of course. But experts nonetheless, as they are continually preparing for their wartime proficiency, both individually and as a team within a larger operating unit. In the Army, soldiers can earn expert badges to reflect their high level of basic soldiering proficiencies like physical fitness, marksmanship, navigation, weapons proficiency, medical, and other basic tasks. But within each occupational speciality, our service members are constantly learning to become very proficient at levels above their pay grade and thus reinforcing task cohesion. Something every business desires in having a fully trained, proficient, and professional team.
But social cohesion, in my opinion, is something unique within the ranks of our Armed Services. While our service members are trained to be the best in their occupational specialty, our Armed Services are also ready to deploy around the world with limited notification. And when units deploy, social cohesion is elevated to its most powerful experience as shared among those deployed. Especially when that deployment is for hazardous-duty conditions like combat. Those shared experiences in close living conditions, meals, sleep-work cycles, uniforms, and real-world performance create a life long bond unlike any other occupation. Our first responders are a close second only because they remain on US soil while their task and mission is also critical. In the book, Connected Soldiers, John Spencer draws out the uniqueness of social cohesion during deployments through his own experience of leading soldiers in combat. Something he expertly describes in his book, but in a way to help others with no military service experience understand so that they too can create environments that reinforce social cohesion.
Task and social cohesion are vital for successful teams and organizations. Merely observing our military, both past and present, is a testament to the importance of building and maintaining strong and cohesive units. I am grateful for John’s book, Connected Soldiers, as he explains the two aspects of unit cohesion, task and social, as I speak with veterans and young service men and women today.
DOL
You can find more from John Spencer, including his books, podcast, and social media sites, at https://www.johnspenceronline.com/