NCO Duties, Responsibilities and Authority

Question 1

What FM covers the duties, responsibilities and authorities of a NCO?

Answer 1

FM 7-22.7

Question 2

What is Responsibility?

Answer 2

Responsibility is being accountable for what you do or fail to do.

Question 3

What does Individual Responsibility make a soldier accountable for?

Answer 3

It makes them accountable for the personal conduct.

Question 4

What are the two most important responsibilities of a leader?

Answer 4

Mission accomplishment and the welfare of the soldiers.

Question 5

What does Command Responsibility make a soldier accountable for?

Answer 5

Command Responsibility makes a soldier responsible for the tasks he is assigned to do, as well as the tasks that his subordinates are assigned to do. (EX. A squad leader holds his team leaders responsible for ensuring their team members accomplish their tasks correctly.)

Question 6

Where would a soldier find a noncommissioned officer’s role in reference to the chain of command?

Answer 6

AR 600-20

Question 7

The authority of command that one individual exercises over others is acquired as a result of what?

Answer 7

Grade and assignment.

Question 8

What is a NCO’s principle duty and responsibility?

Answer 8

Training.

Question 9

Name some basic responsibilities of a NCO?

Answer 9

Maintaining discipline. Maintaining government property. Training soldiers. Ensuring the welfare of the soldiers. Executing the mission

Question 10

What is authority?

Answer 10

Authority is the legitimate power of a leader to direct those subordinates to him or to take action within the scope of his position.

Question 11

Every soldier has two responsibilities. What are they?

Answer 11

1. Individual responsibilities 2. Command responsibilities.

Question 12

What is power?

Answer 12

Power is the physical, mental or moral ability to have a positive control over the actions of others.

Question 13

What are the five types of power?

Answer 13

1. Legal 2. Reward 3. Coercive 4. Referent 5. Expert.

Question 14

What is legal power?

Answer 14

The power derived from law and regulation.

Question 15

What is reward power?

Answer 15

The power derived from the capacity of a leader to provide desired rewards to a soldier for good performance.

Question 16

What is coercive power?

Answer 16

The power which influences a person to perform or behave in a manner contrary to how that person desires to behave at the time.

Question 17

What is referent (charismatic) power?

Answer 17

The power derived from the leader’s personality and is effective as a means of influencing soldiers to the extent they respect and admire the leader.

Question 18

What is expert power?

Answer 18

The power derived from the leader’s accumulation of knowledge, skills and capabilities.

Question 19

How do you determine the amount of supervision needed to accomplish a task?

Answer 19

By considering your soldiers’ competence, motivation and commitment to perform the task.

Question 20

To insure your soldiers understand and are carrying out the task, you should do what?

Answer 20

Supervise the task.

Question 21

What is general military authority?

Answer 21

General military authority is authority extended to all soldiers to take action and act in the absence of a unit leader or other designated authority, whenever a member of any armed service, anywhere, commits an act involving a breach of good order or discipline.

Question 22

What are the four fundamental steps in supervising subordinates in the accomplishment of a task?

Answer 22

1. Assign the task 2. Set standards 3. Check progress 4. Determine if standards have been met (follow-up)

Question 23

What is supervision?

Answer 23

Keeping a grasp of the situation and ensuring that plans and policies are being followed; the art of checking without undue harassment.

Question 24

What are the three different types of duties?

Answer 24

1. Specified 2. Directed 3. Implied duties

Question 25

What is a specified duty?

Answer 25

Specified duties are those related to jobs and positions. Directives such as Army regulations, Department of the Army (DA) general orders, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), soldier's manuals, Army Training and Evaluation Program (ARTEP) publications and MOS job descriptions specify the duties. For example, AR 600-20 says that NCOs must ensure that their soldiers get proper individual training and maintain personal appearance and cleanliness.

Question 26

What is a directed duty?

Answer 26

Directed duties are not specified as part of a job position or MOS or other directive, usually given by a superior, vocally or in writing. Directed duties include being in charge of quarters (CQ) or serving as sergeant of the guard, staff duty officer, company training NCO and NBC NCO, where these duties are not found in the unit?s organization charts.

Question 27

What is an implied duty?

Answer 27

Implied duties improve the quality of the job and help keep the unit functioning at an optimum level. These duties may not be written but implied in the instructions. Implied duties often support specified duties, but in some cases they may not be related to the MOS job position. In most cases, these duties depend on individual initiative. They improve the work environment and motivate soldiers to perform because they want to, not because they have to. For example, while not specifically directed to do so, you hold in-ranks inspections daily to ensure your soldiers? appearance and equipment are up to standards.