TSN: Use it to your advantage. Taking on the role of Artificer Sergeant Major (ASM) brings with it responsibilities you may have no experience in, exposure to or understanding of until assuming that appointment – a true trial by fire. This is where the Technical Support Network (TSN) or, as it is known by another term, ‘the RAEME mafia’ is vital. As an ASM, the TSN gives you a unique tool to use as an initial means to seek out advice from other serving ASMs from within brigade or wider.

An example might be you encounter an issue/problem early on in your tenure as ASM. It can be technical, administrative, personnel or something uniquely left of centre; but for you to solve. Through active engagement via the TSN it becomes apparent that your issue is not dissimilar to something which has occurred previously in another unit – note that the unit does not have to be in your Brigade location. The effective use of the TSN can greatly reduce time taken to try and solve the problem and avoids you becoming ‘siloed’, working in isolation.

Commander’s Intent: Understand it. As the ASM (ground trade) your mission is to ‘ensure maximum operational availability of equipment in order to enable the Land Force Commander, as part of a joint force, to win the land battle’. To do this you need to clearly recognise, understand and communicate the following both up and down the chain of command as early as possible in the planning cycle:

• What is the Land Force’s (unit’s) Mission Essential Equipment List (MEEL)?
• What is the unit's current maintenance liability?
• Does your workshop possess the necessary skillsets and expertise to address this liability?
• What are your direct supporting organisations?
• How will it be addressed?
• Can it be addressed in time?
• Impact on capability if unable to achieve in time available?
• What are your alternate COAs in place?
• What are the tactical considerations?

Once the necessary people are informed and you have subsequently received clear direction from the commander you need to then enable and support the various maintenance teams/elements to provide them the necessary freedom of action to achieve the desired outcome.

Technical Risk: Advice to the Executive Authority. Within a unit, the CO is typically the Executive Authority (EA). You as the ASM must be proactive in providing sound and accurate technical advice through to the EA when needed. Ultimately, the EAs decision may be valid in the circumstances, but contrary to the technical advice provided by you. In making a decision that goes against your technical advice, the EA is accountable for the consequences. It is up to you to ensure they fully understand that.

Relationships: At all levels. As an ASM you are mandated to build relationships not only with key unit personnel (QM, RQ, S3/S4/S7, TOCWO, RSM, SM, etc.) but also with the individual soldier in order to achieve your mission. To build and maintain these relationships you need to be a good communicator (oral and written) and be able to pitch your message to the right audience.

Never expect praise: But do it for others. As an ASM never expect a command team to provide praise post an activity, other than relevant feedback and cursory ‘good job’ given in the moment. Their focus should be on the next fight. As active members within an integrated combat-team construct, RAEME's reputation is one of ‘we’ll get it done’ and then deliver. The ASM should take time to seek out and individually acknowledge those members’ contributions which highlights that their work, however trivial it may seem to them, has not gone unnoticed. Recognition however insignificant can be key to morale and mindset for those closest to the coalface. As always the recognition needs to be timely and appropriate (formal or informal).

Leadership: At all levels. You assume a leadership role as part of your general duties as the ASM, but it is not just those in defined ‘leadership positions’ that are responsible for this action. Effective leadership is needed at all levels, but as the ASM it is up to you to demonstrate key leadership attributes which will set the conditions for other to emulate. As the ASM within a workshop it is you who communicates the mission and why it needs to be accomplished. Along with the Technical Support Commander, as a leadership team you need to empower and enable your people to achieve the mission, in particular when it involves technical issues. Often, the simplest COA comes from the least likely of sources. Leading requires you to remain flexible and adaptable to change, and when it does occur, be prepared for the change to be driven/championed from the ground up, as those who are typically closest to the problem have the answers.

Small unit training: Make time for it. In respect to a workshop environment this relates to both the technical and military, at the individual and collective level training. Time is always provided for combat arm elements to train for the fight – it’s self-explanatory. RAEME regularly deploys personnel to carry out repairs as far forward as operational and technical constraints permit. As the ASM it is a part of your mandate to ensure that all workshop personnel are current and competent in their base and specialist trade skillsets. But to do this effectively, training periods need to be allocated and enable members to apply their technical skills in a training environment. This then allows them to trial, improvise solutions (where necessary) to complex problems and, if required, permit them to fail safely in order to address potential weaknesses and deficiencies in individual and collective skillsets.

Concurrent to this is remaining competent in all-corps fighting skills including the employment of various weapon systems and individuals physical conditioning. Both these are key to completing tasks whilst fatigued and cognitively stressed, applicable when integrated into a combat element. As the ASM you need to find time to work that into the training program. If no time is allocated then it’s up to you to fight for it, for the consequences of not doing it will become self-evident if your people are ever required to deploy to something other than a training area.