GEORGE AKST
Posted by Mariah Walters
How many times have you wanted to tell your boss how wrong he is? How many times have you had to bite your tongue for fear of losing your job?
For me, as senior civilian adviser to the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, it’s all in a day’s work.
I am in the position of not only being able to criticize my boss and knock down his ideas, but I’m encouraged to do so.
The more critical I am, the better I am doing my job.
Let me explain. The commanding general (CG) is responsible for developing and defending all Marine Corps requirements. And because requirements typically lead to budgetary demands, there is no shortage of critics.
My job as the “Red Team†is to play devil’s advocate. The CG comes up with arguments in favor of our requirements, and I do my best to knock them down.
Just as in the current wars, part of our job is the win the hearts and minds —not of the insurgents, but rather of our potential critics, from inside the Marine Corps to the Navy and Defense Department, to the congressmen and senators and their staffers.
To accomplish this, we must understand any potential weaknesses in our arguments in order to craft the strongest story to explain our rationale — even if this occasionally means modifying our positions.
The small role I play in this process helps to make most days “my best day†as a federal employee.
But remember, I am a trained professional. Don’t try this on your own as it could be dangerous to your career.
Akst is a senior analyst at Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Va.