To assist soldiers aspiring to noncommissioned officer ranks, several senior NCO's who recently served on NCO promotion boards and junior noncommissioned officers who have recently competed for promotion collected their insight to offer the following tips.

The tips for promotion are organized by the leadership paradigm of BE-KNOW-DO:

BE

• Believe in yourself, your mission, your unit, and the United States Army
• Select a role model and follow his or her example
• Find the best in others and emulate their attributes
• Display physical and moral courage; take the initiative and make things happen
• Show commitment; take charge at every opportunity
• Be a coach, leader, mentor, and trainer
• Be honest and truthful; be a person of your word
• Be receptive to constructive criticism
• Maintain a positive mental attitude in every circumstance, but especially when conditions are at their worst
• Do what it takes to get the job done right, but do it in accordance with laws, regulations, and orders
• Approach every problem as a challenge to be overcome and as an opportunity to learn and grow
• Thrive on chaos; be flexible and agile and be ready and willing to adapt to change
• Be decisive; use your judgment and don't be afraid to make a decision

KNOW

• Earn the reputation as a subject matter expert on your job; know the nuances of your assigned responsibilities better than anyone else in your outfit
• Constantly improve your speaking and writing skills
• Become an expert instructor
• Learn how to motivate groups of soldiers to perform a mission; master team development skills
• Know your equipment, vehicle, and weapons; be an expert on operator level maintenance
• Learn and know the history of our Nation and of our Army
• Stay abreast of current events by reading the newspaper daily
• Take courses or read technical manuals to remain current on the status of Army technology

DO

• Join a professional association - join AUSA now
• Maintain your physical and mental health
• Always arrive early and leave late
• Maintain an impeccable appearance
• Listen, observe, learn, and always ask questions
• Seek a leadership position at the next higher level and do it well
• Volunteer for additional duties
• Pursue a rigorous personal physical training regimen
• Strive to max the Army Physical Fitness Test
• Develop and lead a vigorous training program for your organization
• Improve your marksmanship skills and scores (get your eyes checked annually) and assist your peers and subordinates in improving their marksmanship skills
• Reclassify into a shortage military occupation specialty, if appropriate
• Take CLEP and DANTES tests
• Take action to achieve a GT score of 110 or higher
• Build your military education portfolio by enrolling in correspondence courses
• Take college courses to get a degree; then continue to work on the next higher level degree
• Enhance your professional qualifications; earn the Expert Infantryman's or Medic's Badges or become a Master Fitness Trainer or Combat Lifesaver
• Strive for the tough jobs and do them well; volunteer for Ranger training/assignment, Airborne training/assignment, Drill Sergeant school/assignment, Recruiting course/assignment, or TO&E assignments