The Holistic Health and Fitness system is a soldier-centered, people first program designed to optimize soldier lethality. It represents a cultural shift from the industrial-scale approach of physical and nonphysical readiness of the past to one of precision and unit customization.
As the U.S. Army’s approach to soldier and unit readiness, Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) focuses on every aspect of wellness. H2F-resourced brigades consist of a diverse team of approximately 25 professionals representing the mental, nutritional, physical, sleep and spiritual domains. H2F teams include active-duty soldiers, Department of the Army civilian employees and contract employees. The brigade H2F program is governed by the three principles of immersion, optimization and individualization.
The H2F system represents cultural change. Cultural change is hard. Trust is unquestionably required. Building trust in the H2F team and the H2F system is not the sole responsibility of H2F leaders, but is the responsibility of every individual on the H2F team.
As the Army embraces the H2F culture shift, how does this complex team build trust internally and externally among the leaders and soldiers it serves?
10 Strategies
Each H2F team member either can build or, just as easily, undermine the trust of leaders and soldiers in a brigade. To build trust, H2F team members first must trust their internal leadership while understanding their unique individual roles. The Army’s Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness suggests the following 10 strategies to build a culture of trust in a group:
1. Create a psychologically safe environment.
2. Recognize excellence.
3. Allow people to experience controlled challenges.
4. Encourage decision-making autonomy.
5. Increase communication.
6. Facilitate whole-person growth.
7. Build relationships gradually.
8. Show vulnerability.
9. Make decisions thoughtfully (based on what you believe is right).
10. Be consistent.
A “one team” leadership approach is essential, and these principles should be administered to all H2F team members. When leveraged effectively, equal empowerment of government civilians, contract and active-duty team members can build strong mutual trust in the team. This results in each teammate becoming empowered to affect cultural change.
H2F teammates must understand that they are present for one reason: soldiers. Everything they say and do must reflect that understanding. Each H2F teammate plays a unique role in optimizing soldier lethality and readiness. Their words and actions are constantly judged by leaders and soldiers as the team attempts to weave itself into the brigade culture.
Unique Mission
Building trust in a team is not a new concept in the Army. However, building trust in a team comprised of active-duty soldiers, government civilians and contractors embedded within an Army unit is a unique mission to the traditional Army. Leadership at every level sets the tone for H2F team members to become trusted agents within the unit.
Leaders’ empowerment and personal utilization of the H2F team as valued subject-matter experts are essential to H2F mission success. “In my 30 years of service, this is the best program the Army has developed,” said Col. Jessie Brewster, commander of the 42nd Military Police Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. “Commanders must make H2F a priority,” he said.
It is important for senior leaders in a unit to prioritize H2F training, understand what H2F services are available and enforce H2F usage to the lowest level. Leaders must lean in at all levels of leadership to influence cultural change. Leaders can start with the H2F governing principles of immersion, optimization and individualization to help create trust in their H2F team.
Full Immersion
H2F team members must be fully immersed within the unit while becoming embraced as part of the team. Immersion includes proximity to physical work locations, attendance at training events and representation at regular meetings at all levels of the organization (company, battalion and brigade).
While immersed within a brigade’s rhythm, H2F team members must listen first and speak second. While listening to command visions and philosophies, they can begin to understand the unit’s mission-essential tasks. As they understand tasks and challenges, they can begin to internally develop holistic intervention strategies that fit into command priorities.
Listening, understanding and processing before providing input help establish credibility. As the H2F team garners credibility, its cogent holistic recommendations are more likely to be welcomed and adopted.
Brigade immersion allows H2F teammates to demonstrate their true commitment to soldiers and the Army. Further, it allows teammates to demonstrate their professional competence. Once fully immersed, the H2F team can gradually integrate into the culture of the unit and establish clear systems of communication, encouraging an environment of psychological safety for soldiers and leaders alike.
The authors’ 42nd Military Police Brigade H2F team mindset is framed around a professional sports team-type construct. Injury control team members and strength and conditioning coaches are assigned to each company, and that company is their team. The injury control team member is the first point of contact for a musculoskeletal injury. The strength and conditioning coach is the trusted agent in helping develop comprehensive physical training programs. Together, they know each individual in the company. Relationships are built through consistent presence, and trust is fostered.
The injury control team member and strength and conditioning coach have monthly meetings with company commanders and first sergeants to review profiles, physical training adherence and upcoming training events. The H2F team also attends training events to understand the unit’s unique mission requirements, allowing the team to better support soldiers in the physical and nonphysical domains. Embracing this true immersion creates trust within the H2F team among leaders and individual soldiers.
Optimization Plan
Optimization involves deliberate planning and programming in all domains of H2F (mental, sleep, physical, nutritional and spiritual). Training must be purposeful and geared toward optimized readiness and lethality of the unit and its soldiers. H2F professionals build trust while demonstrating competence in the optimization of soldier performance.
H2F teammates must understand mission-essential optimization requirements of company, battalion and brigade command teams. For example, our H2F team is embedded with a military police brigade. Military police have a unique mission that includes shift work, working in a correctional facility, working with K-9s and detaining civilian and military subjects. The MP brigade’s unique physical and nonphysical mission demands provide H2F subject-matter experts with the opportunity to customize unit programs that make real and meaningful impacts.
Individualization
The Army represents a large team. As in many other teams, the strength of the team is predicated upon strong individuals who ultimately can build toward a common mission. Not all individuals can always be treated the same. Through the H2F construct, soldiers should be individually assessed in all five H2F domains.
With the assistance of the H2F team, the individual soldier is encouraged to reflect on opportunities to improve in each domain. The soldier then is provided individualized resources from each domain to allow improvement in each domain.
As soldiers appreciate that the H2F team genuinely is interested in helping them improve as an individual, and that the Army genuinely is investing in them, trust is built with the H2F team and with the Army at large. Stronger, faster, more resilient individuals make stronger, faster, more resilient teams.
Our 42nd Military Police Brigade H2F team approach to individualization is centered around an individual’s goals. Want to complete a marathon? We have a program for you. Want to compete in the Miss America Pageant? We have a mental strength coach to help you prepare. Want to ace your promotion boards? Come see our occupational therapist. Much like a professional football team, focus on each position strengthens the whole team.
Better Results
Results matter. Results are powerful convincers and can build trust with leaders and with individual soldiers. With any new program, there are individuals who adopt the new principles early or late.
At the brigade level, metrics must be collected over time. The metrics should be linked to the five domains of H2F and to the unit commander’s priorities. Over time, these results should be reported at brigade-level meetings. As the H2F team can positively affect certain metrics, trust will be built and momentum gained.
Soldiers should understand their personal metrics in the five domains of H2F. Through H2F onboarding, baselines are established and intervention strategies constructed. After a period of time, repeat assessments are performed to measure progress. As individual soldier metrics are improved, trust is built. H2F is proof to soldiers that the Army is putting people first.
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Col. Brian Hatler, U.S. Army Reserve retired, is the Holistic Health and Fitness program director, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He has two master’s degrees: one in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College, and one in physical therapy from Baylor University, Texas. He also holds a doctorate in physical therapy from Baylor University.
Lt. Col. Eliza Szymanek is the Holistic Health and Fitness program injury control director, 42nd Military Police Brigade. She holds two doctorates: one in physical therapy, and one in sports physical therapy, both from Baylor University.