The Command Sergeant Major of The Texas State Guard (State Defense Force), Harlan Thompson, regularly posts inspirational leadership columns on The Texas State Guard websites. His latest discusses The Joint Negotiables, which is a leadership document authored by Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Troy E. Black. It outlines eight core, uncompromising principles that are considered essential for all members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Here is a summary of the column:
The leadership column draws inspiration from SEAC Troy Black’s Joint Non-Negotiables, adapting them to the Texas State Guard’s unique mission. While originally intended for America’s warfighters, these principles—such as core values, discipline, professional development, physical and mental toughness, and mission-focused training—are just as relevant to the all-volunteer Texas State Guard. Heard emphasizes that internalizing values like loyalty, respect, and integrity is critical to building trust and cohesion. Discipline, readiness, and a commitment to standards ensure that the Guard remains capable of responding effectively to emergencies, disasters, and state missions.
The column also highlights the importance of tradition, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Texas State Guard honors its historical roots in the militia tradition, carrying forward a legacy of service and resilience. Leaders are called to lead by example, take responsibility, and mentor the next generation. While the Guard is not a warfighting force, it must maintain a high level of preparedness to fulfill its duties when called upon. Ultimately, the core message is clear: the same values and principles that guide the Joint Force also define the Texas State Guard—underscored by the enduring motto, Mission, Members, Me.
Here is the full column by Command Sergeant Major Frederick Heard:
From the desk of CSM Thompson
It’s time for another of my leadership rants. This rant comes to us via the Texas Military Department Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) CSM Frederick Heard. CSM Heard forwarded a document from Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Staff (SEAC) Troy Black, and it is titled “The Joint Negotiables.” I have read through the document and while it is geared toward our nation’s warfighters, it is also relevant to the Texas State Guard.
The SEAC starts out his document with a statement of “Who We Are,” then introduces his Joint Non-Negotiables and breaks them down. As is my custom, I will put the Texas State Guard spin on the SEAC’s points.
WHO WE ARE. The Texas State Guard is an organized militia under the Constitutions of the United States and Texas. It consists of patriotic Texans who give up their time to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of the great State of Texas. We have deployed for natural and manmade disasters, homeland security, and DSCA missions to name a few.
The SEAC introduces his 8 non-negotiables by stating, in part, that they “embody the unbreakable principles that govern our service, ensuring that we are always prepared to defend our homeland…” The Non-Negotiables are not guidelines, they are uncompromising Joint Non-Negotiables. The items discussed in this rant should be taken as Texas State Guard Non-Negotiables.
“1. Core Values as Our Foundation. Each branch of the Armed Forces has its own core values, but at their heart, they build toward a central theme: duty, honor, courage, and commitment to mission, country, and each other. These values are not slogans or talking points. They are the foundation of trust that binds us together as a fighting force.”
The Texas State Guard Core Values mirror the Army’s Core Values of LDRSHIP. Those values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. These values have been covered in previous Leadership Rants and MUST be adhered to. To paraphrase the SEAC, these Core Values are not things we can think about or memorize. These Core Values must be internalized and lived. As leaders, and everyone in the Texas State Guard is a leader, we need to ensure that every day, we keep the values of LDRSHIP foremost in our minds. The Core Values are what keep us going in the middle of a deployment, when we are tired, hungry, wet and there are still hours and hours to go. That is an example of selfless service. We could stay at home miles away from the impact area and watch things on the local news, but we don’t. We step up.
Every Service Member must show loyalty to the organization; our leadership and the Service Members to our left and right. If we want to accomplish the mission, our duty, not only is loyalty a requirement, but so is respect. A respect for those up and down the chain as well as laterally.
Finally, we need to be people of honor and integrity. We need to do the right thing, ALL the time. We need to ensure that our actions are morally, legally, and ethically right. The people of the state of Texas entrust members of the Texas State Guard with their property and their lives in time of need. For us to keep that trust, we must live those values.
“2. Discipline and Standards. Without discipline, we fail. Without standards, we fall apart. Personal discipline is the foundation of unit discipline. Before you can be held accountable, you must be countable- reliable in every task, every time.”
To develop that discipline, the first thing a person must be able to do is develop self-reliance. This means doing what needs to be done, even when you don’t feel like it. Following orders begins with self-discipline. The reason we do military drill and ceremonies is to develop instantaneous obedience to orders. When we are told to do something, if it is not immoral, illegal, or unethical, the self-disciplined person responds to the order. But discipline goes farther than obedience to orders. It is doing things right the first time. Self-reliance means doing what needs to be done, even when motivation fades. It’s what ensures weapons are maintained, orders are followed, and tactics are executed under pressure. Discipline is not just obedience; it’s pride in doing things the right way, without exception.
There is a reason for standards, and they are not arbitrary. There are reasons that military personnel do things a certain way. By setting and maintaining standards, we maintain the discipline needed to carry out the mission. Having the proper shave and haircut seems like a small thing, but they are not. There is an old saying, when we take care of the small things, the big things take care of themselves. That is the reason that there are standards and NCOs are responsible for ensuring those standards are known and then enforcing them.
“3. Professional Military Education and Lifelong Development. A warrior’s mind is just as important as their weapon. We must think, adapt, and outmatch our adversaries. The modern battlefield is complex, and success requires more than raw might. Every warfighter, regardless of rank or specialty, must be a student of war.”
While the Texas State Guard is not a warfighting organization, the concepts of Professional Military Education (PME) and Lifelong Development are important. Leaders need to understand the mission parameters, leadership skills and decision making. Leaders also must know how to interact with other human beings effectively. This is the reason for PME. Officers and NCOs lead differently. While the concepts and principles are the same, the application is different. This is because the duties of Officers and NCOs differ. Officers are more managers and deal with the “what and why.” NCOs deal with the “how.” Taking commander’s intent and turning it into action is far different than developing and distributing that intent. The PME training teaches personnel at each level their responsibilities and TTP to ensure mission accomplishment.
PME is not enough. Leaders are also lifelong learners. They take what they learn in PME, which is theory, and apply it. Not every technique we learn in class is going to work, it is through trial and error that a leader develops the right mix to be successful. Reading leadership books, listening, and watching podcasts, and getting mentorship from other leaders are all important to developing the necessary skills to become an effective leader. Be very wary of the leader that says they have learned all they need to know about leadership. These people are dangerous because they feel they know it all, and everyone knows that “know it all’s” don’t.
“4. Physicality and Mental Toughness. Wars are won by those who can endure hardship (resilience) and fight through pain (perseverance). Toughness-both physical and mental-is a requirement, not a suggestion.”
Again, while we are not a warfighting organization, there will be times when resilience and perseverance will be important. Whether it is BOT, PME, field training or a deployment, we will be faced with things that push us past our comfort level. Soreness, lack of sleep, environmental factors (heat or cold) can cause us to want to quit. Mental toughness will allow us to push the discomfort back and Charlie Mike (Continue the Mission).
Physical fitness is important as well. To do the jobs we do on deployment, there is an element of physicality involved. Each Service Member needs to be able to pull their weight. When one person falls out, it takes two to 3 others to care for them. Now there are 3 to 4 people not working towards the mission. A person not in shape becomes a liability to the team and mission accomplishment. Leaders must be able to lead from the front. That means being able to physically accomplish the task. When the troops see the leaders doing the job, it motivates them to do it as well. Stay in shape so you can develop the ability to push past your limits because one day, it may become necessary to do so.
“5. Training for Warfighting, Not Just Compliance. We do not train to check a box. We train to win. Every drill, exercise, and repetition must prepare us for combat.” We don’t train for warfighting; we train for the mission. Whether it is PODS, Shelter, ETN, Boats, Dive or SAR, we need to be able to perform when needed. Training should follow the Tasks, Conditions, Standards format. The Tasks must be performed under varying Conditions to a certain Standard. These Tasks, Conditions and Standards should start easily for new personnel, but then they should increase. Personnel should be able to perform their duties under various conditions faced on deployment.
We are part of a “joint” force. We work with our TMD partners (Texas Army and Air National Guard), the Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas Department of Public Safety, and multiple other state, county, and local entities. Because of this, we need to be able to show up, integrate into the team and accomplish the mission. The SEAC says “Training must be tough, realistic, and focused on lethality.” Our training must be tough, realistic, and focused on mission accomplishment. It should not stop when the box is checked. It should be difficult and demanding. When the training is over, everyone should feel a sense of accomplishment, not that they just “checked the box.”
“6. Tradition, History, and Warrior Identity. We do not serve in just another job. We are part of something greater: the Profession of Arms. The warriors who came before us set the standard.”
Tradition and history are important. As a State Defense Force, we are militia. We the descendants of the Minutemen of the American Revolution. As members of the Texas State Guard, our tradition and heritage go back to the Republic of Texas and even before. Like them, we are self-sufficient, tenacious and mission focused. While we may not secure the frontier for settlers as our predecessors did, we still protect the people of Texas.
We are not warriors, but the Texas State Guard Ethos are taken almost directly from the Warrior Ethos of the United States Army. Those four principles are: “I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave an injured comrade behind.” Mission accomplishment is always the goal. To achieve this goal, we must not accept defeat, even when it seems that everything is falling apart around us. We don’t quit. As the old saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And if one of our fellow Service Members falters, we will stay with them or pick them up and bring them with us. We ALWAYS return with the same number that we left with.
“7. Leadership is an Obligation, Not a Privilege. Leadership is not about rank-it is about responsibility. The best leaders set the standard, take care of their people, and develop the next generation of warriors. Leadership is about more than making decisions-it is about earning trust, setting the example, and never asking others to do what you are unwilling to do yourself. A leader who does not develop their people is failing their mission, their service, and their country. We lead by example, not by exception.”
Not much more needs to be added to what the SEAC wrote here. He makes the point, and he makes it clear. Leaders should take on the job willingly and be ready to accept the responsibility. If anyone gets promoted because they want to be able to order people around, they are WRONG. Those are the people who want to be a leader, until it’s time to do leader…stuff. Leaders take responsibility, accept responsibility and are accountable for everything that happens in their purview. There is no finger pointing, blaming, or deflecting. If a person in a leadership position cannot accept that, they should step down immediately.
“8. Lethality and Deterrence Through Strength. The best way to prevent war is to be so overwhelmingly prepared for it that no adversary dares to challenge us. Deterrence is built on credibility, and credibility is built on capability. We must be ready at all times-not just in times of crisis.”
Again, taking this out of the realm of the warfighter and putting it into what the Texas State Guard does, it’s Mission Accomplishment through Capability. We must be trained, equipped and ready to do what is necessary when called up. This means tough, realistic training, dedication to our mission and to each other.
The Non-Negotiables define the Joint Force, but they also define the Texas State Guard. These 8 points are what are expected of us as members of the organization and they are what will allow us to accomplish any mission that our Commander in Chief, the Governor of the state of Texas, sends us on. We must always be ready. Not being ready is NOT an option.
The SEAC’s publication was intended for the joint service warfighters of this nation. But it also applies to the Service Members of the Texas State Guard. This Leadership Rant was an attempt to bridge the gap between warfighters of the federal armed forces and the humanitarians of the Texas State Guard. While the missions may be different, the concepts and principles of mission accomplishment are similar.
This concludes my latest Leadership Rant. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I will end this Leadership Rant the way I end all of them, with the advice my father gave me. MISSION, MEMBERS, ME.
Source: Texas State Guard
