GUIDELINES TO NRDC feb 24 2014

Introduction and TermsWelcomeWelcome to the world of the staff officer. It is an exciting job, filled withchallenges and opportunities. Most senior staff officers, senior executives, andcommanders were once staff officers.They fondly remember their experience as both rewarding in and of itself aswell as a stepping stone to advancement.Staff Officer : A Staff Officer (SO) is a staff member with subject-matter expertisewho takes actions on behalf of senior staff officers or commanders.Clarification: The term staff officer does not refer to a duty position; you won'tsee it on an organization chart. Regardless of official job title, if you've beentasked with working an action, you're the staff officer.ActionAn action in this situation refers to a task usually requiring coordination andthe tasking authority's approval in its final form. It could be a simple onetimetask taking five minutes with a pen, paper, or telephone, or it could be amajor project taking many months, producing extensive correspondence, andmay involve dozens of players.Working anactionWorking (or running with) an action means doing everything required tocomplete it, including all its supporting tasks.Examples of working (or running with) an action include:x Obtaining initial guidance from a decision makerx Developing a position on an issuex Visiting offices to get concurrences (“chops”) on your positionx Negotiating with people who oppose your positionx Making slides for a briefingx Briefing a proposal to obtain a decisionx Preparing a letter for the commander’s signaturex Representing your command at a major conference.SynonymsUnless otherwise noted, we use these terms synonymously:x Staff officerx Staff memberx SOx Staffer.NRDC GRC – Staff Handbookv