And thus is the first lesson delivered!

The E-4 Mafia doesn’t exactly “run things”, not really. Officers and NCOs set conditions, goals, and dole out rewards and punishments; they are in charge of a unit in an overall sense. But those entrenched Specialists know how things are run, what is actually expected, and what they can get away with at the cost of minimal effort, or getting young Privates to do it for them.

A good E-4 can not only make it look like work has been accomplished, but that the work was accomplished to a high standard. And the best E-4s make it look like these accomplishments are because of the outstanding leadership of their Sergeant, even if no outstanding leadership exists.

That way, a smart Sergeant who is quick on the uptake will immediately recognize that he or she has been handed a victory, and will back up everything the Specialist did. This insulates the Specialist from questions or criticism, at least to a degree.

Of course, if a Sergeant mistreats the Specialist, the Specialist can be in a position to deliver half-ass results or engage in “malicious compliance”, and then deflect with “I just did what my Sar’ent told me!” It can devolve into a game of strategic passive-aggression.

I have been wanting to do a series on the mysteries of the E-4 Mafia for a long time. Hopefully I do not reveal secrets to the point where I am placing myself in danger!