Three Components of Leader Development Essay Example

📌Category: Development, Leadership, Life
📌Words: 744
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 11 February 2022

This paper aims to identify the three components of leader development: institutional, operational, and individual domains. The institutional domain consists of Army education and training institutions that train Soldiers and leaders. Secondly, the operational force, consisting of units or organizations. Thirdly, the individual domain is the individual Soldier, who attends the institutions of the Army to attain the academic skills needed for a modern leader.

Institutional domains prepare Soldiers for the next step in their careers by providing professional academic training. One of the first professional academic schools enlisted Soldiers attend is the Basic Leader Course (BLC). Junior enlisted Soldiers attend BLC to prepare them for challenges that small unit leaders face. Drill and ceremony, physical readiness training, and written communication are the primary skills developed in BLC. Written communication is crucial in developing a modern leader whose responsibilities include counseling, evaluations, and email communication. Physical readiness training prepares a leader with the knowledge needed to maintain a physically fit fighting force. Drill and Ceremony teaches non-commissioned officers how to march Soldiers in an orderly manner contributing to pride and discipline within the junior ranks.

Furthermore, another example of an Army school designed to develop expertise in Soldier skills and leadership development is ranger school. Ranger school is one of the most challenging courses a Soldier can attend, emphasizing placing Soldiers in austere environments with little sleep and minimal sustenance. Ranger school provides demanding tasks designed to test resiliency, prioritization skills, problem-solving skills, judgment, and time management. As a result, Soldiers who have graduated from ranger school return to their units, having learned valuable lessons in leadership and Soldier skills; this directly increases unit readiness and lethality.

Moreover, the operational force, the second pillar of leader development, is where junior Soldiers attain technical and tactical proficiency at the unit and organizational level. Mid-level leaders gain valuable experience in leading units and organizations in the operational space. Senior leaders gain experience in advanced national and geo-political strategy. In effect, the operational force is where Soldiers spend most of their career developing, refining and implementing the skills and knowledge gained through institutional and unit-level training. For example, international war games provide invaluable experience for Army leaders at all levels. First, junior leaders gain valuable experience leading troops at the squad and team level. Mid-level leaders hone their skills at the company level. Senior leaders perfect their leadership skills at the strategic level, the division, and above.

Additionally, Soldiers refine their skills in the operational force while deployed to forward operating environments. In the forward operating environment, leaders test their ability to manage troops and accomplish the mission effectively; this is where the institutional training and attributes of the Soldier are measured. As President Roosevelt once said, “If there is not the war, you don’t get the great general; if there is not a great occasion, you don’t get a great statesman; if Lincoln had lived in a time of peace, no one would have known his name.” (Theodore Roosevelt, n.d.). In other words, deployments solidify the hard skills Soldier leaders learn throughout their careers and challenge the leader to adapt in an ever-changing environment, especially in the modern era. The skills leaders master from deployments are difficult to replace by institutional training alone, making these Soldiers highly sought after teachers and leaders in their units. Consequentially, deployments directly contribute to the operational level leader development and are crucial in maintaining a ready and able fighting force.

Lastly, there is the individual component of the Army leader development model. The individual level is each Soldier. Leadership begins with the intentional step of self-improvement. At the individual level, leaders must be aware of their strengths and weaknesses to target their weaknesses and build upon their strengths effectively. “Leading and preparing self is something that remains through the entire process no matter where one enters and exits the leadership continuum.” (Department of the Army, 2015). The leader must prepare themselves by growing as a Soldier and making the conscious decision to sharpen the skills a warrior leader must possess in a constantly evolving environment.

For example, self-discipline is one vital characteristic leaders must actively seek to maintain the Army’s standards. Self-discipline is a prerequisite a leader must possess to be successful at any level of Army training, whether that be institutional or operational. Self-discipline sets Soldier leaders apart from their peers by providing the foundation for Soldiers to perform at a high level consistently. Moreover, leaders must be motivated, motivation is the driving force behind action, and action sets a leader apart from a follower.

In summary, the three domains within leader development are institutional, operational, and individual levels. The culmination of these three domains is what develops Soldiers into well-rounded leaders; this is the intent of the Army Leader Development Program. Soldiers can form themselves into indispensable leaders fit for the modern warfare faced by the United States today by actively applying these three pillars of leader development.

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