Adaptive Army Leaders For A Complex World: What Is The Way Forward?

2015-06-13T19:13:10-04:00

I am retired nowadays, but my heart is always with the United States Army and leadership? Need some insight Rallypoint on the following questions as I think about future leaders of the Army.

How can the Army prepare, train, and retain leaders, both uniformed and
civilian, with the necessary multifaceted experience to take on a broad range of missions and roles?

What is the best way to prepare such leaders to succeed in a world of change, complexity, and uncertainty?

Response by SSG Roger Ayscue made Jun 13 at 2015 7:52 PM

2015-06-13T19:52:17-04:00

They can start by:
** STOPPING the flood of experienced mid career leaders out the door so that they can reap the "Peace Dividend". One General can make up the annual salary of several Captains. Slow the up or out mentality of the Army.
**Promote ONLY ON MERIT
**Review assignments, Homesteading in a GO TO WAR unit is OK, but Homesteading at The Hoffman Building is NOT.
**Encourage education on ARMY Time. Classes at Ed Centers OR in Dayrooms...College Classes as a substitute for hanging out and drinking.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 13 at 2015 8:24 PM

2015-06-13T20:24:04-04:00

This is a tough question. We need leaders who can envision the close, intermediary, and the strategic landscape. They will need to understand what is important in order to guide units and staff. Leaders should be specialists and generalists who can drill down into core functions and be able to connect the dots. History should be studied and lessons from the past should be applied to the present if possible.
Between battles and wars leaders should conduct a thorough AAR. Germany conducted a through AAR of WWI. What was planned, what happened, and how to reduce the delta. From this Blitzkrieg was borne while the French kept remnants of WWI strategy by creating the Maginot-Line.

Response by CW5 Jim Steddum made Jun 13 at 2015 8:26 PM

2015-06-13T20:26:23-04:00

Focus on real education, including critical and creative thinking, communication skills, and other "soft" skills in addition to technical fields and collective training. Figure out and apply common understanding at all levels--empower juniors through a cycle of understand, visualize, and describe as well lead, direct, and assess (Mission Command).

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 13 at 2015 9:59 PM

2015-06-13T21:59:10-04:00

Stay current on the change. Don't be a leader that is not willing to evolve. The Army is converting the age of online everything. If you are a leader who is not competent in simple computer searches and are not willing to get on the bus, Soldiers will NOT follow your lead.
Another thing is leaders need to take the time to prepare self. I come across many leaders who depend on THEIR Soldiers to conduct training for their Squads, hold formations, and disseminate information.
If you ask me, I appreciate the old way of holding formations to put out information.

I JATE TEXTING INFORMATION!!!

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jun 14 at 2015 7:17 AM

2015-06-14T07:17:20-04:00

Leadership is 1 part formal education and 3 parts experience. The education piece has to stay current with the changing times to be relevant. The experience must be ongoing. If you become stale in either, you lose perspective.

Communication, one of the key ingredients of leadership, is 2-way and interpersonal. A Facebook post is not a message sent, received and understood. There is no substitution for counseling and personal face time as a leader to assess subordinates.

If not deployed, units need to be involved in realistic training exercises that stress leadership. Tried and tested, "old school" stuff like inspections, pre execution checks, RTFM and basic soldiering skills are still relevant to any training and need to be practiced.

Training needs to include "unplugging" getting away from technology for a spell. What happens if we lose power and our ability to "compute" Writing a letter and using a map and compass suddenly become needed skills. Being able to make a decision in the absence of communications with higher HQ becomes a critical skill. It used to be called, "Train as you fight."

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 1 at 2015 8:17 AM

2015-07-01T08:17:37-04:00

So I cringe when leaders say things like "I'm not a Luddite but I hate tech" or "I just don't get the social media thing". To me that is the statement of an un-adaptable leader who has no vision. I say this because our adversaries are embracing new technology and leaders need to understand the dynamics and implications of that technology.
I hate to say that we need younger leaders but that is definitely the case. I am not advocating for 30 year old generals but I believe that the staff officers need to be cut from the newer mold as they are the ones that advise the Commanders. In turn the Commanders need to use and trust their staff as no one is an expert in all fields.