Developing the Professional Army Officer: Implications for Organizational leaders

摘要

Army chief of Staff Eric K. Shinseki stated, "We are about leadership; it is our stock in trade, and it is what makes us different We take soldiers who enter the force and we grow them into leaders for the next generation of soldiers. We invest today in the Nation's leadership for tomorrow." Shinseki recognizes that developing leaders is the core competency of the U.S. Army. Leaders are the most significant element of combat power and are necessary to fight and win the Nation's wars. Developing and conducting effective leader development programs is a critical issue for organizational success in the new millennium. Research indicates that leadership can account for up to 45 percent of the variance in organizational performance outcomes. Some believe that leader development should be focused almost exclusively on developing of technical and tactical expertise―the ability of a leader to motivate subordinates to engage and destroy the enemy. However, leadership doctrine portrays effective leadership as being much more. Army doctrine identifies necessary interpersonal and conceptual skills as well as technical and tactical competencies. Today's effective Army officer must be warrior and peacemaker, thinker and doer. Leadership doctrine requires a focus not only on short-term results, but also on long-term requirements to improve the organization. The professional commissioned officer embraces four overlapping identities: warfighter, servant to the Nation, member of a profession, and leader of character.