Reinforcing Leadership in the AOBC Officer

Reinforcing Leadership In the AOBC Officer By Captain Mark E. Asbury and Captain Jesse White A new breed of lieutenants is reporting to take charge of platoons in your units. Last September, the Armor Officer Basic Course began placing greater emphasis on a new lieutenant's leadership devclop-ment. The Leadership Assessment Program (LAP) focuses on continuing the leadership development begun during precommissioning. LAP is the outgrowth of the Leadership Development Study.

General Carl E. Vuono, Chief o f Staff of the Army, comniissioned the study, and the Combined Arms Center, Fort Lcavenworth, conducted it.'

The Leadership Assessment Program measures 12 dimensions of leadership selected as a result of a joint conference between the Armor School's Leadership Department and the Center lor Army Lessons Learned (CALL).

These dimensions are the eight competencies -communication, planning, supervision, teaching and counseling, soldier-team-development, decision-making, management technology, and professional ethics - incorporated in the revised version of FM 22-10, n!ilitary Leadership, as well as four warrior charactcristics - initiative, innovation, boldness, and llcxibility. The National Training Ccntcr (NTC) is currently testing these dimensions. The Army goal is to push these dimensions to the field through thc examples of the Officer Basic Course graduates. The Armor School's goal is to confirm the officer's leadership style and provide him with the material to create a "Platoon Leader Plan."

LAP is an inter-departmental effort between the Armor School faculty and the Senior Class Advisor (SCA), aimed at providing increased assessment and feedback of the student officer as he conducts himself through the course activities. LAP is the key ingredient of a "Be-Know-Do" framework to ingrain these dimensions into his character. This framework focuses on instruction on attitudes and va!ues (Be); coaching, and counseling to help the officer know his leadership style (Know); and feedback assessment as the officer performs in student leadcrship positions, as a tank commander during gunnery, and in platoon leadership positions during tactical maneuver training (Do).

HE. During in-processing, the SCA presents an overview to all student officers on the Leadership Assessment Program, as well as their job book (Ai7iiur O@er n.iilirur?, Qrialificotioir Slamiards I/, STP 17-1211-MUS). The course introduces the Armor MOS II manual to show officers the tasks tausht by the Leadership Dcpartment. Throughout the course, the SCA reinforces the MUS Level I I tasks (sec Table 1). He also conducts OPDs, hands out leadership articles, and cn-courages students to read hooks listed in A Profcssioirnl Reading List For Facrrltv Ami Stirderrts, FSKM PH-40.

KNOW. The course challenges students to make self-assessmcnts or thcir leadership strengths and weaknesses, using the 12 dimensions of leadership. Officers transcribe their self-assessment goals and other course goals to an OER Support Form. The OER Support Form provides a foundation for building the AOB students' developmental objectives. We use it as a teaching tool to prepare them to effectively use it following graduation, and as a discussion structure for their counseling sessions.

Each officer receives three formal counseling sessions to review his development objectives (see Figure 1).

The three diffcrent counseling sessions mark the transition in the stu-ARMOR - May-June 7989 39

Table 1 MQS II Tasks That Can Be Reinforced By a SCA

Task Number

01-9001.00-0010 01-9001.00-0020

01-9OO1.00-0030

01-9001.006040 01 -9002.01 -001 0 01-9002.01-0020 01-9002.02-001 0 01-9002.02-0020 01 -9002.02-0030

01 -9O02.03-0010

01-9002.o4-O010 01-9002.05-0010 01-9002.06-0010

01 -9OO2.06-0030

01-9002.06-0040 0 1 - ~ 2 . 0 7 ~ 1 0 01-9002.07-0020 01 -9002.07-0030 01-9002.07-0040 01 -9oO2.07-0050 01-9003.006010 03-9601 . m

0 1 -9 1 9 1 .oO-o001 01 -9 1 9 1.00-0002

01-91 91 .OO-O003

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

~

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Demonstrate an understanding of the responsibility of membership in the profession of arms. Relate the influence of key Army values on soldier and leader behavior. Analyze ethical issues. Analyze the effect of institutional pressures on ethical conduct. Apply Army leadership doctrine in typical unit situations. Demonstrate an understanding of duties, responsibilities, and authority. Apply communicative process in dealing with superiors and subordinates Apply communicative techniques for listening to the commander's intent. Apply communicative techniques for speaking to be heard. Apply decision-making process. Apply the planning process. Apply the principles of supervision to implement an action, task, or mission. Apply motivation principles on subordinates. Demonstrate leader teaching and role modeling responsibilities and skills. Demonstrate effective counseling skills. Develop a plan for assuming a leadership position and taking charge. ' Analyze the supportive climate of a platoon-size unit Apply team-bulding factors that make cohesive units. Develop plans and evaluation procedures to determine unit cohesiveness. Apply procedures to reduce and control stress, fear, and panic. Implement the Army's Equal Opportunity Program. Prepare an Officer Evaluation Report (DA Form 67-8-1. Cousel personnel on job performance. Counsel personnel on personal problems. Counsel personnel on disciplinary matters. NOTE An "XI denotes primary method of reinforcing this task. dent officer's course curriculum from maintenance/supply to weapondgunnery to armor/cavalry tactics. The initial counseling session, during the first two weeks of training, functions primarily as a "get acquainted" session, to clarify course objects, review how to use an OER Support Form, and discuss the development of a "Platoon Leader Plan." The interim counseling session focuses on reviewing progress of goals made on the OER Support Form, discusses assessments madc by the SCA, and discus- ses the first peer assessment. The final counseling session, held prior to their 10 days of tactical training, finalizes the OER Support Form, reviews the gunnery department assessments and SCA assessments, and discusses the second peer assessment. DO. As mentioned above, each officer participates in two peer assess- ments. These assessments are valuable because they confirm the leadership assessments made by the SCA and inslructors. They also provide indications of team membcrship and teamwork. Conducted during the sixth week of training, the first peer itssessment proves to be excellent in helping the officer visualize his first impression upon arrival at his gaining unit. During the interim counseling session, the SCA discusses possible leadership techniques on "Taking Charge." After gunnery training, officers complete the second peer assessment. By this time, all officers have seen each other in a field and garrison environment. Besides being more detailed on leadership behavior, this assessment provides a good snapshot of crew compatibility and platoon cohesion. During the final counseling session, the SCA discusses the importance of teamwork, methods of motivation, concepts on modifying impressions, and strategies to reduce stress. ARMOR - May-June 7989

Throughout the basic course, students function in a variety of leadership and staff positions. The SCA and the instructors coach and assess each officer as he executes his leadership tasks. Following job completion, each officer receives a briefback. The goal is to increase job performance during the final IO-day field training, confirm each officer's Icadership style, and confirm his platoon leader plan.

The platoon leader plan is our mcthod of challenging the officer to organize his course material into an easy reference tool. It becomes his book or lessons learned while at the Armor Officer Basic Course.

Summary

Overall, the Leadership Assessment Program (LAP) ghcs ncw lieutenants an opportunity to estnb-lish thcir leadership, prepare to meet their platoons, and estahlish 1 MG Gordon R.

Sullivan, Leader thcir "Platoon Lcadcr Plan" lo aid DeveloDment Studv, Combined Arms them in success.