Introduction
Senior leaders and Sergeant Major have to develop the leadership skills of soldiers for organizational success. Human Resources Support (FM 1-0) and Army Training and Leader Development outline the best approach for developing future Army leaders. Furthermore, Army Training and Leader Development describe an organizational framework for developing the next generation of Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) based on three learning domains: Namely, self-development, operational, and institutional (United States Department of the Army, 2017). Senior leaders / Sergeant Major should also read the following publications: Theater-Level Human Resources Support (ATP) 1-0.2, Army Command Policy (AR) 600-20, and Legal Support to the Operational Army (FM) 1-04, and Soldier for Life – Transition Assistance Program (AR) 600-81. The above reading are useful when developing leadership programs in the Army. This paper will convey my strategy for developing future US Army leaders based on the above readings and my experiences from operational assignments.
Human Resources (HR) Support
The functions of HR support are described in Field Manual (FM) 1-0: Human Resources Support. It includes to provide HR services and personnel support, man the force, and to conduct HR planning and operations (United States Department of the Army, 2014). HR services consist of essential personnel services (EPS), postal operations, and causality operations. EPS refers to HR functions that affect the quality of life and status of soldiers and includes evaluation reports, transfers and discharges, and military pay and entitlements. Postal services involve receiving, and dispatching of mails, selling postage stamps, and mailing packages. Causality operations involve tracking of causalities at the unit level, provision of casualty assistance, and next of kin (NOK) notifications.
Personnel support includes army band operations, command interest programs, and morale, recreation, and welfare operations (United States Department of the Army, 2014). Welfare operations include sports programs and recreation support. These joint activities boost teamwork among soldiers. Command interest programs refer to programs that cater to the needs of soldiers such as army substance abuse program, sexual abuse prevention program, army scholarships program, and continuing education program. Army band operations focus on music that supports military operations. Over the years, music has been used to instill the will to fight and...
It involves assessing the current HR environment and forecasting HR requirements based on the progress of military operation (United States Army, 2014). The HR support also operates HR mission command nodes. These command nodes allow HR personnel to access HR databases.
Man the force functions are broadly classified into five categories: Namely, personnel accountability (PA), retention operations, strength reporting (SR), personnel readiness management (PRM), and personnel information management (PIM) (United States Department of the Army, 2014). PRM involves assessing the combat capabilities of the army as well as individual readiness. PA refers to the management of location and duty status of every person attached to a unit. SR...…of close combat. Military specialty training prepares Army personnel for specific assignments.
In general, I will explain to my unit members the importance of pursuing the above courses. For example, one cannot enroll for SSD if they have not completed IMT. These courses also form a basis for promotion. For example, a soldier is eligible for promotion to Master Sergeant (MSG) after successful completion of Master Leaders Course.
Fourth and lastly, I will enhance learning through coaching and mentoring. Mentoring focuses on developing the leadership skills of the mentee. On the other hand, coaching develops an individual capacity to motivate and inspire others more effectively. In my military experience, I have learned that a leader can determine the success of a team. Subordinate members tend to copy the behavior of their leaders. For example, if a leader is not committed to the success of a team, the team members will also not be committed. It means that a leader has to develop a sense of commitment among soldiers. Given this fact, a leader can effectively enhance leadership development through coaching and mentoring.
Conclusion
The army develops its future leaders which is critical for organizational success. As a senior leader in the US Army, I will set standards and requirements for leadership development, provide effective feedback, create professional development opportunities for soldiers, and promote leadership learning through coaching and mentoring. All these four strategies incorporate experience, education, and training which are vital when developing future Army…
