United States Army's Doctrine On The Three Elements Of Developmental Leadership

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the United States Army’s doctrine on the three elements of developmental leadership required to shape modern leaders who fight and win our nation’s wars. The three categories defined by the Army are Institutional training and education, operational assignments, and self-development. (AR 600-100, 5) All three of these guiding principles work in a constant cyclical motion. Each guiding principle builds upon the previous, and if executed properly, follows that leader throughout the length of their career. A Soldier acquires knowledge and ability, is thrust into a position where their knowledge is tested, and finally, refines and builds on that knowledge to become the most lethal and effective version of

This knowledge enables our leaders to carry out their assigned duties and entrusts them with the privilege of leading their subordinates. Leaders owe it to themselves, and their Soldiers, to become lifelong learners. They strive to embark on a journey to acquire knowledge as it applies to their field and take that interest and passion to their Soldiers. A leader’s quest for knowledge is not a task best achieved alone. Due to the complex nature of our evolving operational environment, working collaboratively with other leaders to share and sharpen skills only puts more tools in a leader's toolbox of skills. Italian Renaissance painter and architect Leonardo Da Vinci once said: “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing this. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” (Dennison, 4). It is one thing for a leader to have the knowledge and education to perform their assigned tasks, it is another to put that into practice. A core element of practice is repetition. Performing one’s assigned duties many times over leads to proper reinforcement of the skill. Assessment of how well those skills are applied is the next step in this