Participative Leadership Commandants Department Training 15 July 2015

Participative Leadership Commandant’s Department Training 15 July 2015

Leadership • Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. (Dwight Eisenhower) • Leadership is the ability to establish standards and manage a creative climate where people are self-motivated toward the mastery of long term constructive goals, in a participatory environment of mutual respect, compatible with personal values. (Mike Vance) • Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. (Peter Drucker) • What is your definition?

Leadership • “Leadership is a process by which an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. ” – Peter Northouse

What Leadership Is Not • Coercion – Although coercion is one of the specific kinds of power available to a leader, it is distinct from leadership. – Coercion focuses on the leader’s interest in his own goals and is seldom interested in the wants and needs of subordinates. – Leadership, on the other hand, involves influencing a group toward a common goal.

What Leadership Is Not • Management – Leadership involves management and vice-versa, but they are different. – Management reduces chaos in organizations and makes them run more effectively and efficiently. – Management is about seeking order and stability; leadership is about seeking adaptive and constructive change.

Leadership Techniques • There is no one best leadership technique • Good leaders must have a command of several techniques and be able to match them to the particular needs of the situation • What are some leadership techniques?

Leadership Techniques • Principled… decisions informed by values • Servant… meets the subordinate’s legitimate needs • Transactional. . tit for tat exchanges • Transformational… helps followers reach full potential

Leadership Techniques Authoritative Participative Delegative Subordinate Low Ability Medium High Subordinate Low Willingness Medium High

Participative Leadership • “The corps runs the corps. ” • “The corps leads and commands the corps. ”

Participative Leadership Tools for TACs • • • Confirmation briefs Rehearsals In-progress Reviews After Action Reviews Close-ended systems

Confirmation Brief • The cadet receives a mission and does his own mission analysis. • He then reports to the TAC for a “commander’s dialogue” or “confirmation brief. ” • The cadet tells the TAC his restated mission, the tasks he considers necessary to train on in order to complete that mission, and any significant training or readiness issues such as time or resources available. • The purpose of the dialogue is for the cadet to gain guidance, gain support, and set expectations for developing his plan. – How to Train, page 7

Confirmation Brief Examples • After analyzing the most recent CPFT results, an athletic officer may have a dialogue with her TAC in which she identifies three cadets who are deficient or at-risk in push-ups and describes in general terms a push-up improvement plan to help them pass the next CPFT. • The company commander has a dialogue with his TAC about his plan to prepare for an upcoming SMI.

Rehearsals • Help leaders and subordinates understand the conduct of events and their responsibilities • Help the organization synchronize training with times, places, logistics, and training support.

Rehearsals • Commanders and other leaders also use rehearsals to: Ensure leaders and trainers understand training objectives. Identify shortcomings and deficiencies in the training plan. Instill confidence in the training plan. Suggest effective training techniques to subordinates. Identify and correct potential safety issues. Understand how trainers intend to evaluate the performance of individuals and organizations and whether they understand how to conduct effective after action reviews. – Assess trainer competencies to conduct the training. – – –

Rehearsals • Common types: – Talk-through – Walk-through – Full-dress • The leader determines the appropriate type of rehearsal based on several factors including time and space available, his unit’s readiness, and the complexity of the task. – How to Train, page 17

Rehearsal Example • There is an honor LTP scheduled in two weeks and the TAC conducts a rehearsal with the Honor Rep. – In a “talk-through, ” the Honor Rep would simply provide an overview of the class and how he’ll conduct it. – In a “walk-through, ” he’d flip through the slides on the TAC’s computer and make comments on each. – In a “full-scale, ” they’d go to the company classroom– perhaps even with a few cadets to role-play the audience– and the Honor rep would teach the entire class at full-combat speed.

In-progress Reviews • Allow the TAC to assess if the task is proceeding within her intent, or if she needs to intervene. • A typical IPR lists each event in the preparation sequence and its planned date of execution, who is responsible for it, and its current status. – How to Train, page 14

IPR Example Planned Date of Execution Event Individual Responsible Status (as of 8 Feb) 15 -17 Feb Conduct CPL Boards TAC Announced to company on 1 Feb 14 Feb Make copies of score sheets and deliver to TAC Admin Clerk Given WO on 5 Feb 13 Feb Finalize Board Composition 1 SG Gave WO to Jones, Smith, Harris, and Black on 8 Feb 7 -10 Feb Knobs sign up for time slots 1 SG 23 out of 34 have signed up on 8 Feb 3 Feb Brief 4 C on process 1 SG Completed 3 Feb

After Action Reviews • Serve as a guided analysis of an organization’s performance, conducted at appropriate times during and at the conclusion of a training event or operation with the objective of improving future performance • Provide opportunities for units to develop critical thinking in leaders • Include a facilitator, event participants, and other observers • Identify unit strengths to be sustained and weaknesses that need to improve – Apply those observations, insights, and lessons to future training and operations to improve not only task proficiency, but also the quality of the training event.

After Action Reviews • Are best conducted throughout a training exercise at appropriate times, rather than just at the end of the exercise, to allow cadets and their leaders to take immediate, in-stride corrective actions • Are not critiques – Are part of an open learning environment where facilitators, participants, and observers freely discuss successes and honest mistakes. • Are included in continuity books to foster continuous growth

After Action Reviews • Basic format: – What was supposed to happen? – What actually happened and why? – How do we sustain good performance and improve less than optimal performance? • How to Train, page 24 • Written AARs often follow the Issue, Discussion, Recommendation format – How to Train, page 25

Closed-loop Systems • A system in which some or all of its output is used as its input • Creates the feedback necessary to achieve desired results • On the other hand, open-loop systems are set up to achieve desired results, but there is no way of checking to see if that has actually happened Plan Assess Prep Execute - How to Train, page 4

Closed-loop Systems: MRI Cadets develop plan based on TAC guidance TAC issues guidance on how MRI will be conducted Cadets execute MRI according to plan Cadets give daily, weekly, and/or monthly report to TAC

Closed-loop Systems: Mentor Program Cadets develop plan based on TAC guidance TAC issues guidance on how mentor program will be conducted Cadets execute mentor program according to plan Cadets give monthly, semester, and annual report to TAC

Next • Break up into Cadets Leading and Commanding the Corps Best Practices Working Groups – – – Personnel Accountability MRI Physical Fitness Discipline Ad Hoc Taskers Regimental Staff Operations • Each group will determine a set of principles for how to put “cadets leading and commanding the corps” into action in the specific area assigned • Ten minute oral briefing followed up with an email to everyone