LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENTS MODEL

IAW FM 6-22 LEADER DEVELOPMENT

Accurate, descriptive observations of leadership are important to assess performance and provide feedback that produce focused learning. Assessing an individual's performance into the categories of developmental need, meets standard, and strength informs the individual about what needs development or sustainment. It will also provide motivation to develop. The behavior indicators in this chapter provide some general performance measures for varying levels of proficiency for the leader attributes and core leader competencies. Understanding the behavior indicators and observation methods provides a strong base for providing feedback to subordinates.

IAW ADP 6-22 LEADERSHIP

The process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.

IAW ADP 6-22 TOXIC LEADERSHIP

Toxic leadership is a combination of self-centered attitudes, motivations, and behaviors that have adverse effects on subordinates, the organization, and mission performance.

LEADERSHIP STYLES

Transactional

• Transactional leadership, known as the "telling" style of leadership, focuses on structure, results, rewards, and penalties. Leaders provide subordinates with goals, establish project checks, provide performance reports and motivate them with rewards based on a recognized system. Transactional leadership works because it focuses on leadership, organization, and performance. Additionally, it is suitable for situations where the immediate reaction to orders is required and instructional scenarios where information flows from leaders to followers. It does not work with free thinkers who regularly exercise personal initiative because it limits their creativity.

Transformational

• Transformational leadership is leadership by example. This leadership style works well in a changing environment, where ideas flow freely, and subordinates are encouraged to provide solutions. It does not work in an ad hoc or initial development decision-making period where there is little to no structure to support the team. Thus, transformational leaders are usually technical experts in their fields, want to improve their environment and understand their subordinate’s roles. These leaders inspire their subordinates through rapport, inspiration, and empathy and work well in an environment where they can create change by working with their subordinates.

Note: Leadership must understand this and have a blended style to fit an ever changing environment.

IAW ADP 6-22 HOW LEADERS DEVELOP

Leadership—and increased proficiency in leadership—can be developed. Fundamentally, leadership develops when the individual desires to improve and invests effort, when his or her superior supports development, and when the organizational climate values learning. Learning to be a leader requires knowledge of leadership, experience using this knowledge and feedback. Formal systems such as evaluation reports, academic evaluation reports, and 360o assessments offer opportunities to learn—but the individual must embrace the opportunity and internalize the information. The fastest learning occurs when there are challenging and interesting opportunities to practice leadership with meaningful and honest feedback and multiple practice opportunities. These elements contribute to self-learning, developing others and setting a climate conducive to learning. Leader development involves recruiting, accessing, developing, assigning, promoting, broadening, and retaining the best leaders, while challenging them over time with greater responsibility, authority and accountability. Army leaders assume progressively broader responsibilities across direct, organizational and strategic levels of leadership. Military leadership is unique because the armed forces grow their own leaders from the lowest to highest levels. The Army entrusts leaders to develop professionally and be ready to accept greater responsibility when called upon.

IAW FM 6-22 PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Performance indicators are grouped according to the doctrinal leadership requirements model in categories of leader attributes (character, presence, and intellect) and leader competencies (lead, develop, and achieve). The performance indicators provide three levels of proficiency: a developmental need, the standard, and a strength. For developmental purposes, these three categories are sufficient and apply across cohorts. A developmental need is identified as a specific need for development when the observed individual does not demonstrate the leader competency. Strength indicators are associated with successful performance of a leader attribute or competency. Strengths include a consistent pattern of natural talents, knowledge gained through learning, and skills acquired through practice and experience. While comparing observations against the leader performance indicators, determine the level of proficiency of the observed leader:

• First review the behavior that appears in the center column of tables, this represents the standard for leader performance. A leader demonstrating quality leadership to standard will exhibit decisions and actions described in the center column.

• The column on the left describes performance indicating a developmental need (individual falls short of the standard).

• The column to the right describes performance indicating a strength (individual exceeds the standard).

Understanding the competencies and attributes in the Army leadership requirements model is essential to make careful and accurate observations of a subordinate’s performance and evaluation of potential. The core leader competencies include how Army leaders lead people; develop themselves, their subordinates, and organizations; and achieve the mission. The competencies are the most outwardly visible signs of a leader’s performance. Leader attributes are inward characteristics of the individual that shape the motivations for actions and bearing, and how thinking affects decisions and interactions with others.

ATTRIBUTES

The leader attributes are presented in three categories: character, presence, and intellect.

COMPETENCIES

The core leader competencies are presented in three categories: lead, develop, and achieve.