Leader Development, Learning Agility, and the Army Profession

The current Army Profession campaign makes the case for a re-evaluation and assessment of the Army as a profession and the attributes of the Army Professional. Leadership entails the repetitive exercise of discretionary judgments, all highly moral in nature, and represents the core function of the Army Professional’s military art. Leader development is an investment required to maintain the Army as a profession. The profession is maintained by leaders who place a high priority on leader development and invest themselves and the resources of the profession to develop professionals and future leaders at all levels. This project outlines a model for leader development anchored in learning agility and the notion that learning agile leaders apply previous learning and embrace learning in new, novel, or ill-defined environments. Learning agile leaders are adaptable. These leaders see actions that are different from the norm and readjust in an appropriate manner. If mission command is the operating principle for the Army and given the context of today’s operational environment, then adaptable leaders are an absolute necessity. Leader development systems must enhance and maximize one’s motivation and ability to develop, and the overall Army culture must be supportive of such a process.