Leadership Lessons

This Leadership Lesson centers around a quote from General Fred Franks:

"The longest development process we have in the United States Army is development of a commander.

It takes less time to develop a tank - less time to develop an Apache helicopter - than it does to develop a commander.

It takes anywhere from twenty-two to twenty-five years before we entrust a division of soldiers to a commander...

[Leaders] must continue to grow and to learn and to study [their] profession, to learn by [their] own experience, to learn by study, school, reading and from others... It [requires] total professional involvement."

General Franks quote is a sobering reminder that to be effective, leadership development is a not a one time event but a continuing process that occurs over time.

It's just amazing that as sophisticated as today's tanks and Apache helicopters are, it takes much more time to develop and groom a leader before he or she is ready for battle.

Are you investing enough time in your own leadership development and those of the leaders around you?

Are you and your leaders battle-ready?