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Using the Leadership Development Program ■ 3IntroductionBy now you should be completely versed in the ROTC Leadership DevelopmentProgram. Last year as an MS III, your cadre and perhaps your MS IVs evaluated yourleadership performance using blue cards. You conducted a self-evaluation using yellowcards. You probably know that the LDP’s focus shifts over time from basic life skills(interpersonal behavior, time management, physical fitness, etc.) in the early years to themore complex, professional-level skills the Army expects of a lieutenant. Figure 1.1 reflectsthe command model for administering the LDP. This chapter gives a year-by-year review ofthe program so you can better understand your role as an MS IV within the LDP model.Leader development is a continuous process of training, assessment, andfeedback, with the goal of instilling and enhancing desirable behavior in militaryleaders. Within Cadet Command, the process is modeled after principles spelled out inFM 6-22, and standardized on campus and for summer training. The LDP is designedfor personalized, individual development at all levels of proficiency throughout yourROTC experience, from program entry to commissioning. The LDP includes basicleadership training, periodic assessment, and counseling at both team and individuallevels by experienced mentors who observe, record, and provide feedback. Trends andcorrective actions are identified and followed with retraining and reassessment in acontinuous cycle. Effective leadership development is progressive, building on yourexperiences and lessons learned and making the most of your individual potential.LeadershipDevelopment ProgramCadet Command’sprocess of developingindividual Cadets’leadership abilities byproviding a continuouscycle of observedleadership opportunities,followed by assessment,feedback, counseling,and improvementTo be effective, leadersmust master manyinterpersonal,conceptual, technical,and tactical skills.In 2006 the Army commissioned a study to compare the ROTC LeadershipDevelopment Program with other junior leader development programs in “othersectors”: academia, business, government, and other military organizations. Thereport found that Army ROTC compared favorably against the following benchmarks:1. Action learning and hands-on experience. ROTC emphasizes and devotes more timeto action learning (versus lecture) than other organizations studied, except formaybe business and industry. Participants learn leadership best by being involved,taking ownership, and being accountable for their own leader development.2. Assessment and feedback. The ROTC Leadership Development Program providesthe structure for developing desired leader competencies, includingbehavioral descriptors of those target competencies. Assessment and feedbackby a variety of evaluators occurs more frequently in Army ROTC than in theleader development programs we examined in other sectors. The Army’s afteraction review (AAR) process is emulated and mirrored by some of theorganizations we examined.3. Leader developers all have had recent experience in the Army, the organization thatprogram graduates will enter. Primarily in the academic sectors, leader developersoften lack recent real-world operational experience. A positive aspect of the rateof turnover in the ROTC cadre is the continuous renewal of recent experience intothe program. The other military organizations share this strength with the Army.Business, industry, and government organizations have experienced supervisors inthe developmental assignment portion of their programs.
4 ■ SECTION 14. ROTC provides its students with leadership opportunities and experiences within thestructure of the ROTC curriculum, whereas most of the other sector leaderdevelopment programs reviewed cannot always provide experiences withintheir curriculum. A number of Cadets, but not all, do have the opportunity tolead in the actual Army environment through the Cadet Troop LeadershipTraining program. Unfortunately, these opportunities are diminishing due tothe current operational tempo of the Army.5. Leadership Development and Assessment Course provides a simulated environment toassess leader behaviors; it is unlike anything found in other sectors of our study.While business and industry and government organizations often assessparticipants in their developmental assignments, the degree of assessment,feedback, and reflection does not compare with the Advance Camp experience.The other military Services provide similar experiences for their participants.developmentalcounselinga shared effort (betweenleaders and subordinates)in which leaders assistsubordinates inidentifying strengths andweaknesses and creatingplans of action to correctdeficiencies and improveperformance6. The standardized ROTC curriculum provides a uniform educational strategy thatstill addresses individual learning styles. The standardized curriculum gives bothexperienced and inexperienced instructors the guidance to teach course contentand provide experiences—guidance that is consistent across 272 institutions.Your LDP ExperienceMSL I and MSL II YearsIn these first two years, the professor of military science (PMS) ensures that you receivedevelopmental counseling once a semester from either a member of the battalion staff (inmost cases your MSL instructor), or an upperclass Cadet assigned to mentor you (such asa Cadet platoon leader). The PMS may adjust this scheme to fit school circumstances, cadremanning, and the size of the Cadet battalion. If an upperclassman conducts developmentalcounseling, a member of the battalion cadre will review the counseling to ensure the methodand content is in accordance with FM 6-22, Appendix B, and recorded on DA Form 4856,Developmental Counseling Form.Figure 1.1LDP Model
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