TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01Army must tailor initial entry training (IET). This challenge will only grow in the future if therecruiting pool dwindles.All leaders must understand, interpret, and communicate meaning to their followers toprovide purpose, commitment, motivation, and direction—whether to a few immediatesubordinates or to larger teams and units. Any diminishment of shared values of the incomingrecruits with their leadership only exacerbates the challenge of inculcating baseline beliefs.Self-awareness or self-reflection enables individuals to know themselves and betterunderstand others. Self-awareness is especially critical to leaders at all levels. Before leaderscan provide values-based leadership to subordinates or motivate and inspire others, they mustknow who they are, what their core values are, and understand their self-concept as a leader. Thecomplex contingencies the Army is likely to encounter in 2015-2024 will challenge a leader’sself-concept and severely strain his or her values, beliefs, and needs, especially in combat. 59 Theself-aware leader is also more resilient, possessing greater “hardiness” that both protects againstand recovers more quickly from the trauma and ill effects of combat stress. In the priorities andpolicies they establish, the advice and counsel they offer, and the example they provide, good,self aware, and hardy leaders assist subordinates in making sense of their own combatexperiences; building commitment and improving Soldier adjustment and performance understress. 60Ownership provides a measure of independenceto chart an independent course, seek out experiencesand activities that broaden one’s worldview, balancegoals with the expectations of society, andstrengthen one’s human spirit. Freedom of thoughtand action are essential to growth. For Soldiers thissearch for an independent path may appear to beincompatible with the demands of military servicewith its emphasis on discipline, teamwork, selflessservice, and professional standards of conduct.Individual growth results from the process ofaddressing the tension created between individualdesires and professional responsibilities. Being able to recognize certain boundaries withinwhich an individual can exercise judgment and independent action grows with experience andmaturity enabling Soldiers to practice and appreciate discipline both as individuals and asmembers of groups without stifling the initiative future concepts encourage.However, the young men and women who join the all volunteer Army in the future willundoubtedly ask themselves “…what’s in it for me? Why should I enter the Army? How willservice in the military lead to a meaningful life for me?” They may not yet be psychologicallyequipped to engage effectively in self-reflection or choose a path that is best for them. Leadersmust be prepared to assist Soldiers through mentoring, helping them to interpret theirexperiences, directing them to other resources that may assist their search for meaning alwaystaking care not to promote one path of spiritual development over another. This is especially58