Military Review English Edition March-April 2016 | Page 109

HIGH-PERFORMING UNIT

desired outcome.8 This is where the CCL’s expertise
was essential.
The CCL is a world-class leadership development organization. It facilitated achieving the vision
of our organization’s leadership (illustrated in the
image) through application of academia, intellect,
and other resources. Using established assessment
instruments—the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI), the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations
Orientation–Behavior (FIRO–B) tool, and the Change
Style Indicator (CSI)—the CCL provided empirical
analysis for each leader, focused along the three pillars
of growth.9 The comprehensive program not only put
the growth spotlight on the individual leaders and their
teams, but it also broke the CCL’s usual paradigm for
leadership training.
Typical CCL programs are offered to leaders at the
same experience and responsibility level. The 519th
flipped that around, putting second lieutenants in the
same training as company commanders and field grade
officers. This vertically aligned cohort was unique. The
varying levels of experience in the training created
friction, and the challenge was to get the entire group
to operate on one level while learning each other’s
strengths and weaknesses.
So what did the CCL provide that was unique? It
provided—
Immediate immersion of the leaders in a creative learning environment where risk is accepted and
rewarded
An environment to think and act “outside the
box” and “outside the military framework and culture”
A mix of classroom instruction, experiential
interaction, and practical application
Feedback through assessments and interaction
with others
Extensive time for networking, reflection, and
greater learning from others
Team building through exercises aimed at the
individual, team, and unit
The training occurred during multiple sessions
over the course of one year and coincided with predeployment stages developed by the unit. The leadership
training was synchronized with deployment preparation phasing:
Build the foundation (nine months prior to
deployment).

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MILITARY REVIEW  March-April 2016

(Image courtesy of Capt. Lindsay Roman, U.S. Army)

Vision statement of the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion.

• Employ the techniques (six months prior to
deployment).
• Reinforce the principles (three months prior to
10

deployment).

Build the Foundation
The 519th started its leadership journey with the
CCL in May 2012, eight months before its early 2013
deployment to Afghanistan. Over three days at the
Greensboro campus in North Carolina, attendees
focused on individual growth, team development, and
uni X