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The Chief Of Staff Of The Army

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In 2013, the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Raymond Odierno stated the importance of leader development to the Army War College graduating class: “As history has shown, we have a poor track record in predicting the future, but history also teaches us we will be called upon again, and strategic uncertainty is no excuse for inaction. As we begin our transition following this time of twelve years of war, we must rededicate ourselves to the development of our leaders as our best hedge against complexity and uncertainty.” (GEN Odierno, 2013) General Odierno’s remarks highlight the renewed emphasis on Army leader development. The Army defines leader development as “a continuous and progressive process, spanning a leader’s entire career.” …show more content…

Why would they limit their exposure to only one ranking leader’s experience? One of the answers to those aforementioned questions is - the Army does not have a conduit in place that supports junior leaders seeking mentorship from an overabundance of experienced ranking leaders. The innovative solution for eradicating this issue is Mentoring Army Leaders – Digitally (MAL-D). The Army’s junior leaders desire the exposure to multiple experienced mentors. The Army currently has an existing information system to incorporate MAL-D into present Army communication operations. The combing of MAL-D into existing the information system will facilitate future enhancements of MAL-D. How MAL-D Works MAL-D is the innovation to provide the digital conduit for junior leaders to reap the benefits of mentorship from composite of diverse ranking leader experiences. MAL-D will consist of a web-based chat forum that enables digital discussion between junior leaders and ranking leaders within the Army. The chat discussion forums serve as a digital mentorship correspondence tool for junior leaders. MAL-D will be an anonymous mechanism for mentorship in order to promote candid discussion. MAL-D will show a user’s profile based on their professional experiences – i.e., “Current Position – Battalion Commander, Previous Positions - Company Commander for an Airborne Unit – Fort Bragg (2 years), Platoon Leader

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