Military Review English Edition March-April 2014 | Page 14

must balance the need to remediate weaknesses
with the desire to nurture subordinate strengths.
Examples provided by interviewees afford some
insight into how Army leaders might capitalize
on and improve the talents of subordinates while
simultaneously addressing areas of concern. For
example, one leader interviewed by ARI stated, “if
I’m not a confident person, . . . find something I’m
great at . . . and have me work on that [strength].
[This] builds confidence to work on things I’m
not good at.”28
Contributing to the difficulties encountered by
military leaders when identifying and developing
subordinates’ capabilities is the speed of Army
operations. While military leaders recognize
the importance of developing and mentoring
subordinate leaders, rapid deployment cycles
and high turnover of personnel leave counseling
and developing subordinates at the bottom of the
priority list. Many leaders interviewed by ARI
said they simply do not have the time to identify
a person’s strengths or weaknesses while in garrison.29 Unfortunately, once in theater, the speed

and complexity of operations often leave little
opportunity for formal developmental efforts.
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