Journal of Character and Leadership Development

The Thing: To Elevate Us All

2024-10-09T10:14:30-07:00

Could this be the thing? The thing that answers the call we hear within ourselves. The thing that re-ignites a passion for excellence. The thing that inspires positive action in individuals, teams, organizations, or communities. Dare I say, the thing that unites a nation? For this to happen, this thing must not just be appealing, but must feed a visceral hunger. It has to tap into something we all know in our bones is powerfully important, no matter what our journey or context. It must illuminate a path that young and old alike can follow, especially in the toughest moments. That’s a tall order. But there’s good news: This thing is something people want. The problem is, we’ve gotten disconnected from it. Until now.

Notes Afloat Aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle: A Premier Floating Leadership Laboratory

2024-09-09T11:21:41-07:00

Leader development at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for this former Army officer, truly is something special. After just 1 year on the job, I have fallen in love with the Academy, its mission, the Cadets, faculty, staff, coaches, crew of the Barque Eagle, and the United States Coast Guard. Let me share with you my observations of the amazing leadership experience afloat on the USCGC Eagle at this small but mighty federal service academy on the Thames River in New London, Connecticut.

The Leader Rating Gap: How Leaders Rate Their Subordinate Leaders

2024-09-12T14:01:26-07:00

This study investigates a paradox in leadership assessment, which we term the Leader Rating Gap (LRG). Through content analysis of interviews with 25 West Point cadets and tactical officers, we found that raters primarily cited influence behaviors when describing great leadership in general. However, when evaluating their own subordinate leaders’ job performance, raters emphasized individual performance behaviors over influence behaviors. These findings have implications for leadership development and assessment practices in military and civilian organizations, highlighting the need for organizations to align their leadership evaluation criteria with desired leadership behaviors and outcomes.

A Systematic Review of Leadership Curriculum at the U.S. Air Force Academy from 1955 to 1980

2024-07-11T09:04:56-07:00

“Growing strong leaders and resilient families” is one of four strategic priorities of the United States Air Force, as it postures to operate within the Great Power Competition Environment. Among leadership development milestones, pre-commissioning sources are foundational experiences for officers, of which the United States Air Force Academy remains a primary pillar. The purpose of this research was to determine how influential civilian advancements in leadership theory impacted the curriculum of the academy from 1955 to 1980, which was a period of rapid evolution of leadership theory from behavioral, through contingent and situational, to transactional and transformational leadership theories. With approval from the Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership, a systematic review was conducted of course material for core courses from 1955 to 1980, which included course syllabi, course descriptions, lesson plans, and required reading material. The Behavioral Science and Leadership curriculum at the Air Force Academy was very responsive to civilian advancements in leadership theory, often integrating emerging theories into the curriculum within 2 years after the publication of theory-defining works. The Air Force Academy has a history of an adaptable curriculum responsive to emerging research findings, which allowed the program to keep pace with leading civilian institutions. As we navigate a potential post-transformational leadership era, the Air Force Academy should continue to stay abreast of emerging research to maintain a proactive leadership development curriculum that supports the Air Force’s strategic priorities.

The Four Domains of Character

2024-11-08T03:33:24-08:00

The Evolution of Collegiate Honor Codes

2024-09-14T12:55:50-07:00

Collegiate honor codes have been around for over 200 years. During this time, their purpose and use have evolved from a means for students to defend their reputation, to weeding out unwanted students, to enforcing academic integrity. Today, character development has become a core focus of collegiate honor codes. Awareness of this evolution is critical to the successful implementation and administration of collegiate honor codes and our pursuit of character and leadership development.

Banking on the Right Sort of Character

2024-10-15T13:04:29-07:00

Distinguishing Types and Tiers of Self-Talk for Performance Enhancement

2024-10-09T10:17:52-07:00

Self-talk refers to the dynamic narrative that is continually occurring between one’s ears. It plays a role in prediction, interpretation, instruction, motivation, communication, and making sense of one’s experience. Tuning in to this narrative, and working to deliberately cultivate it, plays an important role in performance. Those interested in leadership and character development should work to understand their own self-talk and the language they use to lead, as it will influence the self-talk of those in their charge. The more understanding one has over these principles, the better equipped they will be to match their inner narrative to their performance aims. This article takes a thorough look at types and tiers of self-talk to support leaders in their meaningful work.