Self Awareness: A Strategic Leader Competency

Discussion of transformation has consumed the Army recently. Transformation involves every member of the United States Army and it will take every person in the Army to contribute to reach the Objective Force. However, transformation is not about equipment; it is about the institution. The Army has developed a transformation campaign plan that will integrate evolving doctrine, new equipment and update training regimes. The Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) established a panel to look specifically at the how the Army trains leaders and what imperatives the leader would require in the future. The purpose of this paper is to discuss one of those imperatives: self-awareness as a strategic leader competency. In order to outline the importance of self-awareness as a strategic leader competency, understanding the environment and the challenges that might face the leader in the future is a prerequisite. This paper will define self-awareness; describe techniques to develop self-awareness, and describe potential pitfalls. This paper will conclude with some recommendations for developing greater self- awareness in strategic leaders.