Grant Out of Uniform
Is a break in military service beneficial for leaders?
This past week was a light reading week in our program, and while there were only two chapters on the plate for our online discussion, the discourse was great! Chapters 16 and 17 cover Grant’s time away from the military and his return to the uniform as the Civil War breaks out. During this period of his life he dabbles in business, reconnects with his family, and gets involved in local politics. We asked the following question:
“Is there a connection between Grant’s break in service and his later success as an operational commander? Do you think a break in service, such as Grant had, would be valuable in developing leaders today?”
Many of the respondents attributed Grant’s break in service to his later successes in the military. Several of the premises put forth stated that his time out of uniform allowed him to reflect on his earlier career, thus transforming those experiences into knowledge which informed his judgment during the Civil War. A couple responses centered on his experiences in the civilian sector as beneficial to understanding the role civilians play in war. Additionally, because he had the opportunity to check out the grass on the other side of the fence, it further fueled his drive to live a life of service to this nation. Finally, taking a more practical look, his break in service put him into contact with influential civilian leaders who ensured he reentered the military at a rank that he may not have achieved if he stayed on active duty.
A few disagreed, stating that the connections between Grant’s break in service and his later successes were weak at best. One of the respondents believed that Grant’s character was responsible for his later successes, and his time away from the military was nothing more than two relatively short chapters in his life. Others seemed to think Grant was successful despite his time away, and that luck and timing placed him in a position to benefit from the break.
A considerable portion of this week’s discussion keyed in on the benefits and drawbacks of allowing officers and NCOs to leave the service for broadening experiences into today’s military. Below are some snapshots from that discussion:
“These outside experiences are, of course, tremendously valuable…I think you would be hard pressed to find more than a handful of CEOs at successful companies that started their careers there (unless they were — are — the founders)…I personally do not like business to military analogies, but this is not about “how we fight” or “acquisition reform”, this is about leadership development. And whether or not one wears a uniform, response mechanisms to outside experiences at least should be the same. It is high time to send officers to to the world (not just new geographies and commands).”
“… bringing the experiences and perspectives of a civilian business or organization could go along ways in providing new perspectives on Army policies and operations. Lastly, I think it is worth considering that there are some jobs which may prepare Army leaders better than the most realistic training the Army can provide — and not to mention save money. What if Army leaders had the option of going to work as a mayor’s aide for a year or two; or serve in a gang task force in Chicago? This story from 60 minutes is a good example of an Army leader that probably learned much more about counterinsurgency from his “civilian” job than formal training, and conversely was much better prepared for his “civilian” job as a result of military experience — a win-win.”
“While certain circumstances can make breaks in service useful in officer development, those circumstances must be carefully judged. In most cases these breaks will be either null or detrimental to development, so those considering them must be diligent in the analysis of each case.”
“Senior NCOs also seem to be at a distinct disadvantage here. Whereas we allow officers (in certain specific cases) to get graduate degrees through special programs or incentives, NCOs have no such option. How much better might our profession of arms be if our “professionals” had a chance to take a few years to get some education and experience outside of the military?”
And now for this week’s topic:
Week 5- Developing Operational and Strategic Leaders (Chapters 18-31)
This week’s reading begins with the outbreak of the Civil War, taking us through several important events, finally ending with start of the Vicksburg Campaign. Grant’s detailed accounts give us great insight into his leadership roles during major combat operations, and the dilemmas he faced in the planning and execution of these operations.
The operational and strategic levels of war require leaders to possess a different set of knowledge, skills, and abilities than those required at the tactical level. As a result, not all experiences are beneficial in developing these types of leaders. Select a key experience, either from Grant’s early career or from this week’s reading, and discuss why you believe it was influential in developing him as an operational and/or strategic leader.
