Lifelong Learning: Army and Leadership Development

Introduction

The purpose of this essay is to show the importance of being a lifelong learner. Being a lifelong learner is a vital factor in the expansion and development of leaders. Lifelong learning is a genetic nature that is in your DNA since the time you are born. Lifelong learning is essential to survive as the world changes and progresses. Without lifelong learning, the world would not have come as far as it has. Failing to learn would lead to extinction. The ability to never stop learning, whether positive or negative, is how you grow. As a leader, we must continue developing and promoting lifelong learning. Army soldiers migrate to what they see, and as leaders, we must show what right looks like. Lifelong learning is the epitome of development. It is the driving force behind the Noncommissioned Officer Core (NCO).

Defining Lifelong Learning in the Army

Lifelong learning is a critical activity resulting in the progress or growth of leaders. It is a form of self-initiated education that focuses on personal development. The challenge for society is to implant the desire to make lifelong learning a pursuit for the individual. It is the individual's choice to pursue knowledge beyond their education and experience. The element of self-development shows leaders that continuing to learn helps widen their leadership skills. Leaders always develop themselves through their actions, either negative or positive, to improve on their abilities. Lifelong learning recognizes that not all of our education comes from a classroom. It enhances not only social inclusion and personal development, but also self-sustainability, as well as competitiveness and employability. Matter of psychological conditioning is what lifelong learning is all about. Without leaders' commitment to grow intellectually, the Army will fall short of its potential. Soldiers must-see effort from the leadership to continue growing.

Importance of Feedback for Lifelong Learning

The single most crucial element in the learning process is feedback. Feedback must support the learner's ability to test, predict, and challenge their understanding of things. As we tend to learn within the military, feedback facilitates leaders to learn from their decision for future planning. Feedback will increase awareness and permits for dysfunctional behaviors to become unfrozen, so new, and useful ones are developed. It is the premise for increasing self-awareness and empowering Soldiers with alternatives. Without feedback, learning is limited. Soldiers are blind to their behaviors and nonverbal communication. Feedback gives leaders the chance to learn from past mistakes and develop more knowledge in their profession. Input from other military personnel provides awareness of how their peers perceive a Soldier. It helps future planning become smoother and eliminate mistakes that could occur. As leaders, feedback is key to developing the Soldier's mindset. It shows that we care about them on a personal level.

The Army's primary efforts are to link lifelong learning by using the mechanics of data transference. The Army has demonstrated a need to develop leaders in personal responsibility for learning. Lifelong learning is a critical requirement for future development to occur. Knowledge is the result of experiences that build on one another. Comprehending complex information depends on a sequence of learning events. This suggests that the learning environment can be found in all backgrounds: duties, schooling, and self-educations. The more a leader learns, the more they realize they do not know, the more they will seek. It is a competition within a person to achieve better than they have before. Lifelong learning helps leaders become more aware of where they stand in life. The guide lets leaders know where the Soldiers stand as well. It will guide them in the right direction to develop their career paths as well.

Conclusion

To conclude this essay, lifelong learning is a vital factor in the expansion and development of leaders. Feedback is essential for the improvement of critical thinking. Learning to think faster and think of past action is what lifelong learning teaches. Demonstrating the need for education helps Soldiers and leadership develop a new and faster mindset. The knowledge and experience that we gain in our life stack up and leads to a higher level of education. Being aware of where your learning capability is and working on improving it makes better leaders. The Army definition for a successful leader is a person who never stops learning. Lifelong learning will help you develop into an effective leader as your career moves forward. As you grow and develop, you pass along your knowledge and skills to the next generation of Soldiers. You, as a leader, teach Soldiers that when you never stop learning, you improve the work effort of your team. Learning is something that never stops occur when you are in the field or your daily homes.

References

1. Lifelong Learning; www.skillsyouneed.com/learnllifelong-learning.html; 2011-2019