There’s a sliding scale on this.

Out of BOLC and as a junior LT, my gap was more in Army Systems (Supply, UTM, Bn Level Planning).  Most LPDS and mentors can and do target these gaps in our learning, probably because they are easier to train someone for. It is easier, in my opinion, to teach a Lieutenant how maintenance systems work. It is much harder in my opinion, to train a Lieutenant on how to task priorities and assume risk in time and resource constrained environments to make effective choices. More often than not as a Lieutenant, I felt the pressure to complete everything to 100% – a choice that is only sustainable for young 2LTs in BOLC who have the energy and the motivation to burn themselves out and then recover during PCS.

This sort of cycle is not feasible for leading any formation in our Army, where Soldiers and NCOs will spend upwards of 4+ years cycling through new Officers who will demand 110% and then we (officers) will PCS to our next duty station, job assignment, or school, while those enlisted Soldiers get to go “110%” again in repeated cycles. You have all seen how your Soldiers react to this mentality from new lieutenants.

As a Captain, time management and tasking priority continues to be a problem. Now we’re talking the art and the human domain of leadership that most institutional and home station education is lackluster on. The 1/3rd , 2/3rd rule died  a gruesome death once I stepped foot out of Fort Benning’s training grounds, eviscerated by every S-3 it had the misfortune of running into. LPD programs need to get away from “On the job training”, and focus more on the whole of being an officer (The art of leadership, profession of arms, ethics). We are failing our Soldiers in time management and prioritize how we want to fight.