Two weeks ago we discussed Army Publications and Professional Reading.

In my Army experience I’ve run into several professional reading programs.  A couple were a list of books so long nobody in our formation would have the time to complete all the ‘assigned’ reading.  In one case our Squadron read an assigned book and then conducted a deep dive LPD session into the book and its contents.  It was clear during our LPD that many had read and digested the book, but others hadn’t. One of my former BCT commanders didn’t believe in reading lists, as he thought the idea of ‘forced reading’ turned people off to professional reading.

The Military Leader: You Don’t Have Time for Professional Reading… Try This

From the Green Notebook: Getting the Most of Professional Reading

Above are two posts from popular military blogs you can reference when considering the following questions.  You can answer one of these questions, propose your own questions, or add your own reflections about Professional Reading from our classroom discussion or the conversation as it develops in this topic.

-Several Cadets mentioned they do not have time or energy for professional reading during our classroom discussion. Is professional reading an essential element of self-development? Is a leader who reads constantly better than one who does not?

-Is the concept of ‘professional reading’ dated? In the developing world of smart phones and mobile technology should the idea of what professional reading evolve too? Are there digital alternatives to the ‘older concept’ of reading? For example resources on: YouTube, TED Talks, or other digital media.

-How can Cadets fit ‘professional reading’ into an already busy academic schedule? How to do you manage to get some professional reading done?

Finally, share a book or resource you’ve read recently (over the summer or this semester) and include a short description of it. You choice can be fiction or non-fiction, military or non-military related.

The Chief of Staff’s Reading List can be found here: GEN Milley’s Professional Reading List

<strong style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px;”>NOTE FOR NON-SYRACUSE ROTC CADET personnel: We welcome you feedback and input into our discussion. We decided to conduct our discussion here on the JO Forums to incorporate feedback from the active force and other ROTC cadets outside our program. You are welcome to respond to a question from above, respond to Cadet’s post, or post your own observations on the topic. We just ask you that keep your responses professional and remember you are interacting with current ROTC Cadets.