Paul, great questions. I was in your shoes a couple of years ago and asked numerous leaders the same question. Here are my thoughts.

1)  Yes, broadening opportunities are seen as detours but some say not anymore. In my opinion, as deployments have decreased and new challenges arise (cyber, China, Russia, etc), the importance of broadening and education have never been more important. All this being said, I think broadening opportunities offer time for reflection and honing of all skills.

2)  Like Ray, I also decided to attend grad school. I think it has been a great experience and reinforced the importance of improving one’s writing, reading, and problem-solving skills.  It has also brought insight to the existing civilian-military gap as well as offered opportunities to bridge that gap.  Not to mention the time available to spend with family, attend conferences etc.

3)  I think humor is important because it reinforces the fact that we are all human. Humor, like other things, is about timing and context. One of the more interesting OPDs was when a colleague invited the improv team and we all did impromptu exercises. It reinforced how important listening and observing others was to effective communication.

I’d be happy to talk discuss grad school and the process of applying to broadening assignments.