Wes Young, instructor, Center for Army Leadership, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., provides an introduction to the Multi-Source Assessment and Feedback 360 program to Soldiers of 4th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, April 21, 2016. (Photo by 1st Lt. Logan Bolitho)
By 1st Lt. Logan Bolitho
4th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
The 4th Brigade Support Battalion is participating in a program designed to develop competent, confident and agile leaders through feedback from superiors, peers and subordinates.
The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Soldiers are using the Multi-Source Assessment and Feedback (MSAF) 360 program to enhance leadership throughout the battalion.
“The MSAF is an invaluable way for leaders to see how their leadership style is seen by others within the organization,” said Capt. John Moffat, plans officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th BSB, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “Using the feedback they receive, leaders can compare this to their own sense of leadership and make changes.”
The 4th BSB invited Neil Frey and Wes Young, facilitators from the Center for Army Leadership, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to speak to the battalion about the importance of the assessment.
“The MSAF Unit 360 is important for both the assessors and the leaders. The leaders gain valuable candid feedback they normally would not receive,” said Frey. “For the Soldiers, the MSAF Unit 360 is an important way for them to give anonymous candid feedback to their leadership and affect change in the organization.”
NCOs, warrant officers and officers will complete self-assessments and receive feedback from about 13 subordinates, peers and superiors.
“The survey gives me, the junior Soldier, an opinion and a voice on how the leadership runs the battalion. It puts more weight behind my words and opinions,” said Spc. Kevin E. Kemp, strength management specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th BSB.
The feedback will give leaders a 360-degree view of their leadership and impact on the “Packhorse” Battalion, based on the Army’s Leadership Requirements Model.
Self-awareness through feedback from multiple sources provides leaders with a look at their own leadership capabilities and gives them the means to compare their leadership to that of others.
“Self-awareness is the first key to being an effective leader and the MSAF Unit 360 is one of the best tools to give leaders a holistic view of their own leadership style,” said Lt. Col. Eric McCoy, 4th BSB commander.
Soldiers will complete the surveys in June and with the conclusion of the unit event, the battalion and each company will receive unit feedback reports. These reports will give each commander a comprehensive look at his organization’s current leadership level and recommendations of how it can improve.
The Center for Army Leadership will provide coaches to assist leaders with reviewing and interpreting their results. The coaches will provide an unbiased interpretation of the leaders’ feedback and guide them to create a self-initiated Individual Leadership Development Plan that will help leaders grow and improve their individual leadership styles.
“I hope the leaders of our organization will be motivated by this program to seek out ways to better themselves and reflect on the results of the MSAF Unit 360. These reflections will make them better leaders, which will make our organization more effective and increase our combat readiness,” said McCoy.