Leadership for Field Training Officers

Rationale:

Leadership for the FTO focuses on the ability to empower others and help them reach personal potential while working together to accomplish the organizational goals. This highly interactive workshop will help the field trainer understand their leadership influence, learn techniques to avoid/navigate personality conflicts, and communicate most effectively. It is the field trainer's job to know the trainee's communication styles as well as how to work with them under pressure without alienating them. This course, drawn from the principles in the “Developing Leaders” class, is created to develop excellence in the FTO so as to reduce their frustrations and maximize the trainee’s learning experience.

Overview:

This is a 32-hour course presented over four days and is not conducted in a traditional lecture mode. Student contribution of insights and opinions through discussion enhances learning as a group. Personal experiences, successes, and failures facilitate learning and combine academic theory with practical principles. The course is designed for FTO/PTO Coordinators, FTO/PTOs, and those desiring to become FTO/PTOs.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, the participant will:

1. Explain why field training is a continuation of learning and selection, and describe the FTO's role in developing judgment, regulation, decision-making, and professional identity. [Understand]
2. Apply the four-step Leader Thought Process to identify Areas of Interest, construct a logical chain of events, analyze and explain root causes, formulate leader actions, and assess results. [Apply]
3. Analyze trainee development using Situational Leadership by matching competence and commitment (D1-D4) with appropriate directive and supportive leader behaviors (S1-S4). [Analyze]
4. Analyze individual differences using attention, perception, cognition, personality, locus of control, Enneagram patterns, adult development, and generational considerations. [Analyze]
5. Evaluate socialization processes, agents, psychological contracts, and the goals of commitment, internalization, and innovation; apply the Seven Principles of FTO Leadership to create psychological safety with accountability. [Evaluate/Apply]
6. Analyze attributional judgments and motivation using attribution biases, expectancy, goal setting, equity, reinforcement, punishment, observational learning, and self-regulation. [Analyze]
7. Evaluate followership and partnering through critical thinking, active engagement, job initiative, relationship initiative, courageous communication, and leading up. [Evaluate]
8. Create and defend an FTO leader plan that integrates emotional intelligence, behavioral science, neuroscience, and organizational dynamics to address a complex field-training problem. [Create]

FTOL Course Materials

Instructors: Mike Alexander, James Reeves, Daniel Aguirre