General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (GETTY IMAGES)
Military leaders need sabbaticals, too.
This is what General Martin Dempsey, the new Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, asserts in this article in The Washington Post revealing the General’s well-earned wisdom about leadership.
“Dempsey questions the wisdom of having military officers who have not worked outside the armed forces. Having a ‘menu of options’ for the most senior 40 percent of the armed forces to work outside the military, or even outside of government, would do more than broaden their development as leaders, Dempsey says. It would also help to reinvigorate the passion senior officers feel about their affiliation with the military.
He talks of his own years outside the Army—he spent two years at Duke and taught at West Point for five years—as an eye-opening time that helped to refuel his career. ‘I came back a clearer thinker, a better communicator. I came to the conclusion that this career was right for me because I had seen other possibilities; interacted with some of the best and brightest of America; and came to the conclusion that I thought that Army was right for me. I happen to believe that were we to [let officers leave on sabbatical and return to the military], we’d have young men and women in the second decade of their careers apply a different kind of passion to it.’
We agree that sabbaticals can reinvigorate your work force! Reboot Your Life offers exciting options for organizations looking to refresh the passions of employees, while improving their bottom line. Check out our For Organizations page!