Quote Originally Posted by Fuchs View Post
There is an additional problem; leaders are not necessarily trying to lead all the time (or so I think).

My personal experience is for example that I had rather leadership episodes in my life than a continuous quest for alpha male position. At times I didn't see a need for leadership, other times I preferred to opt-out of group dynamics or oppose existing leadership. And then there were episodes when the system cheated me so badly that I preferred to oppose it by making a fool of it; identifying and exploiting its holes. To lead a pack in a futile effort to oppose the system seemed pointless, and I didn't try it.

You might end up with false negatives even in great natural leader test regimes.
Yes strutting and posturing alpha males all over the show can be tedious for sure.

But here (and we should maybe not restrict ourselves to this) I am looking at the initial pre-course selection of officers which in some cases is made through a 'paper' examination and a single one on one interview to the Brits who seem to have the most time consuming total of six days (in two parts). So yes the people are on show for that period, an hour interview or six days in carefully staged and choreographed circumstances.

On top of a minimum education level (supported by an acceptable IQ level - or what they test for these days) and a physical condition (able to sustain and maintain the required fitness level and endurance ability) which can be established in a short few hours... IMHO the selection should focus upon selecting for leadership characteristics (at a level required by an officer) while filtering out those with character flaws (as far as possible).

We know that kids are pretty good at preparing for exams, interviews and the like these days (why there is even a book available to help you pass the AOSB). So during the selection one needs to introduce a little physical stress. (While I hasten to add that I am not current on what transpires during the modern AOSB) for example on completion of a run or at the end of an obstacle course the candidates are immediately subjected to a time limited mental test to ascertain whether they function under pressure and stress. Not too many can put on a show that can't be 'seen through' by attentive Board staff over a period of days.

The selection quality is largely based upon the Board composition and the ratio of Board members/DS to candidates. The Brits work as follows (and it would be interesting how other nations work):

The Selection Process

THE BOARD. Up to 40 candidates may be attending the Main Board at any one time. You will be divided into groups of eight, with men and women working together. It is important to remember that you are not competing against the other candidates. You are all being assessed against a common standard and your success is based entirely on your own performance. Equally, there is no single test by which you pass or fail – this is a series of assessments designed to give us an understanding of your officer potential. The officers assessing you will be interested in your approach to problems and challenges, and your attitude towards other members of the group – both as a team player and as a team leader.

Board Composition

The Board consists of the following members:

PRESIDENT. A Brigadier.
VICE PRESIDENT. A Colonel.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT. A Lieutenant Colonel.
GROUP LEADER. A Captain or Major.
EDUCATION ADVISER. A commissioned or retired Army Education Officer.