US Army Command and General Staff School, Advance Operations Course (AOC), Leadership Essay Exam.

Requirement: This exam is an individual assignment that assesses your understanding and application of concepts taught in the Art of Command lessons during AOC. It consists of seven questions based on enabling learning objectives and case studies of the leadership lessons. You will answer two questions for a total of two essay responses. Each essay will be no more than two pages in length (double-spaced, using 12-point Arial Font). The exam is worth 60% of your leadership module grade. Your instructor will assess your exam IAW the evaluation criteria below and the rubric at Appendix A. This rubric is also available on Blackboard in the L400 folder. Submit your exam through Blackboard after M413 on the date specified on the class schedule. Your instructor will reduce your final exam grade by ten points per day for late submissions.

Essay #1–M112: Developing Leadership Capacity Explain how commanders develop leadership capacity in an organization. Use at least two examples from any leadership lesson in AOC to illustrate your answer. Ensure you include the following elements in your answer.
Clearly and logically explain the assessment and integration phase of the leader development process. Clearly and logically explain the meaning-making phase in leader development. Illustrate with at least two examples from any AOC leadership lesson case study.

Essay #2–M311: Commander’s Visualization Explain the relationship between situational understanding, (SU) and commander’s visualization, (CV), as well as the challenges of building SU and developing CV in large-scale ground combat operations. Use at least two examples from the “MG Cota and the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest” case study to illustrate your answer. Ensure you include the following elements in your answer.

Clearly and logically explain the relationship between situational understanding and commander’s visualization. Must also include how judgment plays a role in achieving commander’s visualization. Clearly and logically explain the challenges of building and maintaining situational understanding and developing commander’s visualization in large scale ground combat operations. Illustrate with at least two examples from the “MG Cota and the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest” case study.

Essay #3 M312: Decision Making Explain how cognitive biases and experiences influence intuitive decision-making. Use at least two examples from the “Korea 1950” case study to illustrate your answer. Ensure you include the following elements in your answer.
Clearly and logically explain how cognitive biases affect decisions. Clearly and logically explain how the decision maker’s experiences influence their intuitive decision-making. Illustrate with at least two examples from “Korea 1950” case study.

Essay #4–M313: Risk and Adaptability Explain how commanders at the organizational level identify, manage, and mitigate risk and enable the organization to adapt to an ever-changing operational environment. Use two examples of the “Kasserine Pass” case study to support your response. Ensure you include the following elements in your answer.
Clearly and logically explain how commanders recognize risk and adapt to changing circumstances. Clearly and logically explain how the organizational climate influences collaboration, risk mitigation, and decision-making under changing conditions. Illustrate with at least two examples from the “Kasserine Pass”case study.

Essay #5–M411: Sustaining an Ethically Aligned Organization in War Explain how a commander sustains an ethical command climate in war. Use at least two examples from the “Fall of the Warrior King” case study to illustrate your answer. Ensure you include the following elements in your answer.
Clearly and logically explain how a commander sustains an ethical command climate in war. Clearly and logically explain the major factors that contribute to an unethical command climate. Illustrates with at least two example from the “Fall of the Warrior King” case study.

Essay #6–M412: Morally Courageous Followers Explain the relationship between power and the demonstration of moral courage by followers, and how commanders set the conditions for the demonstration of moral courage within an organization. Use at least two examples from the “Darker Shades of Blue” case study to support your answer. Ensure you include the following elements in your answer.

Clearly and logically explain how position power and personal power influence moral courage. Clearly and logically explain the commander’s role in setting conditions for the demonstration of moral courage. Illustrate with at least two examples from the “Darker Shades of Blue” case study.

Essay #7–M413: Organizational Teams Built on Trust Explain the role of trust in developing teams at the organizational level. Use at least two examples from the “Team of Teams” case study to support your answer. Ensure you include the following elements in your answer.

Clearly and logically explain the four drivers of adaptive teams. Clearly and logically explain how the four drivers apply at the organizational level to increase effectiveness. Illustrate with at least two examples from the “Team of Teams”case study.