In this episode, we go behind the scenes to see how the Army selects its senior commanders and shapes talent for the future.
Colonel Bob O’Brien is the Director of the US Army’s Command Assessment Program (CAP), which is the yearly selection crucible that Lieutenant Colonels, Colonels, and Sergeants Major must pass through to compete for command of the Army’s battalions and brigades. Colonel O’Brien is an Infantry officer who has deployed multiple times and commanded at the O5 and O6 levels. He is a founding member of CAP, as well as an International Coaching Federation Certified Executive Coach.
We talk about the whiteboard origin story of the program, the scienced-based evaluation methods it incorporates, and the program’s extensive effort to remove bias from the evaluators.
Colonel O’Brien also shares what leaders can do to prepare for their own assessment, so if you hope to attend CAP in the future, or if you are involved in any aspect of talent management for your team or company, then you definitely want to listen to the end.
You can connect with Bob O’Brien on LinkedIn, then follow the Army Command Assessment Program on LinkedIn and visit the website at talent.army.mil/cap/.
