Corporate heads rarely have time to ponder whether excellent leaders are born or bred, but on one point most agree: The success of their organizations depends on solid leadership. Despite this fundamental fact, few corporations offer practical leadership training to their rising professionals, oftentimes leaving a gap when a firm’s seasoned top-level managers retire and no one has been groomed to take their places.

AFCEA International aims to help fill this gap by providing up-and-coming mid-level corporate employees from several large companies the opportunity to learn from some of the best and brightest military and business minds. Currently in the pilot phase, the AFCEA Leadership Forum is helping two dozen individuals hand-picked by their employers to cultivate their leadership skills. During six sessions—two hours once a month—24 students hear how successful leaders made tough decisions, overcame adversity and “trusted their gut” as they rose in the corporate or military ranks. The presentations are followed by a question-and-answer period and a reception so participants can bring up topics of interest and network with each other.

The Leadership Forum pilot program began in September with a presentation by Vice Adm. Herb Browne, USN (Ret.), former president and chief executive officer, AFCEA International. In October, students learned from Dr. Ralph Shrader, chairman and chief executive officer, Booz Allen Hamilton Incorporated. Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege Jr., USAF (Ret.), former commander of the Defense Information Systems Agency and currently the chairman of Center for Network Innovation at Deloitte & Touche LLC, shared his thoughts about the traits of good leaders in the November session. And this month, students heard from Dr. J.P. London, chairman of the board, CACI International Incorporated.

The course's featured speakers are free to design their own presentations and share the information they believe is most appropriate. To ensure an open discussion, participants are asked to keep session content confidential.

Participant Dottie Simeona, principal, Booz Allen Hamilton Incorporated, relates that the forum is an invaluable opportunity to hear insights that young professionals would not otherwise be privy to. “We’re hearing first hand about leadership challenges from people who could write the book on challenges. They share the failures they’ve experienced and what they learned from them,” Simeona says.

Simeona has been particularly impressed by the differences in style, from the military perspective that Adm. Browne offered to the corporate view that Dr. Shrader shared. “We’ve also found out that there are different leadership styles and no one answer,” Simeona notes. If all of the presenters were alike, the forum would not offer as much value, she emphasizes.

The 21-year veteran of Booz Allen Hamilton already has put some of what she has learned into action. As Simeona’s company makes organizational changes, she refers to her notes to see if she and her firm are following some of the advice offered by the leadership experts. “The forums are like getting six leadership books in six months that you don’t have to read,” she notes. “The instructors have encouraged the group to listen to their gut, form networks and use them, and lean on good people,” she adds.

Leadership Forum speakers also are learning from the program. Gen. Raduege shares that being asked to relate his thoughts about leadership prompted him to think about the topic, take a look back, consider what he has learned and put it into perspective. He chose to share his own background with the participants and described how hard he had to work to get where he is today. “By working hard and shooting for the stars, you can achieve something in life. I encouraged them to work hard and not sell themselves short,” Gen. Raduege relates.

The general used an animal analogy to illustrate what he believes are the qualities of a good leader. Some situations call for “leading like a lion” by being assertive with decisions and actions. Other circumstances require a good leader to be a fox, listening and analyzing quietly. At other times, the good leader is more of a St. Bernard, following and supporting the staff. The best candidates for becoming leaders are those who can conduct themselves in the way that is most appropriate and productive for the situation; not everyone can do this, he notes.

Scott Suhy, an independent consultant and co-chairman of AFCEA’s Strategic Development Committee (SDC), is one of the architects of the Leadership Forum. He explains that the impetus behind the program was the lack of leadership training going on within the commercial sector. New employees rarely are assigned a mentor, so they do not receive the guidance they need to move up the corporate ladder, he says. “Yet if you look at the number-one success factor for a person, it’s leadership skills, and the top companies have great leaders,” Suhy states.

The SDC decided to limit the number of students to 24 so that each participant could receive more personal attention and feedback during the sessions. The number of sessions has been capped at six so that two groups of promising leaders can benefit from the training each year.

Creating this learning forum seemed a natural match for the members of the AFCEA community, Suhy explains. Many of the military members have had one to four years of leadership training, but more important are their years of actual experience. On the corporate side, a substantial number of AFCEA’s members lead their own companies and have had to learn lessons the hard way. The Leadership Forum is an opportunity for current leaders to help the next generation, he says.

AFCEA’s Professional Development Center administers the program, and the Educational Foundation is the beneficiary of any net proceeds. The first set of sessions will end in February, with the second set scheduled to begin next spring. Considered pilots of the Leaders Forum program, these two sessions will yield important insights into its benefits. These findings will be incorporated into the official program should it be determined that proceeding with a permanent forum is a valuable service to AFCEA members.