Selecting officers based upon character strengths: Applications for leadership development

Abstract

This chapter discusses how character strengths can be a relevant tool for selection of military officers, prediction of entrance into a military academy, leadership education, and prediction of military performance. Twelve character strengths have been found to be important for Norwegian officers, and an observational instrument that can be used to measure character strengths in field exercises has been developed and tested. The chapter also discusses the development of self-proficiency, social proficiency, and subject matter proficiency, and which character strengths to develop under each of these three proficiencies.