Improving Confidence in Mental Skills Utilization for Leadership Development

Improving Confidence in Mental Skills Utilization for Leadership Development

Benjamin Harding MS, CMPC

Cognitive Performance Specialist – Contractor; The Geneva Foundation

10 th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Drum, NY

Introduction

Effective leadership requires more than tactical and technical skill—it also demands cognitive flexibility and self-regulation. This data explores how a brief educational intervention can enhance Soldiers’ confidence in applying mental skills within a leadership development context.

Method

 Format: One 40-minute educational session

 Participants: 14 Soldiers enrolled in the Level 1 Basic Fitness Leader Course

Analysis

 A five-question survey assessed participants’ confidence and understanding of using

cognitive skills for leadership (administered pre- and post-session).

 Four Likert-scale questions (1–5) measured agreement; the fifth was open-ended.

 Responses were averaged and compared across time points.

Results

 Average Pre-Score: 14.07 out of 20

 Average Post-Score: 15.64 out of 20

 Change: +1.57 points

 Improvement: 7.81% increase (going from 70.4% to 78.21%) in confidence and understanding of mental skills in leadership.

Conclusion

A single brief educational session led to a measurable improvement in Soldiers’ confidence and understanding of applying cognitive skills in leadership. This suggests even short interventions can meaningfully impact leadership development outcomes when grounded in cognitive performance principles.

Recommendations

 Integrate cognitive skill training into leadership development pipelines.

 Expand survey size and diversify populations for broader insight.

 Follow up with longitudinal assessments to gauge retention and application.