Col. Ronnie Anderson Jr., commander of the Joint Munitions Command, recently returned to Purdue University, his alma mater, to inspire the next generation of Army leaders.
Anderson spoke with the Purdue Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps unit and passed on leadership lessons learned over three decades of his Army career.
“This was a great opportunity for me to return to the place where I was trained to be a future leader and engage the next generation of Army leaders,” Anderson said.
Anderson was invited to speak to the Purdue’s Army ROTC unit for the Lt. Col. Stephen J. Herczeg Leadership Speaker Series event.
Anderson shared his Top 10 leadership lessons learned over the course of his Army career with the ROTC cadets.
The themes were:
• Discipline and attention to detail matters.
• You will make mistakes - it’s OK.
• Leaders focus on the bigger picture.
• Only do the things only you can do.
• Focus on the basics of our Army and do them well. Take care of people, training, maintenance, supply accountability, and administration.
• Officers should provide mission, intent, guidance, resources, and risk acceptance.
• Learn balance. Learn what is important, how to manage time and accept risk.
• There will always be more to do than time available.
• Influence is far more powerful than authoritative leadership.
• Leaders continue to learn and develop delegation skills.
“I found the presentation to be highly enjoyable and informative. I particularly appreciated the structure of the slides and the clear breakdown of the 10 steps to becoming an effective leader,” said Cadet Emma Genter.
Anderson discussed keeping in mind risk assessment, time budgeting, focusing on the bigger picture, and promoting an environment where you can be trusted.
“Greater responsibility doesn’t equate to greater authority,” Anderson said. “Collaboration matters more as you progress in your career.”
The cadets also asked Anderson questions and sought advice on their future careers as Army officers.
“Col. Anderson was an amazing speaker and was very approachable as a leader,” Cadet Andrew Helgen said. “He comes off as someone who is very experienced and was excited to share that experience to upcoming leaders. It was a pleasure to be able to speak with him.”
While at Purdue, Anderson also embraced the opportunity to engage one of the world’s leading energetics labs at the university to examine ways to support modernization of the Organic Industrial Base.
“Purdue University is on the cutting edge of energetics research,” Anderson said. “We’re here to learn about ways to explore opportunities with academia to modernize and make the munitions enterprise more resilient.”
Dr. Stephen Beaudoin, professor of chemical engineering and director of the Purdue Energetics Research Center, welcomed Anderson.
“The Purdue Energetics Research Center is a comprehensive center dedicated to the investigation of energetic materials synthesis, processing, and behavior, from molecules to manufacturing,” Beaudoin said. “We hope our recent work on manufacturing of energetics, supply chain optimization, risk analysis, and sustainability can lead to a long-term partnership with the Joint Munitions Command.”
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