Leadership and the Army
Stephen Goodwin
Ashford University
Dr. Donny Bagwell
BUS 610
April 14, 2008
Abstract
We are at a critical point in our history in America. For the second time in a century we have been attacked on our own soil and forced to defend ourselves against a global threat. Due to this treat our soldiers have been able to lead abroad; and here in the homeland giving them a variety of ways to give purpose direction and motivation to accomplish any mission given to them. The military is notorious for developing leaders that have been able to run multi-billion dollar organizations. Everywhere you go businesses cry out for leadership, leadership necessary to build better and more competitive products. Most
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Although a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life. Hence the enlightened leader is heedful, and the good leader is full of caution. Sun Tzu In today’s military with two wars being engaged and talks with other countries being conducted behind closed doors draw downs are happening. This does not include draw downs in war torn countries, but here in the United States. Great leaders who have been hardened by several deployments around the world are leaving. These leaders may have wanted to leave or have been drawn down due to downsizing. The Air Force is currently drawing down 42,000 of its force and the Navy is looking at doing the same. The Army and Marine Corps are currently at the levels they want and have not made any decisions to downsize. All branches are losing leaders due to contracts being fulfilled or retirement packets are being submitted. One thing all of these individuals have in common is they will soon be civilians looking for a new career. The Department of the Army may have a career just for them due to their experience on the battlefield and leadership skills. The leadership skills all soldiers or servicemen have learned will be a valuable tool throughout their lives. The successful development of military and civilian leaders is key to all the services success in peacetime and in combat. The military recognized this early on and became the
Leadership development in the military is critical to its mission and objectives. Understanding and embracing leadership will foster an agile culture and facilitate attainment of strategic goals. People desire quality leadership to assist with achieving their goals, albeit personal or professional development. Having a clear vision and the motivation to perform at high-levels influences others to work synergistically together to achieve organizational goals. Insomuch, employees value being treated respectfully, fairly, and ethically. Leaders serve people best when they help them develop their own initiative and good judgment, enable them to grow, and help them become better contributors.
Balancing the role of the Professional Leader has been an ongoing issue for the Army since the latter decades of the 19th century when the U.S. Army was professionalized. The Army has struggled with the matter of balancing a force as massive as the Army. When out of balance the Army does not have the capability to send Soldiers where they are needed. During the Second War in Iraq it was obvious that the Army was not upholding this balance, junior leaders in the Army were fighting against a counterinsurgency campaign that they were ill prepared to handle due to a lack of necessary experience and equipment.
This paper on Leadership will compare the primary differences and characteristics between the tactical leader and the organizational leader. I will provide you with the basics for development, characteristics, and the fundamentals that help guide and influence each leader’s style and how they influence Soldiers to follow them. Leaders at all levels demonstrate their values, knowledge, skills, and abilities in many different means and methods in
At the end of the day, a true leader “in the army will do these three things live by the army core values, know the warrior ethos, and lead by example”-MSI textbook. Leaders both in and out of the army are held to a higher standard holding themselves in a professional manner at all times. The success of the group is attributed to the leadership styles and core values instilled in the solider to do his job effectively. General Eisenhower once
Leadership can be viewed in many different ways and possess many different qualities. There are courageous leaders, respectful leaders, terrible leaders, and seemingly insignificant leaders but leaders nonetheless. But what is it that differentiates between a strong leader and a weak leader, or a powerful leader and an insignificant one? Is it the qualities in the leader or the decisions they make in key situations that define good leadership qualities? Some would define a good leader by their ability to do the right thing even if it is not the easiest choice. Others might define a good leader as one that possesses great integrity and leads by example. The military possesses many great leaders through a process of development and molding individuals to meet expected leadership qualities like honor, courage, commitment and integrity to accomplish any mission or goal. However, this process doesn’t always create the desired effect. So, let’s examine some good and bad examples of leadership qualities and break down what and how we can emulate them.
Every leader in the U.S. Army have a different leadership style. During my thirteen years in the Army I have seen several leaders placed in positions where it was obvious that they were born for that position, performing admirably and making very real contributions. In other situations leaders were placed in positions of leadership appearing unprepared for the role. These leaders over time were soon surrounded by other leaders that ensured their success. Several leaders in my career have left a lifelong mark on my leadership style. Every one of them left me with knowledge that have built a foundation for my leadership beliefs and style. There is also what we call in the Army, “toxic leadership” which produce harm to the organization, leaders
The research will be a program evaluation of leadership effectiveness at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. This approach will be used because the leadership program in the Army has been established for a lengthy period and needs to be evaluated on effectiveness since the implementation of the sequestration since March 2013. The research data will be collected through a survey approach from a sample of the population at Schofield Barracks. Collecting data from at the company level by surveying current soldiers and leaders on their experiences within a US Army unit at Schofield Barracks will provide the researcher with the most relevant data to determine the effectiveness of leadership.
The United States Army is in a state of decline. The Army’s senior leaders are either oblivious to the decline or only care about the popular issues such as sexual harassment or hazing. Today’s junior leaders are either incompetent, feel their hands are tied, or simply do not get the backing from their senior leaders in order to effectively make changes. Our senior leaders blame their junior leaders, and our junior leaders blame their senior leaders. The fact of the matter is that all leaders, from the Chief of Staff of the Army to newest Corporal that was recently promoted this month, have to lead.
Summary: In this article the authors are addressing future leaders, and they immediately inform the reader that because there is more complexity considerably more complex issues and technologies than a century ago in the operational military environment, there is a great need for military leaders to achieve autonomy in terms of adapting to and learning about the evolving environment. In short, leaders must be smarter and better prepared for a changing world.
Military leaders have a different task than their civilian counterparts do, since the civilian counterparts are not sending their subordinates into danger, with the possibility of never coming home.
There are a number of significant difficulties for today’s military - the Global War on Terrorism or what has recently been termed the “Long War;” weapon system acquisitions and personnel draw downs. The focus of this paper is on one strategic component of the military quest—Leadership. More specifically, it will center on servant leadership and its impact on the military’s vision.
“You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do
Throughout history our country has had many leaders. Whether you’re the leader of a business, military platoon, or the leader of our great nation you were withheld with the honor and trust to govern the actions and best interests of fellow Americans. But just because you have achieved the title of a leader does not by default make you a good leader. A good leader is a person who has risen above and beyond to show cooperation, perseverance, and respect to decisions made by those still above you at one point in time. “As a seasoned member of the military, you’ve risen through the ranks because you understood your mission and performed your duties with distinction. At this stage of your career, your most important contribution may be how well you take care of the service members and
Leadership, according to the Army doctrine, represents individuals’ ability to influence people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization (“Leadership” FM 6-22). However, the varying characteristics of individuals that the Army attracts may instill this doctrine in many different ways, leading to different representations of leadership. Some individuals choose to lead their subordinate in a stern matter, only displaying matured emotions and a “tough-loving” attitude to guide them in the right direction. Others
Leadership is crucial part of today’s army and leaders play a huge role in the accomplishment of the mission. I believe this is true, because leaders are the guys who are in close contact with the younger soldiers. They are the ones who counsel the soldiers and make them better and make a plan for that soldier to improve and become a better soldier. Leaders play a major role in the accomplishment of the mission, because officers and higher leaders cannot be everywhere at once, so they need a person they can trust to lead the charge and tackle the mission the right way