Military Leadership Style

You can ask ten different Soldiers what an Army leader is, or what they believe a good Army leader is. It will not matter the rank, time in service or the maturity level of that Soldier because more than likely you will get ten different answers. Everyone has their own opinions on what an Army leader is, or what they believe a good Army leader is. By definition leadership in the Army is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization (ADRP 6-22, 2012). There are three leadership competencies that make an Army leader; leads, develops and achieves.

Respect is very important both in the military and in the civilian world. In most cases, people can easily tell when someone respects them or not. Once they feel that they are being respected, they can instill more trust into a person, respect them back, and take what the person says to heart. They can put faith into that person. Once we earn someone’s respect, it is much easier to gain his or her cooperation. It is much easier to have them support us and take our sides. We don’t have to put as much effort in to getting them to listen to an order or doing what they are told. Respect must be EARNED. You must provide someone with your respect before they show you the same respect. This is what I mean by earning it. I do not believe that respect can be demanded or forced. Demanding someone’s respect will most likely lead to some type of conflict. Respect

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.

Leadership goals should always contain methods of a continuous process of learning through education, training, and individual experiences that help ensure that the message will be communicated in a confident and competent manner when leading troops. Soldiers tend to follow leaders that demonstrate and live the Army values, while displaying their confidence in every decision that affects change. Leaders are not born as organizational or tactical leaders; but grown by their genetic determinism, which is inside and the characteristics they work toward; that mold is which type leader they will become. Not just anyone can lead; you must have the desire to lead, be willing to make the commitment to being a leader, and prepare yourself properly, then you have the desire to become a leader. (Fulton, 1995).

My leadership philosophy revolves entirely around the Army Values. In every action I take as a leader, I assess whether or not it lines up with the Army Values and the potential impacts. I have had a variety of leadership assignments during my career, all requiring a different leadership approach, spanning from team leader through platoon sergeant. My conflict resolution skills have greatly evolved through my twelve years in the Army, from rudimentary conversations to in depth problem solving. My professional development has had a profound effect on my leadership abilities, from NCOPD’s to mentorship from senior non-commissioned officers (NCO’s).

Management styles differ dependent on an Army leader. But when it comes to projects and tasks there are two styles that reign supreme: macro management and micromanagement. Generally speaking, macro management is the best way to go when grooming future leaders. With macro management, a good leader allows their subordinates to take on tasks that leaders want their subordinates to grow from that will aid them to become more technically and tactically proficient. Subordinates demonstrate their abilities and exhibits to their leaders the results of their work or tasking, leaders will continue to give their subordinates guidance, and they revise the product to Army standards while maintaining a feeling of accomplishment.

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.

The Marine Corps has 11 Leadership Principles. Of the eleven, there is one that states, “Seek Responsibility and Take Responsibility.” This is instilled in every Marine from Private (Enlisted-1) to General (Officer-10). Throughout the Bible, God placed responsibility upon His people and expected them to act accordingly. However, He did not punish the son for the father’s sin and vice-versa. There were times in the Old Testament that this occurred. For example, with Achan (Jos. 7:14-15) when he stole spoils from battle, did not confess it, and he along with his family was killed. Another instance happened when the accusers of Daniel and their families were thrown in the Lion’s Den (Dan. 6:24). Sande states, “Another way to avoid responsibility for our sins is to shift the blame to others or to say that they made us act the way we did.”

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.

affects certain people but can also affect anyone at any level regardless of whether the individual is

The majority of humanity proceeds through life at an unfluctuating or even mundane pace. It is not until we experience a noteworthy event in our personal or professional lives that, we pause and contemplate the impact. For some individuals, this crucible event provides clarity to the point that life becomes more meaningful. For others, the impact of the experience alters the course of their life forever. I experienced such an event in my professional life during a moment in which an elderly World War II Veteran quietly revealed to me that unassuming heroes inconspicuously walk among the rest of us every day. This realization forged within me a sense of duty, purpose, and values, which has strongly influenced my leadership style.

blocking them out mentally. That’s not to say that all the leaders I have encountered

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

I believe that a great leader must first be a great servant and I want to demonstrate that through my actions and by the way I live

Leadership, entrepreneurship, and strategy are three fields which are critical for good management (flatwood, nd). To illustrate this point I’m going to detail an example of each and how they are both similar and different. An example of good leadership are the actions of United States Army officer General George S. Patton. In World War II, he successfully defeated Nazi Germany on many battle fronts (Leadership.2016).