Air Force: An Example Of A Negative Leader

Mission command belongs to the Army’s list of seven war fighting functions. While the other six of the Army’s war fighting functions specifically align to the application of combat power, mission command applies to leadership and its application. Mission command redefines the old construct of C2, command and control, by morphing the ideology into two distinct thoughts, the art of command and the science of control. Although mission command is a relatively new concept, it’s principles and application transcend time. This paper examines General Robert E. Lee’s application of the mission command principles at the Battle of Gettysburg.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” John C. Maxwell

The book Black Hearts opened my eyes to how leadership from a single Officer can have a grappling effect on such a wide range of soldiers from the lowest of ranks. One of the best takeaways from Black Hearts is to never do anything: illegal, unethical, or immoral. Although this is a easy statement to repeat, Black Hearts demonstrates the difficulties that lie behind these words. It has also painted a picture of how leadership can topple extremely quickly from a top down view. The Army is portrayed in a bad light throughout the book relentlessly. This is due to the concentration of poor leadership of the 1-502nd Regiment (Referred to as “First Strike”), a battalion of the 101st Airborne Division.

The Civil War, composed of the Union run by numerous generals replacing one another, and the Confederacy lead by Robert E. Lee, was and still is one of the most gruesome wars in American History, and the Battle of Gettysburg is considered by most as an incredible turning point of the war. This is due to how the Union brought down the Confederacy’s winning streak, and gave the Confederacy a huge blow to their manpower, supplies, and overall strength to win (Battle of Gettysburg, 1). Robert E. Lee, though a great general throughout the Civil War, was a failure during the Battle Gettysburg because he was not able to get his men to their jobs done in time. Another reason he was a failure was because of his plan to attack again on July 3rd which

An Army Leader is able and willing to act decisively, within the intent and purpose of his superior leaders, and in the best interest of the organization. Army leaders recognize that organizations built on mutual trust and confidence, successfully accomplish peacetime and wartime missions.” (2006, P. Viii). Balance molds a leader and in turn, an effective leader is a proactive person who works a whole lot smarter. President George Bush (1997) states, “Leadership to me means duty, honor, and country; It means character and it means listening from time to time.” (Adrain, p. 35).

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

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).

Leaders are look upon as role models as they guide us with their motivating, influence to accomplish tasks. There are a lot of leadership styles; when leading, it is based on the situation. When I was in the military, I encountered with many different styles of leadership. A leadership that I considered meaningful is a Transformational Leader. The transformational Leader in the military with their inspiring charisma of motivating, influence creates a visualized path that produces energetic characteristics that inhere to new changes, developments, and possibilities.; by demonstrating authority, the Transformational Leader in the military utilizes their power to inspire and motivate people into trusting and following their example; this as

The focus of this investigation will be, “To what extent was Robert E. Lee an effective leader of the Confederate Army?” The investigation will analyze Lee’s strengths and weaknesses that contributed to his effectiveness and the overall loss of the Confederacy in the Civil War. The overall character of Lee throughout his lifetime is too broad, therefore, this investigation will focus solely on the testimony of his military background, and the personality traits that led to Lee’s decisions during the Civil War. As a result, Lee the American by Gamaliel Bradford Jr. and Robert E. Lee: The Soldier by Sir F. Maurice are important sources to this investigation, due to the background they give on Lee’s military training, personality, and victories in the battles leading up to Gettysburg.

Has your leadership ever been tested and what do you set your foundation on? If the country became divided and you had to choose a side, could you? What would you base your decision off of? This is the decision that Robert E. Lee faced when the Civil War kicked off. Robert E. Lee was a visionary leader and ethical leader during the Civil War. First, as a visionary leader, Robert E. Lee set his leadership foundation on self-discipline and used Transformational Leadership Behavior “Individualized Consideration” to lead and motivate his troops into battle even when they were outnumbered. Furthermore, as an ethical leader, Robert E. Lee’s loyalty to his homeland allowed him to overcome an “ethical dilemma” using “critical thinking” to avoid an “ethical trap.” Finally, Robert E. Lee’s actions allowed me to reflect on improvements to my visionary and ethical leadership traits in my new assignment and deployed environments. Robert E. Lee knew he had to be “self-aware” and utilize his men to their full potential before he could march them onto the battlefield where the odds were against them.

There are a number of qualities that quantify good leaderships and good leaders. According to Kouzes and Posner in their book The Leadership Challenge, all successful leaders have (5) practices in common. They “Model the Way”, “Inspire a shared vision”, “Challenge the process”, “enable others to act” and “encourage the heart”(15). Never is there a more important time to have exemplary leadership, than in a time of war. Both the American Civil War and World War II showed what was possible through good leadership. From abolishing slavery and preserving the Union, to fighting tyranny and oppression abroad, both events in American history had a profound impact on all those involved. The impact would most certainly be different if not for the leadership of Colonel Lawrence Chamberlain of the Union Army during the Civil War and General George S. Patton during World War II. Both leaders possessed the 5 practices essential for god leadership, yet both leaders to different approaches to accomplish their goals.

Robert E. Lee began life in humble circumstances facing a life of trials through all the hardships in his life, Lee became and remains an American symbol and the ultimate icon in the American South. He has survived through many hardships including losing two grandchildren and even one of his seven children during the civil war. From his childhood to his death, he had problems with his family including; not knowing his father and having many siblings that his mother had to take care of alone. He was still a great man despite all of this.

This is my personal presentation of my leadership philosophy that spans my 22 plus years of Coast Guard service. I’ve never precisely thought of who my leadership influences would be, I never felt like I could live up to the transformational leadership figures like George Washington and other notable history figures. I’ve had allot of disappointments in my life, maybe someone I did look up to in a leadership capacity that turned into a disappointment. Then again, no one is perfect so maybe my rationalization of no perfection has caused me not to have a specific leadership influence. As allot of experienced Coast Guard members know, we learn valuable lessons about raw leadership over time, with certain experiences, trials, tribulations, and the like. We all form assumptions and generic wisdom which we believe works well with those below us in the chain of command, and those above us. My opinion is that leadership encompasses everyone around us from CO-workers, to family, to people we interact with in public. I believe that true influence is a 24-hour, 7 days per week life undertaking that people that are thrust into certain positions in the Coast Guard start to assume over a long period of time. A vast number of leaders throughout military and U.S. History have inwardly reflected the subject of leadership, many have written extensively regarding their personal style, or the style of other historical figures they have looked to for an example. I feel like I am a simple person

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

My supervisor is a leader and not because he is in the military or in charge. His background would also shed light on this thought. He is a graduate from the Military Academy at West Point, which is known for producing great military leaders. Most leaders lead by example and by example I mean do what is being asked of your employees so they see what the standard is. If a leader can be identified by their actions, then more people could be trained to act like leaders (Avery, G. (2004).