THE MILITARY LEADERSHIP

MILITARY ORGANIZATION

 A military organization is a group of men or units banded together to perform military functions with definite
responsibilities and duties assigned each individual.
 The army is an institution, since its purpose, objectives, organization, actions, behavior and the roles of its
members, the allocated resources (human, material, financial) are specifically determined and regulated by
normative prescriptions (laws, regulations, instructions, orders), but at the same time the army can also be seen as
an organization because it is an ensemble of people structured in entities with specific roles, functions and
responsibilities and which relates both to official and informal rules in the course of its life and activity, as a
whole.
 the army, has its own system of organization, leadership and hierarchy, the activity of which is carried out in
accordance with the provisions of the laws of the state, with the provisions of the military regulations, orders of
the commanders and chiefs.
MILITARY LEADERSHIP

 Military leadership is an art and, as such, can be learned the same as any other art.
 In the ultimate sense, military leadership is not inherent; it is based upon the development of traits of the
individual personality and upon the understanding and application of sound leadership principles and techniques.
 The art of military leadership can be learned, developed, and practiced in varying degrees by anyone properly
motivated and possessing the mental and physical ability, and the moral integrity expected of a commissioned or
noncommissioned officer.
 Developing this art is a continuing process
MILITARY LEADERSHIP

 Military Leadership includes authority, responsibility and chain of command as the most important dimensions.
 Leadership, however, is heavily influenced by the relevant country’s general and military culture.
 A military leader is anyone who by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility inspires and influences
people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization
OBJECTIVES OF MILITARY LEADERSHIP

 The ultimate objective of military leadership is successful accomplishment of the mission.

COMPETENCIES OF MILITARY LEADERSHIP

 The core competency categories are:

 Leads: provides purpose, direction, and motivation; builds trust; provides an example; communicates.
 Develops: develops themselves, creates a positive climate, develops subordinates, and stewards the profession.
 Achieves: executes, adjusts, and gets results to accomplish tasks and missions on time and to standard.
DYNAMICS OF LEADERSHIP

 Leaders account for the important factors affecting the dynamics of leadership.

Three consistent factors are:

 The leader.
 The led.
 The situation.
DYNAMICS OF LEADERSHIP

 Leaders account for the important factors affecting the dynamics of leadership.

Three consistent factors are:

 The leader.
 The led.
 The situation.
 Communications
THE LED

 The first major factor of leadership is those soldiers you are responsible for leading.
 All soldiers should not be led in the same way. For example, a soldier with a new job or task normally needs closer
supervision than a soldier who is experienced at that same job or task.
 A soldier with low confidence needs support and encouragement.
 A soldier who works hard and does what you know must be done deserves praise; a soldier who intentionally fails to
follow guidance or meet clear standards may need to be reprimanded or punished.
 One must correctly assess your soldiers’ competence, motivation, and commitment so that you can take the proper
leadership actions at the correct time.
 A climate must be created that encourages subordinates to actively participate and want to help accomplish the mission.
 Key ingredients to develop this relationship are mutual trust, respect, and confidence.
THE LEADER

 The second major leadership factor is the leader himself.

 One must have an honest understanding of who one is, what one know, and what one can do.
 One must know his strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, and limitations so that one can control and discipline
oneself and lead the soldiers effectively.
 One must continuously ensure that each soldier is treated with dignity and respect.
THE SITUATION

 The situation is the third major leadership factor.

 All situations are different; leadership actions that work in one situation may not work in another.
 One must consider the subordinate’s level of competence, motivation, and commitment to perform the task or
mission.
 In one situation, one may have to closely supervise and direct a subordinate’s work.
 Another situation may require you to encourage and listen to ideas.
 In still another, one may need to both direct and encourage a soldier to ensure he can accomplish a task.
 The situation also includes the timing of actions.
 You must be skilled in identifying and thinking through the situation so that you can take the right action at the right
time.
COMMUNICATIONS

 Communications, the fourth major leadership factor, is the exchange of information and ideas from one person to
another.
 Effective communications occurs when others understand exactly what one is trying to tell them.
 One may communicate what one want orally, or in writing, through physical actions, or through a combination of
all of these.
 One must recognize that leader communicate standards by his example and by what behaviors he ignore, reward,
and punish.
 The way the leader communicate in different situations is important.
 The choice of words, tone of voice, and physical actions all combine to affect soldiers.
 Leadership is more than setting the example and bravely leading a charge.
 The ability to say the correct thing, at the appropriate moment and in the right way, is also an important part of
leadership.
COMMUNICATION

 What and how the leader communicate either builds or harms the strength of the relationship between his and his
soldiers.
 Effective communications implies that the soldiers listen and understand the leader.
PRINCIPALS OF MILITARY LEADERSHIP
LEAD FROM THE FRONT

 Taught to lead by example, leaders inspire their Soldiers to perform deeds of heroism and sacrifice, which often
requires suppression of natural feelings such as fear.
 Leaders do not encourage their Soldiers by saying, “onward,” but rather, “follow me”.
 To inspire troops, leaders must instill a pervasive attitude to motivate their troops to advance.
 To accomplish this, leaders must be present at the forward edge of the battle area so their Soldiers will follow their
example and respect their judgment, leadership ability, and tactical knowledge
SELF CONFIDENCE

 Any leader worth his stuff has confidence, but excessive egotism is usually indicative of a lack of assurance.
 This faith in himself can encourage his men to believe they could achieve ultimate victory under his leadership.
 Confidence is the faith leaders place in their abilities to make decisions and take appropriate action in any
situation, no matter how stressful or ambiguous.
 Confidence grows from professional competence and a realistic appraisal of one’s abilities. A
MORAL COURAGE

 Doing the right thing, regardless of the consequences, is moral courage.

 Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions.
 It enables all leaders to stand up for what they believe is right, regardless of the consequences.
 Leaders, who take full responsibility for their decisions and actions, even when things go wrong, display moral
courage
PHYSICAL COURAGE

 Because the life of a Soldier is fraught with danger, courage is a requirement for every military leader.
 Physical courage requires overcoming fears of bodily harm and doing one’s duty.
 It triggers bravery that allows a Soldier to take risks in combat in spite of the fear of injury or death
FOSTER TEAMWORK

 When accomplishing the mission, teamwork is more important than personal recognition, thus the famous quote,
“There is no ‘I’ in team.”
 Therefore, an experienced leader cannot favor individuals but must foster cooperation with all team members.
FITNESS AND ENERGY

 If leaders follow the principle of leading from the front, then they must be physically fit and energetic to meet the
demands of leadership on the battlefield.
AGGRESSIVE AND BOLD

 A leader must be bold and aggressive.

 A good and effective leader must have positive self regard and often not too big an ego.
 But it should be strong enough to withstand pressures, handle the kind of anger he could incur, as also be strong
enough to appreciate negative feedback from others.
TAKING CARE OF SOLDIERS

 A competent leader preserves combat power by putting his Soldiers first and doing the most to improve their
situation.
 You will gain Soldiers’ trust by making sure they are well equipped, fed, and rested.
 Beyond meeting their basic needs, it is also essential to be an advocate and ensure they receive proper recognition
for their achievements.
DECISIVE

 In war, lack of decisiveness can have fatal consequences.

 Once you make up your mind, stick to your decision.
 Never show yourself to be indecisive
SHOWING DETERMINATION

 A leader must show determination even when others do not.

 This “never say die” attitude is necessary for Soldiers to be tirelessly persistent during desperate, bleak, or
challenging situations
STRONG CHARACTER

 In leadership it is presupposed that only men of good character will make good military leaders.
 The key qualities of the person's character are trustworthiness, ethics and high morals.
INTEGRITY AND WISDOM

 Integrity and wisdom are prerequisites for an efficacious leader.

 Integrity entails that promises made to a subordinate, peer or a superior are executed to the last breath.
 The leaders are honest in word and deed
THINK AND ACT STRATEGICALLY

 In fact, a leader's primary responsibility is not just developing policy; a leader must accept responsibility for
shaping the future of the organization by expanding mental horizons to identify and meet the challenges of the
future.
 An effective leader must have a strategic perspective always operating from the future and guiding others to the
future.
 The leader starts with a vision and then defines the necessary strategic issues to achieve the vision.
DISCIPLINE

 Discipline is essential to character, just as it is to an organization. All leaders must demonstrate selfdiscipline
 The ability to control one’s own behavior.
 At the unit level, leaders maintain discipline by enforcing standards impartially and consistently.
LEADERSHIP STYLES IN MILITARY ORGANIZATION

 In order to accomplish its missions, the most important role in the military organization is the human resource and the
manner in which it is conducted.
 This is also the main reason why in the process of training and professional development of officers, a large part of the
objectives aim at developing their capacity to lead (people, structures) and to be able to fulfill the roles of commander,
leader, manager at the highest standards.
 One of the most important categories of qualities required by the military leader is represented by the intellectual qualities.
 Also, the moral qualities and personality traits have a substantial share in the perfection of the leader profile.
 The moral qualities are those that guide the leader to act ethically and morally according to military principles, norms,
values and virtues, building a performance-oriented climate.
 And the personality traits, such as self-confidence, dignity, emotional stability, adaptability, generate trust and respect from
subordinates, but also efficiency in solving difficult situations.
 As far as the leaders' tasks are concerned, depending on their hierarchical level, they differ in both content and complexity.
DIFFERENCE FROM OTHER FORMS OF LEADERSHIP

 Military leadership differs from leadership in other organisations.

 HOW?

 The specific characteristic of the military, i.e. the threat and organised use of force to achieve political goals,
distinguishes it from all other organisations, even though a large number of factors increase its similarity to major
civilian organisations
DIFFERENCE FROM OTHER FORMS OF LEADERSHIP

 The intention of a threat or the use of force is to hold or gain the upper hand over an opponent.
 As a prerequisite, the forces which can be deployed by a military organisation have to be focused in such a manner (in
terms of space and time) that they will render the organisation superior.
 Consequently, it is imperative that the organization be capable of directing, or threatening to direct, the maximum force
possible at a vital point at the right time.
 This requirement has led to the development of a configuration which is highly typical of the military – the single-line
system, which most strongly reflects the principle of the unity of ordering.
 Each organisational element has only one superior element entitled to issue orders.
 This is the reason for the distinct hierarchy, which is considered a typical feature of all military organisations.
 The advantage of the unity of ordering offered by this type of organisation, though, is offset by the high information
processing load placed on the superior.
 The duty of the military superior is characterized by issuing orders and leading people, not by administrating or
supervising.
 In the single-line system, military superiors have clearly more far-reaching powers and authorities than their
counterparts in civilian organisations.
 Non-compliance with an order, for instance, is considered disobedience and will at least result in a disciplinary
action being taken (if it has serious consequences, it will even be considered a military offence and legal measures
will be taken).
 The integration into a strict hierarchy, the superior’s extensive authority, which reaches as far as the subordinate’s
leisure time and personal life, and the high degree of control make the military resemble what Erving Goffman
(1957) referred to as a “total institution”.
 In times of peace, the military environment is a relatively stable, reliable value, which provides that the military’s
organisational objective is the “systematic training of a large number of people for their assignment in a
contingency situation”.
 In this scenario, the armed forces act as a major training organisation that closely resembles the bureaucracy
model developed by Weber.
 It functions in accordance with a particular standardized order, i.e. laws, rules and regulations; legal domination is
the prevailing type of leadership.
 The organisational purpose of the military is the co-ordinated use of, or threat of force, as dictated by politics,
which takes place in a potentially chaotic environment i.e. the theatre of war.
 This results in a challenge for leaders, which does not exist during peace-time operations but does apply to the
battle field, where the military has to ensure that the organisation is coordinated even under chaotic conditions and
the actions of the organisational members continue to be focused on gaining superiority.
 The first and most important measure taken for this objective to be reached is the establishment of a strong
hierarchic structure, which serves to “co-ordinate the individual elements with regard to the common objective”
 Subordinate levels must always accord with the decisions made at the superior level.
 Consequently, the decision and, thus, the will of the superior level of command directly determines the actions
taken by subordinate elements.
 This phenomenon explains both the strict and categorical necessity of obedience and the strong degree of military
supervision and control, which can involve disciplinary action if required
INFLUENCE OF MILITARY’S LEADERSHIP STYLE

 Leadership in the military, like all leadership, concerns itself with the influence of members so that they willingly strive to
ethically achieve assigned missions.
 Military leaders are one who inspires member commitment throughout the lead-up to, and involvement in, operations.
 They support members so that they are able to confront and accept the moral component of operations and encourage
members so that they can deal with and suppress the fear of battle.
 Good military leaders put the needs of the mission and the concerns of the member before their own needs and concerns.
 It requires an effective leadership role to influence, motivate and inspire individuals to achieve the desired outcome.
Leadership involves at least two people or groups, one which leads and another which follows.
 Leaders must balance successful mission accomplishment with how they treat and care for organizational members.
 Taking care of people involves creating and sustaining a positive climate through open communications, trust, cohesion,
and teamwork.
INFLUENCE OF MILITARY’S LEADERSHIP STYLE

 Leadership in the military, like all leadership, concerns itself with the influence of members so that they willingly strive to
ethically achieve assigned missions.
 Military leaders are one who inspires member commitment throughout the lead-up to, and involvement in, operations.
 They support members so that they are able to confront and accept the moral component of operations and encourage
members so that they can deal with and suppress the fear of battle.
 Good military leaders put the needs of the mission and the concerns of the member before their own needs and concerns.
 It requires an effective leadership role to influence, motivate and inspire individuals to achieve the desired outcome.
Leadership involves at least two people or groups, one which leads and another which follows.
 Leaders must balance successful mission accomplishment with how they treat and care for organizational members.
 Taking care of people involves creating and sustaining a positive climate through open communications, trust, cohesion,
and teamwork.