Introduction
Every institution, including the Army, recognizes the importance of leadership. This tendency is relevant since it is the duty of leaders to resolve current issues and accomplish predetermined objectives. Moreover, they also serve as mentors for others who could be more experienced, which helps new subordinates adjust more successfully.
The implication of this is that for leaders to succeed in their endeavors, they must fulfill several conditions. For instance, managers regarded favorably by their staff members perform successfully and appear powerful (McCoy et al., 2022). It implies that people should invest in growing their reputation, emphasizing their mental qualities, and possessing reasonable intellectual prowess to succeed in inspiring and leading others. Thus, the topic under consideration is rather complex since it is greatly contextual, encompasses various challenges, and raises demand for specific qualities. This is why Army leadership is based on its army-specific definition, leadership level division, and specific character traits.
Leadership Definition
To begin the investigation, the general terms need to be defined first. The United States Government US Army (the US Army) (2019) defines leadership as motivating others to complete a task. Even with a definition that is this broad, the Army still manages to address the leadership problem accordingly. The Army needs leadership to be defined this way due to its problem-solving value necessary for warfare.
In addition, it involves direct group motivation, which is vital for established goal achievement. To achieve the former, leadership occurs at three distinct levels within the army, ensuring that each soldier and officer is aware of the organizational requirements. The US Army (2019) defines them based on the number of individuals involved and the groups of individuals involved. Meanwhile, in the latter’s context, it should be noted that not all people who influence others to take the necessary action can be considered army leaders. Thus, it is crucial to underline that Army commanders must possess particular traits and adhere to specific standards.
Army Leadership Levels
The first level is direct leadership, which encompasses all face-to-face leader-subordinate interactions. Then, organizational leadership represents the second level: encounters primarily between higher- and lower-ranked leaders. Finally, there is the highest level, strategic leadership. This activity involves military and civilian leaders responsible for a long-term army outlook and strategy. Although strategic leadership appears to deal with more important concerns, lower leadership levels are not to be undervalued. Undoubtedly, the minor army parts are places where leadership originates.
McCoy et al. (2022) acknowledge that the operation of the smallest army units, such as teams, sections, and squads, can exemplify army leadership. Such an outcome is not incidental: these army units spend the majority of their time with young troops who are generally in dire need of supervision. As a result, teams’, sections’, and squads’ officers should specifically pay attention to educating them and offering the necessary support. Understandably, these low-level authorities must use leadership skills in order to handle the situation. This implies that an individual’s character, including their moral system, charisma, effect on people, and cognitive capacity, affects their respective leadership styles.
Army Leadership Traits
First, to influence and motivate their followers, leaders need to possess certain moral traits. For this reason, the US Army outlines the precise traits that effective leaders should possess. Specifically, they should not only be idealistic, empathic, and virtuous but also disciplined and humble when necessary (United States Government US Army, 2019). Additionally, these people ought to be trustworthy, sensitive to the feelings of others, and willing to obey the law.
Second, a leader’s presence greatly impacts how efficient they are. The stated problem mandates that organizational leaders foster qualitative change. Army commanders can demonstrate this by acting competently, being in good health, appearing confident, and swiftly resolving stressful situations.
Third, the army emphasizes commanders’ intelligence, which is based on expertise and cognitive ability. People differ in their degrees of intellect; therefore, some may perform better than others in this regard. The US Army (2019) states that intelligence involves mental agility, originality, solid judgment, competence, and interpersonal communication skills. These skills are crucial since they help people make informed judgments and adjust to shifting circumstances.
Conclusion
Overall, based on the application of specifically defined leadership, its level of division, and particular character traits, how army leadership is structured can be seen. The mentioned factors make sure that everyone in the military works toward reaching common objectives through inspiration and motivation. In this context, three distinct levels of leadership describe how ideas pass from superiors to their followers.
Additionally, it has been stated that effective Army leaders must possess certain traits and fulfill a particular set of standards. The premise is that personality, presence, and intelligence, in many ways, define Army leaders. These occurrences are crucial because they guarantee leaders can persuade people and overcome obstacles.
References
McCoy, K. M., Pontikes, M. N., Markey, J. D., Loo, K. C., Blue, S. N., Morgeson, F. P., & Cato, C. R. (2022). Identifying leader behaviors important for unit resilience. Defense Technical Information Center.
United States Government US Army. (2019). Army Doctrine Publication ADP 6-22 Army leadership and the profession July 2019. Independently Published.