Introduction
The army is a precise combination of leadership and management. The army is an organization with a thousand years of leadership tradition. It is the military leader who must be critical of what has been achieved and be able to analyze what is missing to improve the collective result. His example motivates and inspires him to move toward the final victory. Many outstanding leaders of the past were victorious warriors, and all outstanding warriors were successful leaders (Pearce et al., 2021).
Armies with a long tradition of honor and understanding the importance of leadership and its development among officers of all ranks. The point where managerial experience, scholarly research, and military ethics converge is the U.S. Army leadership doctrine. It provides a comprehensive answer to what leadership qualities every leader should have. The army has a rich history and is built on concepts; leaders show trust, teamwork, and loyalty, and a clear communication of the overall goals and intentions of the command.
History of Army Leadership
First, leadership in the United States Army has changed over the years. Cavalry Magazine published the first hints of a true Army leader’s traits and combat function in 1890 (Preston, 2020). Based on its experiences during World War II, the U.S. Army created 11 leadership principles in 1951 that eventually became the basis for creating a leadership theory for the officer corps (Millett, 2021).
The first statute that provided insight into the essence of Army leadership was issued in 1983 (Preston, 2020). Unfortunately, it is incomplete and “raw,” but it served as the blueprint for subsequent manuals and the first step in creating a military leadership philosophy. Thanks to his ingenuity, the charter was replete with allusions from the archives of American history, resulting in vivid examples of excellent military leadership. Army Leadership: Competent, Confident, and Agile was published in 2006 based on all previously published charters and was 216 pages long, written in plain language (Kirchner & Akdere, 2019). It covers all areas of leadership, from the basics of leadership theory and psychology to contemporary leadership issues in a VUCA environment.
Concept of Leadership
Second, in the U.S. Army, “Be, Know, Act” is at the heart of the leadership system and defines the fundamental elements of successful military leadership, as Appendix A mentions. To be – those leadership qualities that are innate or instilled in a person’s upbringing. Act – the actions and behavior of the leader in the circumstances. When the “Being” and “Knowing” elements are successfully symbiotic, their practical application and development should lead to increased effectiveness and efficiency of the “Act” group (Boe, 2019). If a leader has the right balance of personal and professional skills and continually improves them, their effectiveness should increase.
Compared to other leadership models, this model focuses not only on character, which is difficult to assess objectively but also details the actions a leader should perform. Moreover, it emphasizes that the ultimate goal of every leader is to fulfill their tasks (result orientation), which sets it apart from models that analyze the leader “on his or her own,” in isolation from their production tasks. This concept makes the army the strongest institution with the best leaders.
Essential Qualities
Third, the basic principles of Army leadership are trust-building, teamwork, and clear communication of overall command goals and intentions, which are mentioned in Appendix A. Moreover, the commander and subordinates may be organizationally and physically distant. Problems immediately arise with information logistics, the transfer of authority, and the execution of orders that have lost meaning due to a change of scenery (Pearce et al., 2021). At the same time, subordinates can take reasonable risks and show initiative, deviating from precise orders but following the overall intent of the command.
A prerequisite for distributed leadership is trust, not only between soldiers but also in the stated missions. Trust depends on commanders’ adherence to stated values and the distance between them and their subordinates. A major bonus of trust is team spirit; this powerful force can guide the army through the most challenging trials and is not generated by the fear inherent in hierarchies. It results from inner freedom, mutual understanding, and shared values.
Conclusion
Finally, when discussing leadership, people often emphasize the development of competencies and skills, neglecting the development of the character traits that form a true leader. Military leaders demonstrate a high level of development of most leadership traits. Military leaders are not only as good as, but even better than, civilian leaders in several ways. For example, prudence, moderation, and fairness are better developed in the military.
Humanity and humility are the only high values in the military. Humility is the ability to consider the interests of others and empathy. It also includes compassion, the ability to forgive, and the ability to calmly accept things over which one has no control. Humanity implies a high level of self-awareness, a sense of gratitude for those who help leaders achieve goals and successes, and a dignified attitude toward colleagues and enemies. The army is an institution that follows a specific concept and develops team spirit, loyalty, and many other essential qualities.
References
Boe, O. (2019). Selecting officers based upon character strengths: Applications for leadership development. Disaster, Diversity and Emergency Preparation, 146, 109.
Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2019). Exploring inclusion of leadership development into new employee orientations: a proposed approach from army leader development. Organization Management Journal, 16(3), 156-166. Web.
Millett, A. R. (2021). The War for Korea, 1950-1951: they came from the north. University Press of Kansas.
Pearce, A. P., Naumann, D. N., & O’Reilly, D. (2021). Mission command: applying principles of military leadership to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) crisis. BMJ Mil Health, 167(1), 3-4. Web.
Preston, A. W. (2020). British Military Thought, 1856–90. In The British Army 1815–1914 (pp. 371-388). Routledge. Web.