When people unite to achieve a common goal, they need to stay focused, agree with each other, and create and follow a certain plan. However, it may be challenging to stay organized, and that is why leaders are necessary. In its essence, leadership is the unique art of motivating a group of persons and helping them move toward their common purpose. The purpose of this paper is to discuss leadership in the U.S. Army.
In general, military leadership is aimed at influencing the Army members by providing motivation, direction, and purpose to accomplish the mission. According to researchers, “command is the authority a person in the military service lawfully exercises over subordinates by virtue of his rank and assignment or position” (“Notes on military leadership,” n.d.). A leader’s primary responsibilities include the soldiers’ welfare and the achievement of the common military purpose, and the chain of command is the most essential and fundamental technique used in the Army (“Notes on military leadership,” n.d.). In the U.S. military, there is the sequence of authoritative commanders whose primary responsibility is to accomplish the assigned unit mission and care for property and the subordinate personnel. Precisely this specific structure is called the chain of command.
The U.S. Army’s leadership factors are communications, the situation, the leader, and the led. There are three types of duties that a military leader has, including specified, directed, and implied duties (“Notes on military leadership,” n.d.). At the same time, there is a list of eleven principles of armed forces leadership that determine a good and powerful leader and help him or her move in the right direction. For example, such principles are to know oneself and always seek self-improvement, make timely and sound decisions, and be tactically and technically proficient.
Reference
Notes on military leadership. (n.d.). The Molossian Naval Academy. Web.