A military leader is more clearly goal-oriented than a civilian, more purposefully setting his priorities and the priorities of the people entrusted to them in command. Civic leaders, for comparison, at the present stage prefer less direct ways of influencing the interlocutor, corresponding to the understanding of relations between people. For example, civic leaders interrupt less, are more discreet and polite, and are less self-confident. For the military, for obvious reasons, this approach is not practical. This essay’s purpose is to determine the essence of the leadership qualities of military personnel, as well as the components of army leadership. The peculiarities of the leadership orientations of the military should include such qualities as the ability to work in a team and the ability to organize a team. The leadership style of the military, as a rule, is associated with a command leadership style based on the use of power and strict control. The priority is an authoritarian leadership style and a lack of attention to interpersonal relationships.
The military leader’s main priority is to solve problems, set goals and tasks for the team, and put forward the concept of their solution. In other words, the military leader alone is responsible for their subordinates and does not need a second set of eyes. Acting based on a personal example, a leader of this type mobilizes the capabilities of members of their group and stimulates its activity (Kirchner & Akdere, 2019). In addition, the military leader prefers cooperation with subordinates based on hierarchical relationships. By involving their subsidiaries in the interaction, military leaders clarify their own opinion by thinking aloud, which helps them assess all factors adequately. Turning to subordinates for help, as a rule, occurs in case of urgent need. The purpose of transferring part of the powers may be the desire to obtain additional information. Along with the desire to find optimal signs of leadership, there is an opinion that such searches are hardly sufficiently thorough because social levers determine people’s interests and behavior.
Leadership through interaction cannot be a phenomenon of management because, in certain situations, it is also used by representatives who do not have the necessary qualities. At the same time, it is well known that leaders themselves often practice a certain style considered in the literature as typically authoritative. The structure of the military government is undergoing a gradual reorganization and the system of management areas in general. In recent years, new priority directions in leadership styles have been gradually formed, and there has been a change in profiles in management structures (Kirchner & Akdere, 2017). An influential and respected leader must have a sufficiently purposeful will and authority and possess a full range of leadership behavior. According to Appendix A, it is possible to identify several personal qualities that have the most significant influence on forming a leadership style. Army leadership consists of two essential elements: the commanding qualities of a serviceman and the degree of compliance with military legislation and the US Constitution.
US military law restricts to a certain extent the civil rights of not only ordinary soldiers but also officers. It is believed that such a restriction is necessary to maintain a high level of discipline and combat readiness. These restrictions create an environment conducive to the performance by troops of their primary functions and protect officers from uncharacteristic political intrigues and behind-the-scenes struggles. Life convincingly testifies: political personalities change, and parties alternate in power, but the army and its strategic and operational tasks remain unshakable (Meerits & Kivipõld, 2020). As a rule, it performs these tasks regardless of the party’s interests and ambitions of individual citizens. Therefore, the participation of officers in political events is limited by specially stipulated conditions. Formally, they have the right to be members of any non-prohibited political organizations or unions – with the only caveat that they participate in their activities not as officers but as citizens. They are prohibited from attending rallies or processions in military uniform and during office hours.
Loyalty, dedication, and strict adherence to the doctrine allow any army organization to be effective and successful. There are three main areas of leadership competencies in the army, due to which leaders develop at all levels of their professional activities. These competencies include leadership skills, development skills, and goal achievement skills. Considering the phenomenon of professional competence of military personnel, it is necessary to believe that it is closely interrelated with professionalism. Effective military leadership includes spiritual and moral perfection, officer mentality, military-professional competence, and psychological and pedagogical preparedness (Meerits & Kivipõld, 2020). Thus, effective military leadership plays an important role because, through it, solid and firm leaders are obtained who can lead people in difficult conditions. A good leader is a person with character and professional competencies, one who can influence his subordinates and quickly adapt to changes. In addition, an integral part of effective army leadership is training, through which mentors transfer invaluable experience and knowledge.
References
Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2019). Exploring the applications of US Army leader development model in nonmilitary organizations: Implications for training. Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 19(3). Web.
Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2017). Military leadership development strategies: Implications for training in non-military organizations. Industrial and Commercial Training. Web.
Meerits, A., & Kivipõld, K. (2020). Leadership competencies of first-level military leaders. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. Web.
Appendix A
