Be" Know" Do: Leadership The Army Way was written by Frances Hesselbein and introduced by Gen. Eric Shinseki. Hesselbein was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998 by President Clinton serving as the CEO of Girl Scouts of America. Mrs. Hesselbein served as the Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point, in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. She is the first woman, and the first non-graduate to serve in this chair. Lastly she is editor-in-chief of the award-winning quarterly journal Leader to Leader and is the coeditor of twenty-seven books in twenty- nine languages. Eric Shinseki is a retired U.S Army general who served as the seventh U.S Secretary of Veterans …show more content…
I was able to pull many leadership ideas that are applicable in both my military and civilian careers as a National Guardsman. The easiest thing to boil down in the book are the traits people wish to see in leaders, the Be. In research reported by The Leadership Challenge surveying thousands of people in business and government, four results are remarkably consistent- honest, competent, forward-looking, and Inspiring (Hesselbein 48). These are attributes that have become instrumental in identifying successful leadership and should be used as my basis. Within these traits lay four skills that every leader must acquire knowledge and mastery of; Interpersonal, Conceptual, Technical and Tactical skills. The Know. What is profoundly interesting is the authors description of civilian tactical skills "involving negotiating, human relations, and the like are often necessary to achieve objectives" (Hesselbein 52). Being able to effectively and strategically utilize key units (both in and out of the military) to achieve success falls under such tactical skills. The last portion of effective leadership I'll take with me is, Do. The biggest thing to takeaway here is that successful leaders act in three ways: "they pull together in teams…with a unified purpose, they execute to achieve results, and they lead change to leave the organization stronger than they found it" (Hesselbein 55). With emphasis on the latter part, a successful leader leaves the organization in greater health than originally
Leaders are look upon as role models as they guide us with their motivating, influence to accomplish tasks. There are a lot of leadership styles; when leading, it is based on the situation. When I was in the military, I encountered with many different styles of leadership. A leadership that I considered meaningful is a Transformational Leader. The transformational Leader in the military with their inspiring charisma of motivating, influence creates a visualized path that produces energetic characteristics that inhere to new changes, developments, and possibilities.; by demonstrating authority, the Transformational Leader in the military utilizes their power to inspire and motivate people into trusting and following their example; this as
The first of the leadership qualities that I will mention being proactive versus reactive. According to the Holden Leadership Center at the University of Oregon (2009) being proactive is that “The exceptional leader is always thinking three steps ahead. Working to master his/her own environment with the goal of avoiding problems before they arise.” During the movie the soldiers are simulating being dropped off in a hot area. LT. Colonel Moore saw an issues that involved a “what if” situation. He walked up to a plane and tells the officer you’re dead and then asks the next man what to. He told his troops to learn the job of
It is important for a leader to understand that completing essential tasks to meet mission goals, personal development, and providing future leaders the tools to procure success are all equally important and should be balanced. Times may call for one responsibility to be a higher priority that the other, so it is imperative that leaders are able to differentiate what skills apply to certain situations. “Strategic leaders, for example, must control personnel development, evaluation and certification, and assignment and utilization processes in ways that motivate aspiring professionals as they progress through a career of service,” (TRADOC, 2010). The cycle of learning, training, and accomplishing goals creates a culture of duty-oriented Soldiers with dedicated character and leadership
Leadership is a trait that is developed over time by skillfully executing the mission, learning from past mistakes, and not being afraid to make the tough decisions. Once mission expertise is achieved, the role shifts into ensuring those who follow can take over the operational responsibilities of the mission. The expert previously described focuses on the people who are now filling the role he or she once held; this expert now ensures that those following receive the training they need, are mentored in their roles as a developing leader, and that their accomplishments are dutifully noted, even awarded when needed. The question of how to be an effective leader is developed as various skills observed from those who lead before. Whether it is the spelled out leadership philosophy of Captain Byron Black, Sector Upper Mississippi River who clearly stated “Take Care, Prepare, and Execute the Mission”, or the claim that following Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by Commander Lynn Keopke, Marine Safety Office Chicago, or the dos and don’ts of personal interaction observed from Chief Boatswains Mate Thomas Wilson, of Coast Guard Station Niagara, leadership characteristics are developed and refined over time.
Within the U.S. military, leadership is generally considered something of a given. It is a fundamental ingredient of warfare, without which the outcome of a combat operation cannot be assured. The leader is the brain, the motive power of command, upon whom subordinates rely for guidance and wisdom, and depend upon for good judgment. The leader must be determined, unflappable and charismatic; confident in delegation of authority; able to combine the various strands of command into a common thread; seasoned, intelligent, and thoughtful.
“Leadership, the lifeblood of an army, makes a difference every day in the United States Army. Since the formation of the Continental Army until today with Soldiers deployed around the globe, Army leaders have accepted the challenges before them. The United States Army has always had great leaders who have risen above hardships and have drawn on a range of leadership qualities to influence Soldiers, build units, and accomplish the mission.” (ADP 6-22, 2012)
There are some principles of leadership according to the Army, 1983 which, if followed by a leaders knows what are but also what they do. First leaders have to get to know themselves which will seek self-improvement. In order to know themselves, they need to understand what is theirs, what they do and attributes. Seeking self-improvement it means continually strengthening of their characteristics and this can be achieved through self-study, reflection, and interaction with others. Secondly, they are technically capable, in other words as a leader, must know their job and have a solid familiarity with the tasks of the employees. Moreover when things go wrong, as they do not blame others but a right leader analyzes the situation and take corrective
In the operational environment challenges include national security, local laws and customs, diplomacy and immediate threats. In the garrison environment, challenges include family issues, the lack of knowledge of available resources and less control over Soldiers (Ratwani & Fite, 2012). Leaders lacking self-awareness will have difficulty influencing others or attaining their goals related to leader growth and development. Also leaders that are lacking a clear sense of their identity will not want to develop or improve their leadership skills. The incomplete or inaccurate sense of identity hinders the growth of leadership anywhere. In each environment, the ability to lead and inspire others begins with an understanding of oneself, which ultimately determines a leader’s character and helps to develop their critical problem solving skill (HQ, Department of the Army, 2012, p.
group.I believe that is very true, however with the Military rapidly growing, and becoming more
I like this article because it takes several previously discussed leadership topics and applies them to military style leadership. Laurence also points out several complex situations that leadership face in combat situations that are unique and not necessarily even considered by the majority of corporate America.
This paper is a composite view of leadership based on the career experience of four individuals who have served faithfully in the armed services of the United States. The author of this paper interviewed three individuals who each have greater than twenty years, and in some cases quite a bit more, of experience in various leadership roles varying from the tactical to strategic levels in either the military or private enterprise. Each of the individuals interviewed were asked the same questions to determine if the methods used by leaders were similar, or if there were differences in their approach. This paper is intended to be a comparative examination of the leadership approaches used by these individuals to successfully conduct operations in their sphere of influence.
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes…and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” –Eleanor Roosevelt. Political figures, service members, clergymen, and personnel in the athletic domain have substantial dialogue in trying to capture the essence of what comprises effective leadership. Leadership is hard to define because it depends vastly on its context. Through extensive personal reflection, I can narrow down my leadership philosophy to three principal tenets—those being the leading by example, habitually choosing the harder right rather than the easier wrong, and consistently being cognizant of an overarching purpose. Although my development as a leader is far from over, I strongly believe that the practice of these three tenets will yield success in my endeavors as an Army officer. In this paper I will describe how these three tenets are essential to leading others through exploring their application to military leadership.
When developing Army leaders, there were many attributes and traits to consider to make this leader and the Army as a whole professional. Some of the traits that were considered in the article were stated to just be “key” traits the Army leaders wanted to focus on. The profession of the Army desire: expertise, trust, development, values and service. For the professional the Army desires: skill, trust, leadership, character, and duty. (The United States Army, 2010) Only one of these key attributes
Strong leadership is the foundation of the military. Everyone receives leadership training throughout their career, no matter who you are if you stick around long enough you will be in charge of something. Identifying those leaders that are there just collecting a paycheck, the transactional leaders, and those that inspire and serve, the transformational and servant, is easy after a while. I use a combination of servant and transformative leadership, but lean more towards servant. My goal as a leader is to ensure everyone has the tools to properly do their job, if they do, then the mission should come easily. No one is perfect, I have certainly made some mistakes, but I try not to shift the blame, correct the mistake, and move on. Leadership is a tool that needs refining in order to truly inspire those beneath you.
Over the course of the past 18 years, I have seen good, bad, inspiring, and demoralizing leadership qualities. True leadership is defined by one’s actions during times of adversity. The best leaders understand that when plans are not successful, it is best to step back and put pride in check. A successful course of action starts when the cause is not about one individual, but the goals of the team. Many different influences, good and bad, have shaped my career. If not for the inspirational leaders at my first unit, Station Gloucester, MA, I am not sure that I would still be in the Coast Guard. Credibility can make or break any leader. I have read several well-written command philosophies that were tarnished because their authors did