Military Followership Principles

Each individual is different and sees and interpret things differently. This can cause it to be more difficult to manage. However, if done correctly, good leadership and mentorship can help Soldiers become more committed to something bigger than themselves – the collective goal, the mission – and helps them to achieve far greater results than they would have been able to. “Leaders who succeed are those who are humble enough to be able to see beyond themselves and perceive the true capacities and capabilities of their people” (The Outward Mindset, page 9). Respecting their differences, respecting them as individuals who can think, giving them the ability to be accountable for something bigger than themselves, makes them want to achieve and work harder together to reach the goal. When we respect each other, together, collaboratively, we can achieve far greater

In today’s day and age the United States of America has the most powerful military in the world this is because of the hard work our servicemen provide to the military. To have an effective military excellent leaders are needed, leaders who are able to lead and follow in the same manner. The U.S. Army is the largest and most important service branch in the United States military containing a total of 98,126 active officers in its force. The U.S. Army breeds officers who distinguish themselves by having traits such as drive, great physical fitness, long term and short term goals, even the ability to lead and be led by others, and learn from others and their mistakes. A good and effective Army officer needs to have ambition and intent, enough

“All Soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership; I know my Soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own; I will communicate consistently with my Soldiers and never leave them uninformed; I will be fair and impartial when recommending rewards and punishment (US Army).” These are excerpts from the Army’s basic mission statement. When Leaders within my organization follow this guidance, you earn the respect to influence those around you.

Field Manual (FM) 6-22 defines leadership as “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization”. The objective of this paper is to communicate my leadership philosophy of how I hope to lead the Soldiers within this organization. To fully understand my leadership, I will provide you some background on who I am and how my leadership styles have developed:

Understanding the theories behind leadership is vital to its application and practice. The 20th century has produced many new theories and studies in leadership. While an exact solution for leadership has yet to be discovered, the theories themselves have significantly demystified the field. The military as an organization has a high demand for competent leaders. While experience may be the best teacher, a solid theoretical understanding of leadership is a worthwhile resume piece in a career field where everyday decisions can directly impact the lives of any number of people. The goal of military organizations has steep consequences; therefore, its leaders assume a great deal of responsibility. The definition of leadership as a

My leadership philosophy is to emulate the Drill Sergeant Creed and to uphold today’s Soldiers to the standards of military bearing and courtesy. As a Drill Sergeant, I strive to be a subject matter expert in all aspects of the Army. I will always lead by example and train my Soldiers to meet and exceed that standard. I will set the example for others to follow by adhering to the values set forth by the Creeds, Army Values, and Warrior Ethos. The following are characteristics I hold highest for myself and my Soldiers: competence, consistency, mission accomplishment, personal responsibility and communication.

Those military officers who are destined to become a leader are trained within the organization for the most effective use of manpower and resources. The Army uses a philosophy of leadership developed over the last several decades by subjecting Army personnel to the philosophy of command. This philosophy is stemmed from the “Golden Rule” of leadership. One’s values, ethics and virtues are needed from the beginning and are continual resources for making a good leader. One the basic comparisons between the military and higher education leadership is the progression of one’s ability to have a “vision” to complete the mission or operational responsibilities (Beach, 2015; Martinez, 2011).

Due to its purpose, the military has always been known to produce quality leaders. From George Washington to John F. Kennedy, the list goes on and on. The military’s rich history has afforded scholars the opportunity to dissect how leadership is developed in the military. People can look to the military for guidance on effective leadership because officers “… are trained for high-stakes positions at a young age and are sometimes thrown into those roles with no warming.” (The Different Ways Military Experience Prepares Managers for Leadership, p. 82) According to Professor Michael Useem author of “Four Lessons in Adaptive Leadership,” leadership development is best derived from the military as the “environment creates a culture of readiness

As a leader I believe, we have to lead by example. Leaders are responsible to motivate and influence others to accomplish the Army mission. As professionals you should always conduct yourself with respect among superiors, peers and subordinates. We will be loyal to this organization and our fellows Soldiers. All daily missions will be accomplish with a positive behavior. You will maintain yourself ready and relevant, by constant training. Leaders are responsible to review your duties and responsibilities pertaining to your area on a quarterly basis. All Soldiers will be trained to standards, to be proficient in all task assigned. This is a team effort organization. I expect supervisors to develop all subordinates, caring for them and providing

There are several important qualities that an individual must possess in order to be an effective leader. The primary skill that I consider the most valuable is the ability to lead by example. This quality was instilled in me from a young age and was further shaped through my training in Taekwon-Do, as it represented one of the core philosophies – “teach attitude and skill with actions rather than words.” Not only is a strong, positive role model for others provided when a superior leads by example, but the leader is also held accountable for his or her own actions. Effective leadership is imperative for a successful USMA cadet and Army officer because the example that his or her peers and subordinates follow is set by that cadet or officer.

There are three styles of leadership in particular that are applicable to the military leader; Transactional, Transformational, and Servant. Transactional leaders in a military environment pursue outcomes that are mutually rewarding by providing concise instructions and holding subordinates accountable for their actions. This leadership style eliminates assumptions and allows for subordinates to react rapidly and effectively, which is highly desirable in the chain of command work structure implemented by all military organizations. Key characteristics of the transformational leader are their ability to develop esprit-de-corps and to recognize the talents inherently in their subordinates and to cultivate those talents to enable their organization to succeed. Servant leadership is the converse of leadership in much of corporate America and the style I believe can be most effective in aiding private sector organizations in maintaining high employee retention rates. Servant leaders are selfless and seek to invest in the people they lead by genuinely caring about them and their

Army Leadership: For the purposes of the discussion in the research, Army leadership is “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization (Field Manual 6-22, 2013). People who perform above and beyond what is expected of them possess an internal desire to succeed no matter the challenges, it’s not done to be an over achiever. According to (Hargreaves & Harris, 2015), they have an inspiring and definable destination to reach for – a compelling dream rather than a core purpose, still less a numerical indicator of superiority. Organizations that perform above expectations,

Military leadership theory brings forth the discovery of many ideas regarding the application of knowledge from a military background in a business environment. Much information was premised on business owners, managers and employees working collectively, how to improve communication skills, and how to define a goal and motivate others to follow it based on military leadership. The connection between these two worlds of business and military is apparent. Many of today’s companies derive their structure and leadership model from that which is applied in the army. The military typically has a main leader or a decision \

The Army defines leadership as, “influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization” (FM-6001-100). Over the past year and a half while attending NMMI I have had the opportunity to observe various types of leadership styles both effective and ineffective. Today I will be sharing my experiences and observations in regards to leadership while attending this institution of higher learning. The majority of my observations will come from two separate organization that I am currently a member of, they are the SROTC program and the Corps of Cadets. In order to prevent digression or biased thoughts I will be utilizing three of the six principles of the Mission Command philosophy along with a crucial concept of the Army Profession. These principles will include building cohesive teams through mutual trust, creating shared understanding, providing a clear commanders intent and Honor. In addition, I will also include my input and offer possible solutions, various leadership flaws that surround these two organizations. George Santana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. No one is perfect, one of the reasons the ARMY is able to succeed in complex environments is because it constantly analyzes its strengths and weaknesses.

Being a leader, doing the right thing and living up to the army values are all things that society expects of a military officer. Leadership means to positively influence, motivate and provide your Soldiers with a sense of purpose to accomplish the mission to the highest standard. General Colin Powell has published both books and articles on leadership, specifically his eighteen principles of leadership. After reading through the eighteen principles I have chosen three that I am able to identify with and will discuss in detail how and why each principle pertains to me.