MILITARY LEADERSHIP

Military Leadership



Table of Contents

Introduction4

Military Leader Development7

The U.S. Military Academy's Cadet Leader Development System8

The Future Combat Leader9

Leaders Who Know How to Think10

Physically Prepared for Leadership Challenges11

Spiritually Strong11

Making Morally Correct Decisions12

Increasing Cultural Awareness13

Teaching Military Leadership14

Learning to Lead the Self15

Transitioning to Leading Others16

The Critical Objective17

Leading Teams and Organizations17

Leading in Dangerous and Extreme Contexts19

Danger and Its Effect on Military Leadership19

The Test of a Leader's Mettle21

A Critical Need for Trust21

An Immediate and Complete Response22

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A New Challenge23

Continuing Care for Injured Soldiers24

Leading Military Families25

The Role of the Military Family in Leadership25

Helping the Military Leader Care for Families26

Getting Families through Deployments27

Practical Implications of Military Leadership29

Leader Development in Non-federal Entities31

Organizations in Crisis31

Flexibility and Adaptability32

Contemporary Research Azimuths in Military Leadership32

Is there a type or style of leadership typically military?34

The Phenomenon of Leadership: Some Theories34

The Phenomenon of Leadership: Leadership Styles and Behavior.35

The Phenomenon of Leadership37

The Military Leadership37

Leadership Doctrine in the Army of Chile42

References47

Bibliography51

Military Leadership

Introduction

There is no such thing as military leadership. As a rule, it is a poor strategy for authors to deny the existence of the very subject matter they intend to examine. The truth is that military leadership does not exist along the lines of military leader stereotypes popularized for entertainment in television or film—most people's primary source of information about military leadership. In fictional accounts, military leadership tends to be heavily stereotyped as autocratic, dogmatic, and dependent on legitimate authority bestowed by rank in hierarchically rigid organizations. Sometimes the stereotype portrays military leaders as colorful, bold, aggressive, inflexible, or either intolerant of bureaucracy or a key player in it, depending on the plotline or the proclivities of the screenwriter. It is the popular caricature of a military leader that may cause one to assume that military leadership exists as a style, or that military leaders possess clear patterns of personality characteristics in common. Neither assumption is true. Military leadership is best understood as a comparison to civilian leadership or to leadership in general, using a range of theoretical approaches, from transformational leadership through transactional leadership to even mere laissez-faire supervision (Rothwell, 2001).

Military leaders do, however, have more in common with each other than they do with leaders of most other organizations, especially those in the private or social sectors. Our leadership qualities are formed in a progressive and sequential series of carefully planned training, educational, and experiential events. Military leaders tend to hold high levels of responsibility and authority at low levels of the organization. Military leadership is based on values surrounding duty and a service obligation. We view our obligations as a moral responsibility, and we take an oath to that effect. Self-sacrifice is pledged upon occupation of our leadership role. Our leadership extends to the families of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, or marines. We are all expected to lead well in crisis conditions, and part of our expert knowledge includes leadership in dangerous contexts. Adaptability and tenacity in the face of danger is expected. Serving in contexts where leadership influences the physical well-being or survival of both a leader and the ...