Leadership and Why it is Imperative to Enforce Rules and Regulations Set in Place - Essay Example

?Leadership is a choice. It is a choice that every one of us is called upon to make in every waking moment of our lives but not everybody rises up to. Leadership therefore begins as a decision, and ends in itself by giving rise to more leadership. If one person chooses to lead and others follow suit, more leaders are created in turn. Thus a famous quote made by the leader of the French revolution goes, “There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader.” Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin (1807 – 1874) To be a leader is to set a good example and a good example of one is ideally observed in the military. The military culture is a unique environment that fosters leadership in each soldier as a consequence of traditions, standard sets of values and ideals and norms of conduct established over a long series of generation of a nation. In other words, leadership is nurture, not nature. Since a military leader operates within a dynamic and politically sensitive environment, it is important that a military leader must influence each and every member of his chain of command to accomplish missions with a sense of purpose, direction and motivation. Military leaders in all levels must be able to effectively communicate, coordinate and negotiate with different individuals and groups representing various organizations within and outside the government, as well as with the local and international media. It could not be more emphasized that a nation’s sovereignty and security depends on a strong military leadership. Military leadership, in peacetime and war alike, must also be solidly grounded on moral responsibility and selfless service by placing the welfare and needs of the people above all else. It is the kind of leadership that heavily invests on the performance of duties to the nation with the highest of integrity and even at the expense of personal sacrifice by every soldier. A good soldier knows this; he understands the strategic implications of his actions and behaviors on national objectives and takes a professional oath to that effect. And like every professional, a soldier as a leader must remain competent and functional in their designated fields, especially in the midst of fast-paced information and technological advances, and must be thoroughly knowledgeable on the constantly changing national policies, laws, and rules of engagement, as it spells the difference between the life and death. Since a military leader must mobilize his subordinates as a cohesive team, he must develop and ensure a positive command atmosphere to encourage honesty and confidence within each member of the team enough to build trust that their personal wellbeing are being seriously taken care of as well. Although a military leader should not be also afraid to exercise their authority to punish their subordinates who behave counter to unit tasks and standards that may compromise their objectives and missions. The nature of leadership in the military is therefore a continuous and progressive process defined by careful and methodical planning and strategy. The process of cultivating leadership in every soldier starts by proper training and education. Numerous military academies all over the world vigorously prepare the best and the brightest students for a military career by offering specialized courses specifically designed to prepare each student for their chosen branch of service upon graduation in direct response to the need of their respective nations. Such institutions play a key role in instilling values such as loyalty, respect, honor, and commitment into aspiring soldiers from the beginning aside from honing their tactical and technical skills as warfighters, which would serve them well in time particularly in the frontlines of battle. As developing leaders, soldiers must learn how to always anticipate and manage sudden changes followed by the ability to act quickly and decisively under pressure. Soldiers assuming leadership roles must first determine what is expected of himself and his team, to assess the abilities and limitations of his subordinates as well as to identify and delegate tasks that would maximize the strengths of his unit’s members. In the end, a unit’s capability to meet objectives and exceed expectations is the true measure of a military official’s effectiveness as a leader. Leadership is a learning process as well. Some of the simple and logical courses of action that military leaders may be take to be an effective leader would be (1) to become tactically and technically proficient themselves, (2) to know their own strengths and weaknesses while continuously seeking ways and opportunities for self-improvement, (3) to know their subordinates and oversee their welfare by keeping them soldiers informed, (4) to set a good role models themselves, and most importantly, (5) to communicate clearly the visions, missions and objectives of the unit and ensure that they are implemented. Thus the sustaining character a military leader must possess are the following desirable traits: self-confidence, fortitude, high-level of integrity, decisiveness and accountability, sense of justice, physical endurance, tact and diplomacy, initiative, level-headedness, intellectual and emotional maturity, will power, authoritativeness and assertiveness, professional competence, steadfastness and commitment, creativity, self-discipline, humility, flexibility, and empathy or compassion. A military leader is basically a principled individual who makes ethical and legal decisions because more than being a professional soldier, a military leader is essentially is a public servant responsible for the defense and protection of the nation. And a good public servant is a person of strong moral fiber, committed to the dictates and ethics of his profession, and is capable to formulate a plethora of solutions that are realistic and applicable to resolve complex political dilemmas. If a military leader knows and sets his own standards and adjusts rules to address various situations, then he can provide and plan the needed direction, purpose and motivation that his subordinates must look up to. Therefore, a military leader to be an inspiring example of leadership must avoid these examples of behavior unbecoming of a professional: violating the dignity of his subordinates by unreasonable punishment or unnecessary ridicule of his troops, being generally lazy by resting before his men, shirking his responsibilities, or putting unfounded blame on subordinates for a squad's failure in accomplishing a specific task, and exhibiting favoritism. Supervision is keeping a grasp on the situation and ensuring that plans and policies are implemented properly, including giving instructions and continuously inspecting the accomplishment of a task. Although a great amount of his tasks is in supervising, a military leader must be exercise caution to preclude the danger of too much supervision because it suppresses the initiative and creativity of his subordinates, brings about resentment and dissention in the team, and lowers morale or esprit de corps. At the same time, having too little supervision causes several pitfalls such as miscommunication, lack of coordination, and misconception by subordinates that the leader is impotent and weak. Achieving all of these by a military leader boosts the morale of his unit. High morale equates to having soldiers in a team who have the enthusiasm and the will to fight for him and the nation. As a public servant, it is inevitable that military leaders must also take into his considerations and fight against the pressures considered to be unethical, which usually stem from self-interest or pressure from all angles: his peers, subordinates, as well as pressure from his commanding officers. A military leader must still be able to make the right decisions despite all this. When the standards set by a military officer are not met, he must learn prioritize and analyze the situation and at the same time, find out the best plan of action that could resolve and salvage the situation. As a military leader, he must arouse in himself and his team positive emotions such as confidence, meaning, and self-respect that will overrule fear, prevent panic and alleviate stress that could further compromise his team’s capacity to fulfill objectives. All these and more must be carried out by the military leader, who must be able to influence the core beliefs and values of his soldiers by setting a good example himself. But in order to influence the same beliefs and values in the soldiers a military leader must in turn respect his own soldiers to earn their respect. This is a rewarding behavior that a military leader enjoys and benefits from. The critical factor in any leadership is communication. This means that there should be no “sugar coating.” In a military environment, if someone is behaving in an unprofessional manner that is detrimental to him or to his unit, that unruly person is told about it in no uncertain terms. This is how military leaders work to build better leaders themsleves. Honest evaluations produce that kind of result and is even empowering. This is in contrast with the modern corporate setting of what the human resources department refers to as “double-talk,” that has evolved due to a fear of expensive and legally damaging lawsuits or, simply, to avoid hurt feelings. That is, if someone, for example misses deadlines, then just say it as it is without bothering to try to soften the blow. This would give that person a chance to see his mistakes and correct the unacceptable behavior himself accordingly. It may sound harsh but being precise and explicit in giving out directions and goals helps the members of a unit to completely and universally understand what is expected of them. This will ensure that the whole unit will work as one. If one member does not do his job properly in a given situation of conflict, somebody in his team, or worse, his whole team could die. Applying the tenets of military leadership in common corporate background would be like a fresh breath of change that will definitely facilitate the its betterment for the good of the whole company. Actual recognition for an achievement may be otherwise crowned by financial incentives as an example of positive motivation. Military and corporate leadership may be aligned by the following motivational principals: (1) to make the needs of individuals within a unit to coincide with the unit’s visions and goals; (2) to reward individual and team effort that promotes the unit’s objectives; (3) to counsel or punish soldiers who behaves in a manner that goes against the unit’s tasks and standards; (4) to set the best example in all time; (5) to raise the morale and esprit de corps in the unit; (6) to give the subordinates challenges to give them the wonderful opportunity of giving more and stretching the limits of their skills; (7) to get the subordinates to actively participate in big group events; (8) to alleviate causes of the personal concerns of your soldiers so that soldiers can concentrate on their jobs; (9) to ensure that the needs of the soldiers are properly overseen like the tools they need to succeed; (10) to keep the soldiers in the loop y informing them of the tasks and missions; (11) to use positive peer pressure that will work for all involve; (12) to avoid using unreliable statistics as a sole indicator of performance by subordinates; (13) to make the tasks of unit members more challenging, exciting and meaningful as possible; and (14) to not tolerate any biased talk or behavior in your unit in all times. Following such courses of action fulfills the core competencies of leadership such as communication, supervision, teaching, counseling, development, proficiency, decision-making, planning, proficiency, and resourcefulness. Military leadership takes its roots from a conscientious and personal urging to serve others. Leadership of this caliber is prevalent not only in the military but also to other dangerous public service occupations. The selflessness, innovation, and flexibility demanded by such fields of discipline can also serve as a model for leaders in the private sector. Military leaders don't just lead from the front or from the sidelines: they instead lead from all possible angles, doing whatever it takes at any costs to obtain concrete outcomes. They always seek out constant areas of improvement and address them. A leader's job is a long, hard and unforgiving road. Leaders are wise by their own hand. Leaders define themselves. Read More