Key Military Strategic-leader Competencies - Essay Example

Key Military Strategic-leader Competencies At different stages of one’s career, an individual has to exhibit certain set of skills and qualities, which make him, stand out like nobody else. He has to portray the best of his character and bring out what is not present in the rest of the populace. He has to lead by example, a thing which people of present times usually lack and which is not that easily found in our society. Similarly, at the top level within military it is very significant to have a clear mind whereby the person can think way beyond his understanding as well as ask of his army to carry out his commands with astuteness and wisdom. Needless to say, a leader at a senior position within the military has to understand that he is the ultimate boss and without his proper vision and goals, there can be no other person to fill the void which would be created if his thinking and mindset are just not there in the right place1. There have been many a number of individuals who have had exceptional talents, both in the field of sports as well as a number of other arenas of life but here we will focus on the role of leaders within the military and that too on very strategic positions2. These people have ascended on the ladder of success with sheer hard work and commitment, which in its essence, is the key to attain and achieve success and fame. There have been great leaders amongst the military who can be bracketed alongside the very best. One needs to understand what challenges they had to go through before the world understood their might and leadership ways were appreciated left, right and center. The competencies that need to be there in a military leader having strategic vision and thinking include his presence of mind, use of information and knowledge thus achieved/attained in a tactful manner, understand the proper usage of his strategic goals and tactical actions and lastly pinpoint the areas of strength within his army and cover the loopholes that are present amongst the army and are labeled as the points of weakness and where the opposing armies can hit upon – the constant threats that need to be warded off. They need to forecast what is going to happen and this achieves more importance in the light of a war scene where strategic (long term) and tactical (short term) actions rule the roost. Moreover the manner in which these decisions are taken and carried out by the sub-ordinates in the first place requires intelligence on the part of the military leader who can set himself apart from his army and be a focused and tactful person gaining respect from all quarters. Dignity is something that has to be earned over time and it is only possible when the leader understands the command and the line of command that is present in his military ranks3. He must pinpoint the problems that might seem to arise at some point in time and must not let any thing unsettle his plans whatsoever. This comes under the heading of problem management which we discuss next. Problem management and finding where the actual problem basically stems from is an art in its own entirety. This has to be understood in the areas where the problems usually lie and then a brainstorming session must be held which would encompass high level officers of the army and it is only from there that the way forward is set for the military leader and indeed the whole of the army. They need to be in unison as far as their decisions and eventually the actions are concerned. If they cannot understand that the problem is there in the first place, half the battle is lost then and there and this is pretty significant on the part of the military leader to realize if he is astute enough to know his own game. A proper mindset is very essential as far as the military leader is concerned since he has to deal with a lot of negativities coming his way. The best thing to counter the same is to remain positive at all times and take problems with his chin high up4. This can be bracketed alongside his visionary thinking which is so very imperative to have since becoming a leader in the first place. He needs to visualize what is going to happen next and only then he can envision what is right for his army and what can owe as a complete exercise in blunder for it. Thus conceptual thinking and a sound visualization mindset is such an important facet of a military leader that can reap instant dividends if the same are applied in an immediate and tactful manner. Moreover, if the leader thinks consistently on a certain angle, more often than not it will lead him and his army towards success and proper framework will be established which could counter the problems thus faced, as discussed before in the problem management paragraph. Diplomacy is another tangent that needs to be touched upon under this heading and it gains more importance in the world of present times since remaining positive can reap benefits for one and all than having a particular side of the story and sticking with it5. It is always good to think and eventually act whilst remaining in the center and not taking anyone’s side whilst showing both the parties that the leader is with them in their hour of need and distress. This is a clever move and one that needs to be wisely adjusted, more so since the world today is moving ahead at a fast pace with technology pouring in from left, right and center. Diplomatic angle can make a number of friends and reduce the number of enemies for the leader since he starts making decisions for the betterment of all and sundry without having any prejudices for a particular party, individual or group for that matter. On the same token, we understand that diplomacy leads to success in the long run as more and more touch points are established and no doors are closed as far as the leader is concerned and keeping the same in the frame of the army under discussion, we discern that the army gains in recognition and has a higher and more dignified view in the eyes of the opposing ones as was the case if the diplomatic skills were absent in the military leader previously. One of the more important skills that are required of a military leader sitting at the top most position is that of having stamina to exceeding levels6. This means that his physical and mental make up must be of a leader and should not suggest that he is a coward man at any point in time. He must have a heart of a lion and fight like a true soldier even at the worst of times. He must not panic and give up on a frontier that easily and understand that the whole army depends on his actions alone and look up to him in the hour of trouble and grief. He is the one to show them the way and if he himself loses the plot then it is very difficult to make the army under him realize their true potential. High personal stamina is thus something that must be found in a pure and true leader and if the same is missing, then it can be safely judged that the military lacks a real and significant personality at the helm of affairs. It is best to change the military commander at the earliest with a person having inner courage to confront any kind of opposition with determination, will and a sense of sheer commitment and dedication. The devotion factor must be present within an astute leader who hails from the military regime. 7Some of the important aspects that come under the organizational and strategic leadership lie in the fact that they entail interpersonal skills, as to how the leader deals with his army or the command under him in terms of his understanding of his soldiers, the manner in which he communicates with them and makes the message appear coherent and effective, not to forget the motivation that is coming all the time and the supervision that is indeed an important facet of the interpersonal skills. The conceptual skills are relevant since they provide food for thought to the military leader and make him deliver goods from a long term thinking perspective. He needs to establish what he wants to do, then filter the information which he receives from his different sources, he understands the information which has come courtesy the different systems and then thinks in the light of the very same. The technical skills are indeed very significant in this whole perspective since these provide the nitty-gritty aspects of the leader’s role in crunch times and when the battle is in its full swing. The tenets which come under the technical skills include the maintenance and upholding of critical skills once undertaken, the usage of resources in a most effective and efficient manner and lastly looking and foreseeing the results of the other alternatives which can be employed in a strategic position and the undertaking of the same tasks can help the whole battalion or organization as a result. Finally, the tactical skills are of a short term nature and these look to have a solid basis for synchronization of tasks and activities and orchestration of the vital tasks. It takes serious actions on the part of the leaders to lead their battalion or organizations as we may put it as. These actions need to have a completely influencing nature on the part of the soldier and indeed the whole strength. Communication is a vital aspect and knowing one’s own self forms up as another significant ingredient. Also there should be fair enough knowledge of finding out what is the actual purpose for carrying out a certain activity within the related ranks. The leader should make sure that he knows the soldiers and sub-ordinates at all times as this gives him a fair enough idea about their strengths and brings to light the weaknesses as well. Decision making indeed forms up as one of the imperative points of the whole exercise and cannot be denied its due role in the leadership process. Operating actions ensure that there is sound systems planning in place and preparation is thorough at all frontiers. Goals and objectives are set under this preparation stage which is indeed one of the most important tasks that come under the leader’s action set. Priorities are set for the most important of assignments and preparation is thus given emphasis based on highest priority and towards the lowest priority stages related with tasks. In the end, there is a follow up act to back what has been recorded and done to date. Execution forms as the final stage since all the pre-planning is now tested for delivery and this forms as the real ground act on the part of the leader and his military organization. Similarly, after the execution stage has been completed, we need to assess as to what was the opportunity area within the task and what went wrong in the whole process. Actions can be improved by developing, building and lastly learning the outcomes. In the end, it can be said that the competencies found in a military leader must definitely outweigh the weaknesses that are in him. In fact if there are any weaknesses within him in the first place, they should for sure be turned into his areas of strength and looked up towards opportunity thriving zones. These are the areas on which the whole of military can trust upon and look eye into eye of the opposing forces since they very well know that they have a sound base to set foot upon. More importantly, the vision and thinking of a military leader sets him apart from his fellows and opposition, both in the best as well as the worst of circumstances. All said and done, it is up to the military commander and indeed the true leader to realize the true potential of men under him and thus change his gears whenever he deems fit. They key competencies can always be added under the banner of strength and opportunity areas which are there solely for the sake of improvement, both of the army and the leader himself. BIBLIOGRAPHY Wong, Dr. Leonard Strategic Leadership Competencies URL: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=382 Salacuse, Jeswald W. Leading Leaders: How to Manage Smart, Talented, Rich and Powerful 2005 UCSB Military Science Sophomore Year URL: http://www.milsci.ucsb.edu/class_info/sophomore.htm Leader Development US Army Combined Arms Center URL: http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/leaderdevelopment.asp 2006 Cucolo, Tony Grunt Diplomacy: In the Beginning there were only Soldiers URL: http://www.carlisle.army.mil/USAWC/Parameters/99spring/cucolo.htm 1999 Pritchard, Lt. Col. Kenneth H. Competency-Based Leadership for the 21st Century URL: http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/milreview/pritchard.htm 1997 Organizational Leadership Chapter 6 URL: https://atiam.train.army.mil/soldierPortal/atia/adlsc/view/public/9502-1/fm/22-100/ch6.htm Word Count: 2,107 Read More