As an army leader, one must possess a specific range of qualities that allow managing key tasks flawlessly. Although there are countless approaches to leadership, specific attributes associated with leadership in the military environment remain homogenous across all army settings. Similarly, there are quite a few approaches to building different leadership frameworks for the military, which suggests that different perspectives on the army readership attributes exist. However, certain similarities can be found in all of the existing frameworks for military leadership, which is why core leadership attributes can be discerned. Traditionally, the leadership standards and qualities associated with the army are flexibility, leading by example, promoting trust, and encouraging compliance. Despite some of the described characteristics of army leadership might seem more significant than the rest, each of the specified concepts has an equally high value for a military leader. By viewing each of the qualities not only as an individual value but also as a part of a larger ethical framework, a military leader will be able to make decisions in highly complicated contexts effectively by centering the needs of vulnerable groups and ensuring that their safety remains at the core of the army leadership priorities.
Purpose Statement
The main goal of this essay is to study the core characteristics and properties of army leadership. By exploring the subject matter further and studying the essential factors that could support the development of the necessary qualities in army members and ensure that they maintain public safety, one will be able to improve key aspects of the army performance. Therefore, the specified paper is geared toward understanding the core attributes of leadership as the factors enhancing the troops’ understanding of their role in the promotion of civilians’ safety and, therefore, ultimately, improving their performance.
Analysis: Leadership Attributes
Although being a leader in the army implies addressing leadership goals similar to those for which one must strive in any other setting, there are several leadership attributes that are unique to the army environment. Specifically, the ability to lead by an example is one of the core attributes that an army leader must possess (Sosik et al. 8). The importance of the specified qualification is central since it serves to enhance the extent of soldiers’ courage and lift their spirits (or another military confrontation). Give the harsh realities of being a member of the army, especially in the context of a war, the presence of a powerful personal example is vital for a soldier (Sosik et al. 7). Therefore, as a leader, one must have the characteristics of leading by an example as one of the central attributes of leadership in the army. Similarly, the ability to evoke trust and loyalty in soldiers represents a critical leadership attribute that the head of the army must demonstrate. In a military environment, where every mistake may lead to a drastic loss and the resulting defeat, increasing the extent of compliance among the troops and ensuring that they meet the set objectives and expectations fully is central to the army’s success (Siswanto et al. 3145). Therefore, as an army leader, one must have the characteristics that will allow one to foster compliance and elicit emotional responses in soldiers (Siswanto et al. 3145). Specifically, the ability to build loyalty in the troops and inspire them to show their devotion by meeting the core objectives particularly ardently can be considered an outstanding characteristic of an army leader (Siswanto et al. 3147). Though the specified aspect of a military leader’s personality might be interpreted as slightly manipulative, it is still strongly needed and, therefore, justified by the necessity to enhance the safety and security of civilians. Thus, the focus on building genuine loyalty and the associated qualities in soldiers should be seen as a major requirement for a leader in the army. Likewise, it is crucial for a person at the helm of the army to command respect. The specified component of leadership in the military is tied inextricably to the rest of the characteristics since it represents one of the major factors motivating soldiers to comply with the issued orders (Chopik et al. 28). Indeed, studies show that people lacking respect and being unable to command it are prone to having their ideas and opinions being dismissed by subordinate team members, which, in turn, leads to a drop in the levels of compliance (Chopik et al. 25). Consequently, exerting respect and commanding it accordingly so that the troops could recognize the presence of a leader is vital for the head of a military team.
Flexibility is another attribute of leadership in the military that remains completely indispensable for keeping soldiers obedient and motivated to perform well. Although leadership in the army is typically associated with rigidity and insistent attitudes in popular culture, a true army leader must show propensity toward being flexible and responsive to sudden changes and the introduction of new factors into the equation. The significance of the specified characteristic is justified by the increased levels of risk uncertainty in the army context combined with the presence of numerous extraneous risks that may affect the process of decision-making tremendously. For instance, the emergence of the coronavirus and the subsequent immediate development of the global threat turning into the pandemic represented a major change for which army leaders had to account in 2019 when managing key operations and controlling the performance of the troops (Hutchings et al. 163). Being an entirely unexpected and completely uncontrollable factor, the specified issue required a rapid change and a certain flexibility in decision-making. Therefore, being adaptable and flexible are core attributes of a true army leader that must be regarded as absolutely indispensable. As the chart below shows (see fig. 1), the amalgamation of the characteristics discussed above represents the essence of army leadership and should, therefore, be considered a set of standards and qualities that one should search for in a military leader.
Conclusion
The integration of each of the leadership attributes as the extensions of a uniform framework for decision-making in the military setting, one will be able to create an environment in which soldiers align with rigid and unshakable alignment with the army philosophy, ethics, and standards, which core army standards will help implement. Among the core army standards that allow setting performance criteria, one should consider loyalty, commitment to the core causes of the military, and resourcefulness. The specified characteristics represent an army members’ ability to meet expectation and complete orders, which constitute the core of the military performance. Therefore, it is vital to assist soldiers in developing the characteristics in question, as well as encourage personal development in the troops.
Works Cited
Chopik, William J., et al. “Development of Character Strengths across the Deployment Cycle among US Army Soldiers.” Journal of Personality, vol. 89, no. 1, 2021, pp. 23-34.
Hutchings, S. D., et al. “Command, Control and Communication (C3) during the COVID-19 Pandemic; Adapting a Military Framework to Crisis Response in a Tertiary UK Critical Care Centre.” Journal of the Intensive Care Society, vol. 23, no. 2, 2022, pp. 162-169.
Siswanto, D., Basalamah, S., Mus, A., & Semmaila, B. (2020). Transformational Leadership, Trust, Work Involvement, Soldier’s Job Satisfaction. Management Science Letters, 10(13), 3143-3150.
Sosik, John J., et al. “Character into Action: How Officers Demonstrate Strengths with Transformational Leadership.” Air & Space Power Journal, vol. 32, no. 3, 2018, pp. 4-26.