Part of the responsibility of the leader is to oversee the behavior of his team and perform the actions needed to correct the low contributions. For this reason, I consider that direct supervision is necessary to measure motivation and keep discipline. Since each person has his own drivers and the problems from private life affect his performance, human factors are a sensitive issue that can prevent a qualified individual from being productive. Consequently, the leader must distribute the effort and solve possible failures, which can result even in coaching or replacing members of the team. As the time goes by and the first difficulties have been overcome, the motivation of the team will grow, and even the less enthusiastic of the first period …show more content…
The military culture was completely new for me since I had neither relatives nor friends wearing uniforms. In my early days as a cadet, I realized that there was two kinds of people commanding me: those who were coherent in their words and actions on discipline, and those who were not. For some reason, those who were noble examples naturally inspired respect and obedience; on the other hand, those who were incoherent relied on permanent supervision and set a negative image. This perception was general among my colleagues and fixed in my mind the importance of the example to command people during my time in the Academy. After my graduation, I was incorporated in the organization and culture of the Air Force as a workplace, and I assimilated concepts from my interaction with superiors and subordinates.
As an officer at the tactical level, I learned that the human connection with the NCOs and enlisted personnel sets the tone for their future performance. Additionally, I realized that the guidance of the commander was an orientation, and it was my responsibility to translate it into the tasks for my subordinates. Therefore, there is always room for ingenuity as long as the resources are feasible and the procedures are observed. However, an officer in the junior ranks generally misses the connection with the major goals of the
…show more content…
From my background in engineering, I can offer a parallel of adaptation with a control system: the best way to regulate something is to compare its current output with the expected value and constantly reduce the difference. This comparison is made by using feedback, and this is one of the crucial issues for the future. Since in military life rotation is a common practice, it will be necessary for me to identify people who can provide candid references about the situation going right or wrong, without any personal interest. Additionally, I will also must be objective since as part of the staff will be my duty to advise the commander on his decisions. The higher the rank of the commander, the most critical the decisions will be. Furthermore, the concept of moral courage is also relevant since counseling the high leadership of the Air Force can sometimes involve ethical decisions. These decisions can result in limiting the capability of the institution to fulfill its mission, or an injustice that can affect the career of another
Military leaders may find themselves in questionable situations: perceived as unethical; lack moral consciousness, or question their character. Dwight Eisenhower demonstrated moral courage by leveraging the ethical principles of duty, loyalty and subordination in endorsing the French Vichy leader Admiral Darlan.
As the incoming brigade commander, LTC (P) Owens, I see the critical leadership problem facing the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is the inability or unwillingness of Colonel Cutler to lead and manage change effectively. In initial talks with Col Cutler and in reviewing the brigade’s historical unit status reports, the 4th ABCT performed as well as can be expected in Afghanistan, but as the onion was peeled back there are numerous organizational issues that were brought to the surface while I walked around and listened to the soldiers of the 4th ABCT, in addition to reviewing the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) report. One of the most formidable tasks of a leader is to improve the organization while simultaneously accomplishing
Effective planning is impossible without first understanding the problem. Commanders rely on personal observations, experiences, and input from others to develop understanding. They also prioritize information requests and incorporate additional information as those requests are answered. A complete understanding of the problem and environment builds the foundation for the operational process and ...
From family to squad members, communication acts as the cornerstone for a military officer, assisting in the mental health of the individual as well as facilitating the conduction of successful operations by an intricate, yet responsive, organization. Military officers are often times imagined as infallible heroes, unwavering against and untouched by the realities of modern warfare. Yet, newly commissioned, 22 year old officers often faces the arduous responsibilities of leading a platoon or flight comprised of men and women generally the same age as themselves into combat, or managing millions of dollars worth
Commanders at all levels face increasingly challenging scenarios as the operational environment changes. Some instinctively motivate and empower their subordinates to think and act independently, thereby influencing actions during combat. However, those who understand the commanders' activities of mission command will influence not only subordinates, but the outcome of the battle as well. Mission command is the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders.1 Commanders who understood the importance of mission command was Major General Horatio Gates. General Gates at the Battle of Saratoga successfully utilized mission command through leading, understanding, visualizing and assessing.
Sergeants of Marines are considered the backbone of the Corps, but a steady rise of fearful NCO’s, is now a common trend. Not ones that fear the terrors of war, violence, or bloodshed, but Marines that fear the pen on a piece of paper, both in combat as well as in Garrison. These are Sergeants that wait for the answer and accept what their being told without debate as opposed to taking split second moves that could be the lifesaving moments needed for their team in a real world scenario. The first step to correcting this problem is at the NCO level. Decisiveness is a leadership trait that is detrimental to the noncommissioned officers reputation within the Marine Corps. By encouraging outside the box thinking and making decisions with full confidence, Marines gain what is needed to ultimately decide when it matters, and most importantly influence junior marines by reinforcing this leadership trait.
As our forefathers before us stated, ‘‘No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army (“The NCO Creed writing by SFC Earle Brigham and Jimmie Jakes Sr”). These words to Noncommissioned Officer should inspire us to the fullest with pride, honor, and integrity. The NCO creed should mean much more than just words whenever we attend a NCO’s school. For most of us this is what our creed has become because we learn to narrate or recite. The military from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard has an overabundance of NCOs who fall under their pay grade of E-5, E-6 and etc. Yet somehow there still not enough leaders. I believe that the largest problem afflicting the military today is our lack of competent leaders, ineffective leader development, and how we influence our subordinates under us who are becoming leaders.
The ability to understand a problem, determine the desired end state, and develop a strategy to achieve that end state is a highly sought after skill in every facet of the military profession. However, in a joint setting, the problems are generally much more complex requiring an advanced mastery of problem solving from joint staff officers. The complexities of planning on the joint staff level stem from the amount of education it takes to simply understand the problem. Joint staff officers not only must understand the components and capabilities of their own service, they must also understand any service they might interact with to include the nine combatant commands. These demands put a heavy emphasis on joint professional military education before the joint staff officer shows up to their assignm...
...in. “The Cultural Imperative for Professional Military Education and Leader Development.” Parameters: US Army War College 39.4 (2009): 20-31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2010.
Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (U.S.) United States. Department of the Air Force. (2012b). Ethical Leadership (LM01). Maxwell-Gunter Annex, AL: Department of the Air Force.
Strategic leaders like sergeants, majors, colonels, and generals, must balance the present environment with what may happen in the future, without the help of a crystal ball. This balancing act is critical for the Army to have the capabilities to meet the needs of the nation, however, the balancing act is not complete until the Army’s culture and its institutional practices are aligned. What that means is the Army’s institutional values must continue to reflect the diverse culture of the
Respect is probably the most important trait that needs to be shown towards your superiors. Every Armed forces branch in the United States of America has a chain of command in which respect is the main premise behind the entire organization. Respect backs the ideals and leadership within any chain of command. Respect is important in the design of the military system itself. You have to automatically trust and do what higher ranking cadet, or any cadre member says because they hold power and most likely have more experience then you. You must show them respect to because they have more knowledge and know how, not to mention they have earned the stop they are in. Respect also tires into the worrier’s ethos, which is an important aspect of what it means to be a member of the army.
The most effective commanders through their leadership build cohesive teams. Mutual trust, shared understanding, and accepting prudent risk serve as just a few principles for mission command. Mutual trust is the foundation of any successful professional relationship that a commander shares with his staff and subordinates. The shared understanding of an operational environment functions, as the basis for the commander to effectively accomplish the mission. While my advice for the commander on what prudent risks to take may create more opportunities rather than accepting defeat. Incorporating the principles of mission command by building cohesive teams through mutual trust, fostering an environment of shared understanding, and accepting prudent risk will make me an effective adviser to the commander, aid the staff during the operations process, and provide an example for Soldiers to emulate.
Personal Philosophy of Supervision Beliefs and Philosophy School administrators are important in setting the path for a successful school (Glickman, et al., 2014). The principals could play a dynamic leadership depending on how they exercise their beliefs of the organizational and social environment (McNair, 2011). The principals are the primary facilitators for developing the foundations in learning that will last, to manage the student’s performance at schools, and seeking the improvement at school that will cause great impacts in school‘s education (Gordon,1989). In the recent years in the U.S., education has change in a more cultural diversity population, it is imperative that school supervisors, are trained to encounter this cultural issues, but also assisting others with the opportunities to develop appropriate abilities to deal with different cultures (Glickman, et al., 2014). Even though this increasing awareness of the multicultural issues, many supervisors are not being trained how to deal with this issues in the daily practice.
“A vision without action is merely a dream.” (Kevin Gates) The Army Profession Model is a great vision but if we do not fixed the basics in our upbringing of Soldiers then it will only be a dream. Imagine a panoramic view of an early morning sunrise over a military base. The sun is starting to burn off the morning dew. Formations of soldiers are starting to pop into the picture. Each soldier is in uniform dress sharp and moving as a single unit. Some formations are double timing moving out. Everyone has a purpose and stepping off to get to his or her next obstacle of the day. All Non-commissioned officers are enforcing nothing less than exceeded standards. Soldiers are toe to line in formations for inspection. Senior Non-commissioned