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Essays on transformational leadership behaviours
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“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” (BAM, 2010, p.20) These words were first written down over 2,400 years ago by a Chinese general named Sun Tzu in his famous military strategy treatise known today as The Art of War. These words, in fact the entire book, are just as valid today as they were during Sun Tzu’s lifetime. He was one of the first truly visionary and ethical military leaders in the world. Despite the fact that there is not much known about Sun Tzu today other than his writings, in this essay, I intend to extract his essence from his treatise to prove he was a visionary leader. I will then continue to prove he was also an ethical leader. Finally, I will finish by detailing how his seminal work has inspired me to self-reflect on how I can be a better visionary and ethical leader in the 21st Century Air Force. So, what exactly is a ‘visionary’ leader?
Sun Tzu was the epitome of a visionary leader. The Air Force Senior Non-commissioned Officer Academy (SNCOA) Strategic Planning Student Guide defines ‘vision’ as “a statement of an ideal state of being or existence in the future that is inspiring and empowering.” (LM06, 2013, p7) The SNCOA further identifies a ‘visionary leader’ as one who has a vision and uses aspects of transformational leadership, team building, change management, and diversity to empower subordinates to help realize the leader’s vision. Sun Tzu’s main vision and reason for writing his book was to quickly win a war and subdue the enemy, without fighting if possible (BAM, 2010, p18). Sun Tzu used all of these visionary leadership tools as is evident in his treatise; but for this essay, the focus will be on the principles of transformation...
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RESOURCES
Books-A-Million (BAM). (2010). Sun Tzu’s the art of war. China: Watermark, Inc.
CF02, Full Range Leadership Development Student Guide. (2012). Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC).
CF03, Critical Thinking Student Guide. (2013). Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC).
LM01, Ethical Leadership Student Guide. (2012). Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC).
LM06, Strategic Planning Student Guide. (2013). Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC).
LM06-2, Change Management Student Guide. (2013). Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC).
Mark, J. J. (2013, January 4). Sun-Tzu Definition. In Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu.com/Sun-Tzu/
USAF. (2012, October 1). Air Force Noncommisioned Officer Academy Study Guide. Full Range Leadership Development. Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, U.S.: USAF.
The SPCC is targeted to commissioned officers in grades 0-5 (Lieutenant Colonel) or 0-6 (Colonel) who have been centrally selected to command TO&E (Troops, Organization & Equipment) Sustainment Units. This course provides training in modular force operations for newly selected command designees, enabling them to function effectively throughout their command tour. The focus is current and emerging sustainment doctrine and leadership topics for commanders. Training received during the SPCC at Fort Lee is intended to complement the Pre-Command Course (PCC) program of instruction (POI) at Fort Leavenworth, KS; making training consistent at both locations.
The purpose of this memorandum is to outline my view point on leadership. As a Drill Sergeant, it is my responsibility to transform civilians into well discipline, physically fit, and competent scouts. I am entrusted to uphold the Army standards, live the Army Values and Warrior Ethos, and instill Esprit de corps.
CF02,Full Range Leadership Development. (2012). Maxwell Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC)
The United States Army, in its current state, is a profession of arms. In order to be considered a profession, the organization must have an ethical code rooted in values, strong trust with its clients, and be comprised of experts within the trade. These experts are constantly developing the trade for the present and the future and hold the same shared view of their trade culture. The Army currently has an ethical code embodied in the Army Values, which provides guidance to the individual and the organization. These values are universal across the Army, regardless of an individual’s personal background or religious morals.
In A Tactical Ethic, Moral Conduct in the Insurgent Battlespace, author Dick Couch addresses what he believes to be an underlying problem, most typical of small units, of wanton ethical and moral behavior partly stemming from the negative “ethical climate and moral culture” of today’s America (Couch, D., 2010, p. 15). In chapter one, he reveals what A Tactical Ethic will hope to accomplish; that is identify the current ethics of today’s military warriors, highlight what is lacking, and make suggestions about what can be done to make better the ethical behavior of those on the battlefield and in garrison. He touches on some historic anecdotes to highlight the need for high ethics amongst today’s military warriors as well as briefly mentions
In today’s operational environments, the U.S. Army is facing a range of problems and mission sets that are arguably more complex than previously encountered. Forces face an array of demands that encompass geo-political, social, cultural, and military factors that interact in unpredictable ways. The inherent complexity of today’s operations has underscored the need for the Army to expand beyond its traditional approach to operational planning. In March 2010 in FM 5-0: The Operations
The Art of War is a treatise written in Ancient China that discusses the most and least effective military strategies for successful warfare according to Sun Tzu, a military general whose existence is still debated to this day. While not every military commander in the history of warfare has read it, the strategies provided can be used as a way to assess said commanders and the effectiveness of their campaigns. In Sun Tzu 's own words, “The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!”1 This paper will discuss various iconic battles throughout history and how closely the leading commanders of each army followed the advice of Sun Tzu. Despite the fact that Sun Tzu lived hundreds of years before many of these battles took place, the
American political government contained two large parties which control most of the Congress: the Democrat and Republic parties. Both parties have held different points of view on different topics such as health care. However an effective government is also based on a how a leader governs the country. Lao Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher, and Niccolo Machiavelli, in The Prince, an Italian philosopher, present ideas that are very contradictory to each other. Lao Tzu appears liberal as a master who will not control the people while Machiavelli states a prince must emerge and take control of his people. Although both appear to be more contradictory, but they are appear more consentient than they are appear to be. Since these two individuals both made a claim about effective leadership, it became natural to oppose the two as an effort to better understand what attributes a successful leader must possess. Therefore, according to the present government, it would best to combine both extreme ideas, which are Lao Tzu’s teachings on how to manage the government and Machiavelli’s tactics of how to maintain power as a leader in order to develop a more effective and prosperous government.
Sir, I am honored by the privilege to once again serve in 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). Over of the last 30 days, I had an opportunity to reconnect, and reflect on the current state of the Brigade. The 4th ABCT has a rich history of success and glory. It is my goal to put in place the systems and practices for this great organization to exceed all past and present accomplishments. As a result of my assessment, I identified three areas of focus that will improve our organization: a unit vision, a change in organizational culture and climate, and building organizational teams. I have no doubt that with the implementation of these three areas of focus, I will be the transformational leader that 4th ABCT needs as we prepare for the upcoming National Training Center (NTC) rotation and tackle the task of the Regionally Aligned Forces (RAF) mission.
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.
For some time the Army has been using a certain expression to defines what an Army leader actually is. To keep it basic, the three words be, know and do explains it all!
Colin Powell was a Visionary Leader, as evident by his actions, decisions and behaviors to reorganize units and effectively train an all-volunteer force, utilizing the after action review process. He was also an Ethical Leader, which he displayed in his actions during an attempted military coup in the Philippines. In this paper, we will review how Colin Powell’s actions, decisions and behaviors are qualities of being a visionary leader. In particular, change management elements of adaptability and transformational leadership behaviors.
As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several separate focus areas and identified my overall strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Over the course of this paper I will briefly discuss each one of these assessments and journal entries as they pertained to me and my leadership.
I have had the opportunity and privilege to work with a variety of military and non-military leaders who taught me important lessons in leadership. I obtained these lessons through direct mentorship or observation as I watched how they conducted themselves. Those lessons, combined with my own personal beliefs and experiences, have helped me develop my own leadership philosophy. My leadership philosophy focuses on balancing mission accomplishment with Soldier welfare. As a leader, I place significant emphasis on creating an environment built on trust and mutual respect, personal and professional development, and Soldier welfare.