military leadership - ch6

7/28/2019 Military Leadership - Ch6

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Leaders can lose battles, but only soldiers can their probability of winning. Leaders must alsowin them. Having the right values, beliefs, provide purpose, direction, and motivation tocharacter, ethics, and knowledge is necessary meet the demands of combat. The requirementsbut does not ensure success on the battlefield. are the same whether you lead a combat unit, aSoldiers must be properly trained, equipped, combat support unit, or a combat serviceand employed (led) by their leaders to enhance support unit.

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PROVIDING PURPOSEPurpose gives soldiers a reason why they

should do dangerous things under stressfulcircumstances. It focuses soldiers attention andeffort on the task or mission at hand, enablingthem to operate in a disciplined manner in yourabsence, Soldiers can best relate to a task ormission if they know the ultimate purpose oftheir actions. Baron Friedrich von Steubencame to the United States in 1778, at GeneralWashingtons request. His mission was to helpdevelop organization, control, discipline, andteamwork in the revolutionary force. He saidthat American soldiers do best when they knowwhy they are doing something. Thisobservation of over 200 years ago remains valid,

The likely violence of modern war could resultin mass casualties. Small groups of soldiers arelikely to be isolated from their units. They will

experience great stress from continuous dayand night operations and from violentengagements with enemy forces, More thanever, success on the battlefield will depend onindividual soldiers determination and personalinitiative, The nature both of the battlefield andof American soldiers demands that yoursubordinates understand the significance ofeach mission.

You must teach your subordinates how tothink creatively and solve problems while understress. On the battlefield, soldiers must have a

clear concept of the objective; they must clearlyunderstand your intent. They must have thecritical information that the next higherheadquarters can supply about the mission,enemy, terrain, troops, and the time available.Then, when you are not available orcommunications with headquarters is cut off,your soldiers will be able to use theirunderstanding of your intent and theirinitiative to accomplish the mission. To preparefor combat, train in situations where yoursubordinates must take actions without yourhelp or direction. Follow up with an after-action

review. Discuss the results and make this alearning experience for both you and yoursubordinates.

You must communicate your intent so thatyour soldiers are able to understand the desiredoutcome clearly. Keep in mind that this can onlyhappen if you explain what you want to happenin clear, concise, and complete terms.Communications are only effective if yoursoldiers listen and understand your intent.

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PROVIDING DIRECTIONYour thinking skills are often referred to as

directional skills because you set the direction ororientation of actions when you state what mustbe done in an established priority. Directionalso establishes the relationship betweenofficers and NCOs (see Appendix D). Thedirection you give your soldiers is often based onguidance from your leader. The key point toremember is that you must listen to your leader,support your leader, and help your leaderaccomplish the mission, recognizing that yourmission is normally a subset of your leadersmission. Leaders provide direction by

Knowing and maintaining standards.Setting goals.Planning.Making decisions and solving problems.

Supervising and evaluating.Teaching, coaching, and counseling.Training.

Knowing andMaintaining Standards

The Army has established standards for allmilitary activities. You as a leader have tworesponsibilities: first is to know the standards;and second, to enforce the established standard.You must assist subordinate leaders byexplaining the standards that apply to yourorganization, giving them the authority toenforce the standards, and hold themaccountable for ensuring they and their soldiersachieve the standards. Your soldiers willquickly recognize whether you know andenforce standards; it sets the direction for yourunit.

Setting GoalsGoal setting is a critical part of leadership,

The ultimate goal is to ensure that every soldierand unit is properly trained, motivated, andprepared to win in war. Achieving this objectivewill normally require that you and your

subordinates jointly establish and developgoals. When developing goals for your unit,remember several key points:

Goals should be realistic and attainable.Goals should lead to improved combatreadiness.Subordinates should be involved in the goal-setting process.You must develop a program to achieve eachgoal.
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PlanningPlanning is as essential for success in

peacetime training as it is for combatoperations. Planning is usually based onguidance or a mission you receive from yourleader or higher headquarters. With this

guidance or mission, you can start planningusing the backward planning process. Firstdetermine what the end result of the training orcombat operations must be; then workbackward, step by step. If you use commonsense and experience, this process will help youeliminate problems, organize time, and identifydetails. Backward planning is a skill, and likeother skills, you can develop it with practice.The steps in backward planning are

Determine the basics: what, how, and when.Identify tasks you want to accomplish andestablish a sequence for them,Develop a schedule to accomplish the tasksyou have identified. Start with-the last task tobe accomplished and work back to the presenttime.When time allows, soliciting help from your

subordinates is useful. If handled properly, youcan accomplish several objectivessimultaneously, to include: improvecommunications which can be beneficial inimproving cohesion and discipline; providemotivation for the soldiers involved; andprovide a clearer picture of the broader

perspective of unit goals and objectives.Involving your subordinates in planning

shows that you recognize and appreciate theirabilities. Recognition and appreciation from arespected leader are powerful motivating forces.Your subordinates ideas can help you develop abetter plan; their participation in the planningprocess gives them a personal interest in seeingthe plan succeed.

Making Decisions andSolving Problems

In combat and in training, youcomplicated problems and have will faceto makedecisions with less information than you wouldlike. Here is a problem-solving process that canhelp you:

Recognize and define the problem.Gather facts and make assumptions.Develop possible solutions.Analyze and compare the possible solutions.Select the best solution.

The problem-solving process is continuous.Time available, urgency of the situation, andyour judgment will affect your approach todecision making. When time is scarce, you musttake actions to ensure a timely decision. A good

decision made in time to implement is betterthan the best decision made too late.

After you have objectively and logicallyanalyzed the possible courses of action in asituation using all available information,consider your intuitions and emotions. Theproblem-solving process is not a purelyobjective, rational mathematical formula. Thehuman mind does not work that way, especiallyunder stress. The mind is both rational andintuitive. Your intuition tells you what feelsright or wrong. Your intuition flows from yourinstincts and your experience.

Since the problem-solving process is athought process, it is both rational andintuitive. However, do not make the mistake ofmaking decisions guided totally by emotions orintuitions and immediately doing what feelsright. This is a prescription for disaster. First,follow the problem-solving process as rationallyand objectively as possible. Gather information;then develop, analyze, and compare courses ofaction. Consider your intuition or hunches, youremotions, and your values. Try to identify abest course of action that is logical and likely

to succeed and that also feels right in terms ofyour intuition, values, and character.

Finally, make your decision, plan, and takeaction. If you expect success, you must makehigh-quality decisions that your troops acceptand support. When time permits, involve yoursoldiers in decision making if they haveinformation or experience that will lead to thebest decision or plan. This develops yoursubordinates and creates an open, trusting bondbetween you and them,

Supervising and EvaluatingSupervising means keeping a grasp on thesituation and ensuring that plans and policiesare implemented properly, Supervision includesgiving instructions and continuouslyinspecting the accomplishment of a task. Thereis a narrow band of proper supervision. On oneside of the band lies oversupervision; on theother side, undersupervision. Oversupervisionstifles initiative, breeds resentment, and lowersmorale and motivation. Undersupervision,

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however, can lead to f rus t ra t ion ,miscommunications, lack of coordination,disorganization, and the perception that you donot care. This perception can lead toresentment, low morale, and poor motivation.

The right level of supervision will depend onthe task being performed and the person doingit. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What is the experience level of thesubordinate?HOW competent is the subordinate at thistask?How confident is the subordinate about hisability to do this task?How motivated is the subordinate to performthis task?

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All soldiers benefit from appropriatesupervision by leaders with more knowledgeand experience.

Supervision has a major effect on buildingtrust within your unit. Ensure your subordinatesunderstand how and why you intend to superviseas part of your leadership or commandphilosophy. They can adjust to many styles ofsupervision once they understand that you arechecking to ensure tasks are understood, to keepcommunications open, to teach, and to learnyourself.

Evaluating is part of supervising andincludes looking at the way soldiers accomplisha task, checking firsthand, and inspecting. Youneed a routine system for checking the thingsthat are important to mission accomplishment,

cohesion, discipline, morale, and unit effective-ness. Checking is such a simple word andconcept. It is obvious that leaders must check,but human nature can cause us to fail to checkthe most simple things that can lead to bigdisasters. You will hear some people say Worryabout the little things and the big things willtake care of themselves. Others say Worryabout the big, important things and dont sweatthe small stuff. Both are poor guides. First, beconcerned about the big things; that is whereyou exercise your thinking or directional skills.Next, check the little things that make the major

things happen. Use your judgment andexperience to ensure you do not undersuperviseor oversupervise.

Teaching, Coaching, and CounselingTeaching and counseling are fundamental

responsibilities of every leader. Counseling

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alone is so important that FM 22-101 is devotedentirely to the subject. Use it. Study it. Learnhow to fulfill your teaching and counselingresponsibilities.

Teaching involves creating the conditions sothat someone can learn and develop. Toinfluence the competence and confidence ofyour subordinates, you must be a skilledteacher. Coaching, counseling, rewarding, andtaking appropriate disciplinary measures areall parts of teaching. You must be a good teacherif you are going to plan and conduct effectivetraining and help your subordinates developprofessionally and personally,

Understanding how people learn isfundamental to being a good teacher. Peoplelearn

By the example of others.

By forming a picture in their minds of whatthey are trying to learn.

By gaining and understanding necessary

information. By application or practice.

Learning requires certain importantconditions. One condition is that the person bemotivated to learn. It is difficult to teachsomeone who has no motivation to learn or feelsno need to learn what you are teaching.

How do you convince the person he needswhat you want to teach? You show the personthat what you are trying to teach will make hima more competent soldier, better able to do hisduty and survive on the battlefield. Use

examples to show the person the importance ofwhat you are teaching. The next condition oflearning is to involve the student in the process.Keep your soldiers attention by activelyinvolving their minds and emotions in thelearning process. Have your subordinatesparticipate, either through discussion orthrough active practice of skill.

Hand in hand with your responsibilities as ateacher are your responsibilities as a coach andcounselor. It is critically important that youcounsel all your soldiers frequently on theirstrengths and weaknesses and on any problems

you may be able to help them with.Developmental leadership assessment (seeAppendix E) can help you improve yoursubordinates leadership effectiveness.

Soldiers often think counseling is negative,equating it to getting chewed out or being told
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they are doing something wrong. This is not afull picture of what counseling means. Learnhow you can use counseling as a positive tool tohelp your soldiers prepare for futureresponsibilities.

Counseling is talking with a person in a waywhich helps that person solve a problem, correctperformance, or improve good performance.Counseling is a leadership skill that is aparticular form of coaching and teaching. Itrequires thinking skills, such as identifying theproblem, analyzing the factors and forcesinfluencing the behavior of the soldier beingcounseled, and planning and organizing thecounseling session. It requires understandinghuman naturewhat causes a soldier to behavein a certain way and what is required to changehis behavior. Counseling requires listeningskills to learn about the situation and thesoldier. It also requires judgment about when tolet the soldier make his own decisions and whenyou should make them for him, and when to beflexible and when to be unyielding.

Just as there are no easy answers for exactlywhat to do in leadership situations, there are noeasy answers for exactly what to do in specificcounseling situations. When you see that asubordinate needs counseling, prepare yourselfby reviewing the problem-solving process andstudying FM 22-101.

As a leader you want to teach soldiers newvalues, knowledge, or skills that will changebehavior. You also want to help them becomebetter soldiers through your counseling.

TrainingQuality training must be your top priority-it

is the cornerstone of total Army readiness.Lieutenant General A. S. Collins, Jr., in his bookCommon Sense Training, said:

The essential characteristics of a good

army are that it be well trained and welldisciplined These two characteristics areapparent in every unit achievement,whether in peace or war. Disciplinederives and flows from training andserves to emphasize a fundamental pointessential to a philosophy of training,. thattraining is all encompassing. Training

permeates everything a militaryorganization does.

Training must develop soldiers who aredisciplined, physically tough, and highlymotivated. Because soldiers spend the majorityof their time in training, you play an especiallyimportant role in developing soldiers who are

skilled in their jobs. The standards that guidetraining must reflect the requirements of thebattlefield. Train your soldiers on every taskcritical to wartime mission accomplishment.

Effective training is the key to sustaining acombat-ready Army and reducing human-erroraccidents. Training to standard producesskilled, disciplined soldiers who acceptresponsibility for the safety of themselves andothers and for the protection of Armyequipment. Good training

Strengthens the morale of each soldier.

Builds mutual trust and respect between theleader and the led.Concentrates on warfighting skills.Is performance-oriented and has realisticobjectives.Follows Army doctrine and standardizesactions.Means learning from mistakes and allowingfor growth.Means strong subordinate development.You must plan training so that your soldiers

are challenged and learn. Some leaders find

conducting training is threatening andembarrassing. When they present boringinstruction, their soldiers balk at repetitivetraining on skills they have already mastered.When the leader discovers he has nothing else toteach, he reacts with defensiveness and revertsback to using his position power. He accusesgood soldiers of having poor attitudes and triesto order soldiers to act interested in monotonoustraining. The result of this scenario is strongunity among soldiers but disrespect for theleader.

PROVIDING MOTIVATIONMotivation is the cause of action. It givessoldiers the will to do what you know must bedone to accomplish the mission.

If your subordinates have confidence inthemselves, each other, the unit, and you, andsupport the cause, they will be sincerelymotivated. Training them to fight and win as acohesive, disciplined team will have a valuablemotivating effect. Knowledge and skill combatfear and increase confidence. Confidence is a

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potent motivating force, It gives rise to morale,courage, and the will to fight.

You must keep abroad point of view on humannature and motivation. Do not allow yourself tohold the narrow view that soldiers are only

motivated by fear of their leaders. It is equallydangerous to believe the oppositethat allsoldiers are motivated to work hard and do theright thing.

You can motivate your subordinates by

Serving as the ethical standard bearer. Developing cohesive soldier teams. Rewarding and punishing.

Ethical Standard BearerYour soldiers need you to be the example they

can compare to their own behavior. They wantto have a leader to look up to. They want todepend on you to provide the moral force thevalues of our society demand. Your soldierswant you to be good at your job, but they alsowant you to be decent and honorable. By beingthe ethical standard bearer, you motivate yoursoldiers and help them to develop the self-discipline and will to fight courageously and todo the right and brave thing, regardless ofdanger.

Cohesive Soldier Teams

Caring for your soldiers, and working hard tomake soldiering meaningful for them, developcohesive soldier teams. It takes a lot of work toproperly teach, coach, counsel, and train yoursubordinates, but this creates the bonds thatlead to cohesion, trust, and mutual respect. Asoldier in a cohesive soldier team is confident inhis peers, his leaders, and his equipment andtraining. He will willingly fight to destroy theenemy and keep himself and his buddies alive.

Rewards and Punishment

The hope of reward and the fear of punishmentgreatly affect soldiers behavior. If you havebeen rewarded with a pat on the back for doingsomething well or punished with a reprimandfor unsatisfactory performance, you know howit felt and how it changed your future behavior.Rewards and punishments have differentpurposes. Rewards promote desired behavior;punishments reduce undesired behavior. If usedproperly, rewards and punishments can changethe behavior of your soldiers.

Praise, recognition, a medal, a certificate, or aletter of commendation means a great deal to asoldier. Napoleon marveled at the motivationalpower of a small piece of ribbon. He once saidthat if he had enough ribbon, he could conquer

the world. Rewards are visible evidence to thesoldier that his leader, his unit, and his countryappreciate his courage or hard work. Well-chosen rewards normally increase motivationto keep working for more recognition, Hereare some ideas on applying this principle:

Obtain recommendations from the chain ofcommand and NCO support channel onrewards, awards, and schooling.Choose a reward valued by the personreceiving it.Use the established awards system ofcertificates, medals, letters of commendation,

driver and mechanic badges, and safetyawards.Choose rewards that appeal to a soldierspersonal pride; they will have the mostmotivational power. Praise before peers isoften more powerful than a three-day pass.Present awards at an appropriate unitceremony so that others can see hard work isrewarded.Reward promptly the desired behavior of anindividual or group.Stand up for your good soldiers when theyneed help.

Give lots of verbal praise. If a soldier is tryingto learn the right values, character,knowledge, and skills, encourage himevenif he is still falling short. Do not reward hisfailure, but reward his honest diligent effort todo the right thing. That recognition willreinforce his efforts and motivate him to doeven better. Be aware, however, that givingtoo much praise, or giving it whenundeserved, cheapens its motivating value.Develop awards and ways of recognizinggood performance that motivate the largegroup of average people who make up themajority of your unit. There is nothing wrong

with rewarding the majority of your soldiers ifthey exceed a standard.Promote people who work and study hard,influence others to achieve unit standards,and show the capability for increasedresponsibility.

Recognize soldiers who meet standards andimprove their performance. Every soldierdoes not have the ability to be the soldier ofthe quarter or earn a perfect score on theAPFT.

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At the same time, you must also punishsoldiers who just do not try or intentionally failto meet your standards or follow your guidance.You do this because you want to changebehavior and show others what they can expectif they choose to perform in a similar manner.

Soldiers learn from the results of othersmistakes. Seeing what happens to a person whois unwilling or unmotivated to meet standardscan have the same influence on behavior asfirsthand experience.

Here are some principles you shouldunderstand about punishing:

Let the soldier know you are upset about thebehavior and not about him. Let him knowyou care about him as a person but expectmore from him.Make sure your soldiers know you will tell

them how they are doing.Do not punish soldiers who are unable toperform a task. Punish those unwilling orunmotivated to succeed.Punish in private as soon as possible after theundesirable behavior, Do not humiliate asoldier in front of others.Ensure that soldiers being punishedunderstand exactly what behavior led to thepun ishment .

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Ensure that punishment is neither excessivenor unreasonable. It is not only the severity ofpunishment that restrains soldiers but alsothe certainty of it.Do not hold a grudge after punishing. When apunishment is over . . . it is over.

Never lose control of your temper.S U M M A R Y

You must provide purpose, direction, andmotivation to meet the demands of combat.Purpose gives soldiers a reason why they shoulddo difficult things under dangerous, stressfulcircumstances. Direction shows what must bedone. Motivation gives soldiers the will to doeverything they are capable of doing toaccomplish a mission.

Some people say behavior is believable.Your behavior sets the example for your

subordinates. Saying all the right words andhaving all the right values and knowledge willhave no meaning to others if not reinforced byyour actions. Your actions are what soldiers,peers, and leaders see. Actions give life topurpose, direction, and motivation to see unitsthrough the tough demands of combat. Actionstell what must be done and why it is important;actions inspire others to follow and fightbravely.

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military leadership - ch6

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