General Patton’s ethical and visionary leadership styles showed when he utilized his open-mindedness and team dynamic role of “creator” to incorporate an aerial assault into his operational strategies and avoided the ethical trap of uncertainty when he combined the two tactics without any pre-established policy. General Patton also displayed visionary leadership by his use of inspirational motivation, constant presence on the battle field,
We all understand how to be a good Soldier. We must not only know those values, we must encompass them. As Dempsey says; (2010) “The Army Ethic begins with the moral values the Army defends” (p. 12). As a Human Resources Sergeant in the Profession of Arms, we have a calling. We have been called upon to take care of so many in so many different ways.
I find many Common roots between Army values, custom, and norms that I grew up with which define me as the person that I am, values such as Loyalty, Respect, Honor and Integrity. Over the course of six years serving in the United States Army I learn and achieves so much that, I falling love with it and Army become very important element in my life, which has the highest level of priority in my life. I will never hesitate to sacrifices my life to protect and defend United States of America, Constitution and United State Army just like the one I do for my family and I will do everything in my power to serve in the way that best benefit Army interest. I Leads others in the Army with set myself as an example, armed myself with warrior ethos, live with the Army Values, and maintain my military bearing in the highest standard level.
Among these five characteristics; military expertise, honorable service, trust, esprit de corps, and stewardship of the profession, I believe that military expertise and stewardship of the profession are the two characteristics that make a leader excel in the presence of their peers. ADRP 1 defines military expertise as, “Military expertise is the design, generation, support, and ethical application of land power, primarily in unified land operations, and all supporting capabilities essential to accomplish the mission in defense of the American people”. In order to gain trust from your subordinates for them to follow your guidance, a leader must have military expertise. Without being an expert in your field, subordinates will not trust your guidance provided unto them. ADRP 1 defines Stewardship of the Profession as, “Stewardship is the responsibility of Army professionals to ensure the profession maintains its five essential characteristics now and into the future”.
The observations of this violations occur from the lowest to the highest levels regardless of rank. With the ever-changing operational environment, lots of positions in the Army are being fill by Soldiers with a rank below the requirement. Most Soldiers will look forward to serve in a position above their pay grade, and most of the time the person selecting them have confidence they are going to accomplish the mission. With the lack of experience, lack of time in service and grade, Soldiers can use tools like The High Ground – Facilitator Guide, the leadership requirements model, and others. The primary cause of abuse of power is inexperience and lack of respect for others as a person, and the lack of enforcing standards at all levels.
A Commander sustains an ethical command climate in war by establishing clear intent and purpose for their organization, accentuated through his vision. The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the Law of War are the military guidelines and penalties for soldiers to act accordingly. Distinctively, the majority of people know the difference between right and wrong. Command team (i.e. Commander and NCOs) are role models for the organization and set the example for their subordinates, which led to sustaining an ethical climate. Discipline organization exhibits high physical fitness, technical competence and successfully accomplish the mission.
When a squad leader listens and shows interest in soldiers’ performance, they are likely to appreciate and put effort in their work. Accountability saves time and finances. When soldiers in an organization are answerable and responsible for their actions, utilization of time and funds is adequately spent in among others, identifying solutions towards a challenge as opposed to trying to determine the problem. In this situation, accountability means that every soldier conducts their roles competently, and if a problem occurs, they raise it up instead of keeping quiet and letting it eventually create a bigger consequence. In conclusion, the building of accountability in an organization is crucial.
The Importance of Accountability in the U.S. Army Every living thing on Earth demands discipline and accountability, but when it comes to U.S. Army, soldiers are trained specifically in these subjects. There are extreme costs at risk if these principles are not held high by the Armed Forces. Most organized Armies focus on the importance of accountability and teach it in the very beginning stages of readiness. Accountability includes things such as showing up on time to safeguarding sensitive records, keeping account of resources to watching out for fellow soldiers. Almost everything can be tied back to the importance of accountability.
Another aspect to look at is the moral of the unit. Moral of soldiers must be intact to hold soldiers together in the harsh environments they may face. Soldiers are often asked to work for long hours in difficult situations. They are asked to deploy to foreign countries far from home and perform tasks many choose not to do. For a soldier and further a unit to succeed in these tasks their moral must remain high.
Accountability Is something that is very important and leader and superiors in the Military or in any job for that reason, for the simple fact that it is not only a requirement for you but also very important to your supervisors or chain of command depending on your situation. You can resort to accountability for many reason when it comes to daily productivity as a team or group. Maintaining accountability of anything wether it be equipment or people can be very helpful when it comes to dividing tasks and assignments or just keeping track of everybody or everything you are in charge of. Punctuality is also very important and plays a very big part in accountability, for example, a soldier is late to formation and doesn’t inform his supervisor, this can lead to his supervisor not being able to provide accurate numbers to his/her
Canadian Philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo once stated, “The real power of a leader is in the number of minds he can reach, hearts he can touch, souls he can move, and lives he can change.” As a leader, especially a leader of Soldiers, it is critical to understand your subordinates. There are instances where you will lead diverse groups, and your method of approach to a situation can contradict the values and morals of a different person. If you decide to not recognize and accept these different beliefs, then it can be very dangerous, as people will decide not to follow you. Instead, if you accept these beliefs, not only will you being getting a greater understanding of different beliefs, but you have the capability to inspire, motivate, and earn the trust of your subordinates.
Leaders must apply the Army Values when leading soldiers because of the fact that it builds trust and a bond. The same goes for the soldiers, in order for them both to work as an effective team and to get the mission done efficiently they both must live by these values. Once these values are integrated in a soldier’s lifestyle, it becomes too easy to work as a unit. An example on how loyalty and respect fits in a day to day to situation would be, a soldier witnessing a misunderstanding with his or her team leader and a higher ranking NCO, the soldier knows that his or her team leader is in the right. The soldier shows loyalty by standing by their team leader and shows respect by approaching both their team leader and the higher ranking NCO with tact to explain the situation from their understanding and what they witnessed.
As leaders, it is important to communicate our priorities and values so that every Soldier knows what is expected. Reading and absorbing this philosophy will give you a solid ground for what is expected from you and what you can expect from me. Rely on the Army values to help you make good decisions. In particular, remember the following values: • Integrity: Having integrity is, to me, one of the most important Army values. Having integrity means you do what is right even when no one else is around.
The first step to creating this favorable environment, in my opinion, would be, to begin with, an "open-door policy." A leader can invite his soldiers to voice their views at any time and bring about any concerns that they may have while feeling completely comfortable to do so. A feeling of comradery within a team and a balance of powers, instead of overuse of harshness will ultimately lead to a better outcome in subordinate performance. Lastly, an essential step towards proper leadership deals with achievement. Achieving deals with the accomplishment of the goals in which the army has laid out, or that the individual sets for himself.
In order to learn more about military mind we can take a look at the United States Army; Warrior Ethos which are: i. I will always place the mission first. ii. I will never accept defeat. iii. I will never quit.
