Leadership In The ARSOF Environment Case Study

Leadership in the ARSOF Environment For the better half of the last two decades the United States Special Operations Forces have conducted hundreds of principle task missions worldwide while also playing an integral part during multiple wars. During combat, a leader is usually someone with operational experience and knows how to get the job done, but what kind of leader does it take to get the job done back home as well? It’s imperative that we understand how to maintain the force by providing the kind of leadership that allows soldiers to be operationally sound while also allowing the time necessary to seek professional growth. “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Leader

Leaders in the SOF environment must develop vision and direction; this is done by mapping out where you need to go to “win” as a team or an organization. Leaders must then be able to communicate that vision and direction in a clear and concise manner to their subordinates. Leaders must then be able to understand how to motivate and inspire their subordinates in order to achieve those end-states. If no one setting a vision and no one is being inspired, it can cause serious problems in the long