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Good leadership is something which is perceived to be only achievable if certain criteria or requirements are fulfilled. This is a reasonable statement in many cases. Nevertheless, in the Military new rules are made, current rules are bent, and old rules could be removed. In the military, your priorities differ to those of corporate or government politics. Accomplishing the mission, monitoring the state of those under you. Not much matters other than these two points, and the well-being of subordinates could certainly mean a number of things, but to me it simply means their physical health and the willingness to obey.
The military hierarchy is the most essential structure of any military establishment. I obey the commands of those above me, questioning them is neither my place nor role. The chain of command, which I am but one piece of, must always be maintained. How I muster those under me is up to my own self, not the business of my superiors however. As long as my tasks are accomplished to their satisfaction, there are no complaints or unwanted ‘advice’ given.
How do I lead? Not through soul-stirring speeches to the masses of people, but through personal conversations. I am not one to stay back while barking useless commands like a half-baked academy sports coach, I happily commit myself to what is required to succeed. That could indeed mean that I stay back from the frontlines, or that I am right amidst the action taking place. Deliberate disobedience is not something that I can accept, but giving those under me freedom to work with is what creates success.
The capability to perform despite a lack of a leadership symbolises a unit that is most capable. When I am given my orders, I review the situation with those around me. Luck perhaps, has given me the gift of an analytical mind, but I am most thankful for the fact that my commands are hardly precise to the point. They want point A to be done, but however I go about it is my business. I am given the freedom to operate, and likewise my people are given the same gift.
To be a leader, you do not have to be the best speaker, the best tactician, and certainly not the best fighter. To know yourself, to know those around you, to maintain a clear idea of what is the task at hand demanding for and being able to communicate what it takes to direct subordinates to achieve that goal is what’s necessary. All the while, you cannot distance yourself from the subordinates, but you certainly could not become ‘one of them’. The chain of command is an effective measure, but when it hinders the efficiency it’s certainly what could bring you down.
A unit that understands their place, acknowledges the fact that I am their superior, yet are fully committed to achieving whatever I had been tasked to accomplish is a unit that will succeed, not a unit with the best equipment or highest number of troops.
I do my job well, and that’s because I obey in my own way.
