Military Leadership History Essay Research Coursework

Military Leadership
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Military Leadership
Introduction
Leadership in the military requires an influence on others to ensure the success of the mission. In the military, the lives of subordinates lay in the hands of the leader, thus the decisions he/she makes directly affect a large number of individuals, both civilian and military. According to the United States Military, Leadership is defined as “…the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization (Department of the Army, 2019).” Consequently, the role of a leader requires several principles and qualities that set them apart for the tasks and responsibilities assigned to them. The primary responsibilities of a military leader thus involve two main objectives that include the completion of the mission and ensuring the welfare of the soldiers.
Leaders in the military are appointed with consideration to their past experiences and conduct in the military. Therefore, a leader must have performed exceptionally well to ensure that he/she deserves the position. Additionally, a leader in the military becomes responsible for the lives of numerous soldiers, thus is tasked with ensuring their well-being. The ability to inspire soldiers to follow the leader into dangerous paths forms one of the primary attributes that a proper leader possesses (Bishop & Ross, 2018). Without the necessary qualities, a military leader may not be able to perform accordingly in instances where they face overwhelming odds of success during a mission. The military thus requires exceptional leadership skills to enable the military to perform its functions of protecting the nation and its people from imminent threats.
Role of Leadership in the Military
The main function of the military involves the protection of the people and maintaining the sovereignty of the nation. As a special function in the military, leadership is essential in times of war to provide the purpose, motivation, and direction to soldiers to ensure they can endure every obstacle and prevail against all the odds. Leadership in the military does not refer to appointed positions but rather a person who assumes a role or assigned responsibility through which he/she inspires people to accomplish a mission and ensure the success of the organization. Therefore, the role of a leader involves the following:
Providing Purpose
A specific purpose to subordinates through orders, directives, or requests ensures that they understand the reasons for achieving a set objective. Furthermore, subordinates that understand the purpose of the mission follow through despite the absence of the leader. This higher sense instilled by the leader motivates and guides them to put the mission above self at all times. Soldiers require a purpose to ensure that they risk their lives for their country following the right reasons (Department of the Army, 2019). By understanding the reasons behind instructions given to them, soldiers fight with conviction to ensure that they succeed and accomplish the mission at all costs. A leader must correctly and to the best of his ability provide purposes of missions to allow smooth operations all through the mission even if the leader becomes incapacitated.
Direction
Directions are given through communication channels to ensure that the mission stays on schedule and occurs as planned. Leadership prioritizes the tasks available and ensures that assignments are handed to responsible individuals. Therefore, when the subordinates clearly understand the directions provided, they can complete the tasks without supervision while ensuring the intentions of the leader remain intact despite any circumstantial changes (Department of the Army, 2019). Delegation of duties requires proper directions thus, a leader that can adequately offer them ensures that they can trickle down to the soldiers unchanged.
Motivation
Soldiers require adequate motivation to perform in all situations and especially in those where odds may be stacked against them. Under such conditions, a leader must motivate them by all means necessary to ensure the mission becomes successful. Motivation may come from within or through the actions of the leader to inspire action in the soldiers. Therefore, a leader should understand the needs and requirements of his/her subordinates, thus aligning them appropriately with the task at hand (Department of the Army, 2019). Motivation may require individuals to risk their lives to attain the larger goal of the mission hence a critical aspect, especially in war. Motivation can turn the tide in war in such instances since soldiers understand the risks but are still willing to die to ensure that they achieve the objectives of the mission.
Attributes of a military leader
Military leadership requires adequate experience and expertise that may enable the individual to go above and beyond his/her assigned duties to ensure the accomplishment of missions. Therefore, the character and behavior of an individual determine if he/she qualifies to lead others in the military. These attributes include:
Leading from the front
A leader must always be ready to lead from the front, thus showing deeds such as sacrifice that inspires subordinates to follow through with the mission. Heroism offers soldiers the belief in the plan, knowledge, tactics, and judgment of the leader, thus motivating them to perform despite challenges in the battlefield (Roberts, 2018). Therefore, leading from the front provides a pervasive attitude that inspires and motivates the soldiers to advance. Soldiers will most likely follow their leader anywhere he/she goes since they believe in his skills to make decisions that may be critical. Consequently, leading through actions and not just through orders motivates their subordinates to perform courageous acts.
Courage
A courageous leader shows no fear in even in extreme conditions, hence guiding others into achieving outstanding results, performing their duty regardless of the risks to their own lives. The military mostly requires individuals that are not faint of heart due to the gruesome nature of war (Roberts, 2018). Therefore, a military leader must be brave enough to face danger straight on to make sure that the lives of his soldiers are protected at all costs. In war, danger lurks in every corner, thus the ability to stand firm and unshaken during these situation motivates soldiers to carry on the mission without fear. While fear is essential in war, leaders must set it aside to lead in the battle to ensure that they can make the necessary decisions to preserve the lives of all the soldiers.
Ambition and drive
A leader must believe in the goals of the mission himself before he/she can be able to inspire others to follow him/her. Therefore, leaders must possess the personal desire to achieves success despite challenges. Furthermore, giving up should never be an option, hence military leaders must come up with solutions to problems through tenacity to ensure positive outcomes. A leader must be ambitious enough to rise the ranks to the highest position possible where his/her influence is greater. However, the ambition must be in line with the military’s goals and objectives in the long run, thus a great leader ensures that he/she can plan accordingly to acquire the required skills and competencies.
Truancy in the Military
Truancy in the military involves acts of disobedience by soldiers that are unauthorized and intentional. These acts are aimed at avoiding compulsory activities as required in the military code of conduct. Such deliberate acts of absenteeism do no...