A leader is someone who influences others towards the achievement of defined group or organisational objectives. In the contemporary military environment, leadership is necessary at every level of the military organization. Leadership entails getting things done through people. Military leaders should be able to get things done through the military in war and peace missions. Leadership is also a dynamic process; hence it is important in the military because contemporary military environment is highly volatile and uncertain. It requires a dynamic leadership that can change depending on the changes in the military environment.
A good military leader should be able to influence, motivate and direct others to attain desired objective of the military. Rollinson (2008) suggests that leadership involves the interaction between the leader and followers so that the leader can influence the actions of the followers non-coercively in order to achieve certain goals and objectives of the group.[1] Some leadership theories suggest that leaders are born not made while other leadership theories suggest that leadership can be acquired through learning and experience. In each case, leaders have unique attributes and qualities that distinguish them from other people. Descriptive approach of leadership describes leaders in terms of their distinctive behaviour and style while functional approach describes leaders in terms of the functions they perform with respect to their followers.[2] In order for an individual to be considered as a good military leader, he/she should exhibit certain qualities of leadership. Campbell et al (2010) suggest that the quality of leaders in an organisation determines the effectiveness of the organisation in delivering its mission and vision.[3]
The problem with examining the qualities of effective leadership is that people who are identified universally as leaders may have different personalities, behaviour, and moral values yet they have become successful as leaders.[4] The only quality that is consistent among various leaders across the world is intelligence. Leadership qualities are always helpful in military engagements, but some leadership qualities that lead to success may also lead to the downfall of military leaders especially when they exaggerate such characteristics. Such qualities include: ambition, commitment, confidence, loyalty and enthusiasm. Extremely enthusiastic leaders are always volatile; moody, irritable, hard to please and unpredictable.[5] Over-cautious military leaders may also be paralysed by indecision and afraid to take risks. An overconfident leader may also become arrogant; opinionated and demanding.
One of the key attributes of a successful military leader is being visionary. This is the key aspect of transformational leadership theory.[6] There are various successful leaders who have been able to articulate good vision and enhanced great effects in business, politics and military. Such leaders include: Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO), Benjamin Netanyahu, Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and David Cameron.
A transformational military leader should articulate the right vision for the military and attract the best military people to make it happen. Meeting the challenges of the 21st century in the military environment requires a military organisation to have visionary leadership that will keep the military group on the right focus towards the achievement of its objectives. Visionary military leaders should allow members of a team within various levels of the military organisation to work together towards the achievement of the organisation’s vision. To achieve the vision of the military organisation, military leaders should have the attributes of purpose and direction. Military leaders should provide purpose, meaning and direction to their followers.[7]
Military leaders with the attribute of being visionary always embrace a shared vision for the military organisation. McMaster (2010) suggests that a shared vision is one of the most powerful engines in driving the military towards success and excellence in the challenging 21st century military environment. ( give footnote) Military organisations always have three levels of leadership: strategic level, operational level and tactical level. Leaders at the highest organisational level share the organisation’s vision through others at the lower levels of the organisation. Visionary leaders keep the shared mission of the military organisation alive at all levels of command. In order to keep the military focused to its objectives, military leaders at the top levels of the military organisation should demonstrate sufficient attributes of good vision sharing. Vision sharing within the military organisation strengthens the unity and cooperation of the entire military personnel in pursuit of common objectives and success in war and peace missions.
Challenges of the 21st century in the military environment can also be overcome by leaders at the strategic level of command through the demonstration of overriding philosophy of the organisation.[8] This involves formulation of vision for the military organisation. Effective leaders develop good vision and communicate it to the lower levels of the organisation through other junior leaders. Leaders at the lower levels put the vision into action. Effective military leaders evaluate the vision of the military from time to time in order to make it adaptive to the challenging military environment of the 21st century. Strategic leaders pay attention to the strategic vision of the military constantly.
Military leaders also need to develop effective communication skills to better meet the military challenges of the 21st century. Effective communication enables military leaders to communicate the vision of the military organisation from one organisational level of command to another. Leaders should use appropriate communication channels to disseminate information down the hierarchy of command and share the vision of the military organisation effectively among all members of the organisation.[9] Effective communication of the military vision will enable military personnel to understand the need of having a shared vision and the role of each person in accomplishing the vision of the military organisation. This enhances success and excellence for the military in the challenging environment of the 21st century. Military leaders also need to communicate the strategies of the military. Furthermore, they should have effective communication skills to warn military personnel at the lower level of the military organisation about any looming danger in their engagements. This helps them to develop necessary contingencies against dangers in the challenging environment of the 21st century.
In order to enhance their communication skills and communicate effectively with other members of the military, military leaders need to adapt to the communication technology by learning new ICT skills. The military can be able to sustain operational excellence in their engagements of the challenging 21st century by using effective ICT tools, techniques and automations.[10] Use of information communications technology is an evolving aspect of the military communication in meeting the challenges of 21st century. It needs regular training of military leaders to enable them develop appropriate skills to use various elements of ICT including computers, software, mobile applications etc. These technologies in communication and automation should be used together with other communication strategies in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century. This requires military leaders to develop effective communication skills.
Rollinson (2008) suggests that effective leaders should be good communicators in order to inspire others.[11] In order to communicate effectively, military leaders should have good interpersonal skills. This will enable them to interact well with external and internal stakeholders in the military so that they can inspire and motivate others to work towards the achievement of organisational objectives of the military. Effective communication skills also enable military leaders to interact with external interest groups, and communicate the vision of the military organisation to them and solicit for material and moral support from them. Such a support from external forces enables the military organisation to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Transformational leadership theory provides that leaders should be effective communicators. Through such an effective communication, transformational leaders raise the level of awareness among their followers about the importance of achieving desired outcomes.[12] Transformational leaders also motivate their followers to expand their portfolios of needs by creating awareness through effective communication skills. Military leaders should communicate the right information to the right people at the right time and for the right purpose. This ensures that the military leader does not cause overlap of information in various levels of the organisation, but instead enhance good flow of information for effective decision making and performance among various members of the military. Good communication by the military leader should allow for a feedback loop where subordinate or junior military personnel can ask questions, complain, and give suggestions and the military leader can respond to them effectively.
Another essential skill that military leaders should develop in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century is team building. While managers play the role of directing activities, military leaders build teams to perform various activities of the military successfully. Transformational leadership theories suggest that leaders should be team oriented. They should develop people’s potential through team building. Military leaders enhance team building by setting a specific direction for each team and communicating the importance of cohesiveness and cooperation in each team during military engagements. A military group that is led through teams is able to deal with the challenges of the 21st century more successfully than those that do not embrace teamwork.[13] Transformational leaders inspire teamwork through their motivational approach to leadership.
Effective teamwork among members of diverse cultural backgrounds depends on the leader’s ability to integrate diverse forces. When military organizations are made up of members from diverse cultural backgrounds, each with their own agenda, leadership expectations and style, it becomes necessary for military leaders to develop cultural team building skills. In multinational military operations, there are always numerous cultural barriers. Unity of effort and command under a single military commander is effective if the military commander exhibits effective leadership skills. Team building skills enable military leaders to resolve conflicts and other problems rising among military personnel. Cultural management in military teams is also necessary.
Military leaders should develop team building skills in order to enable military team members to interact effectively across cultures in order to achieve common military goals and objectives. Teamwork is essentially critical in military environment of the 21st century because problems have been accelerated by multinational and global issues. Trans-cultural leaders need to deal with diversity in multinational forces such as NATO.[14] Team building skills among the leaders of such organisations should be developed in order to enable them integrate differences. Military leaders should bring together different cultural preferences and perceptions in order resolve conflicts and differences among members of the military. An effective military leader enhances good teamwork among military personnel. This enables them to generate integrative solutions and compromises. Military leaders should be able to bridge and tolerate differences among team members in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Military leaders should also be involving in order to enable the military to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Involving is a transformational leadership skill which allows different members of the military to participate in military decision making, strategizing, and operations. Effective military leaders should allow others to contribute to the success of the military engagements. Participation of all military personnel in decision making leads to more effective military practices because other members may come up with varying opinions that may become a solution to the challenges facing the military in the 21st century.
As the military environment changes and becomes more volatile, it has become apparently necessary for military personnel to get engaged in various activities of the military. This engagement can only be achieved if the military leader is involving and allows others to participate in such activities. A good military leader should understand the level of involvement that he should allow his subordinates to have so that they do not sabotage operations of the military. It is important to maintain privacy for various strategic decisions of the military leadership. This is because leaking of any information can be used by enemies to strategize against the military.[15] Therefore, an appropriate level of involvement among military personnel should be allowed in order to avoid such leakages. Effective leaders know who to involve, when to involve them, and how to involve them. Effective military leaders should also consult others in decision making, especially in making decisions that affect others.[16] Consultation leads to decisions that do not harm others because it includes the contribution of various individuals and groups of individuals within the military.
Military leaders should also exhibit creative, decision making and problem solving skills. These three classes of skills go hand in hand to enable a military leader to develop appropriate strategies and operations that enable the military to overcome challenges of the 21st century. Military leaders need to be decisive, risk-takers, analytical and creative. Decisiveness and risk taking are essential elements of good strategic leadership because they enhance the development of effective strategies in the challenging military environment. Such strategies are necessary to counter the efforts of enemies. Decisiveness among leaders is even more important in situations of emergencies and urgencies.[17] When there are situations that seem urgent such as unexpected terrorist attack, the military leader should be decisive so that he/she gives immediate direction to the other members of the military. This encourages cooperation towards a common goal and discourages conflicts of interest.
Creativity among military leaders enables them to come up with new and better ways of doing things. It is an important tool that enables commanders to deal with new challenging issues in military environment. Military leaders should develop creative problem solving skills so that they can easily negotiate and mediate multinational interests in the context of problem-solving. When challenged with difficult situations, military leaders with creative skills are able to come out clean with success and victory. This is because creativity enables them to develop new ideas and create solutions to new problems as they emerge. Military leaders also need to develop analytical skills in order to confront challenging environments.[18] They should understand their environment clearly and be able to link between one task and another so that they can adapt to the challenging military environment.
Military leaders also need to develop problem-solving skills so that they can be able to deal with problems as they come.[19] In the 21st century, several problems emerge from time to time in the military environment. In order to solve such problems, military personnel look up to their leaders. Solutions may come from the junior military officers, but military leaders are the key coordinators who may spur solutions to the problems faced by the entire military. The solutions that a military team member has in mind may not be put into practice without the direction of the leader. The leader should be there to get things done, and if he does not know how problems can be solved, team members may also not be able to provide any solution. A military group or organisation needs a leader to oversee the implementation of solutions to various problems experienced in the military engagements. Therefore, they need to develop good problem solving skills in order to set example to others and lead them towards the creation of solutions to problems experienced in the challenging military environment of the 21st century.
Transformational leadership theories also propose that leaders should exhibit behaviour modeling skills in order to lead others and enable them achieve organisational goals and objectives. Aristotle considered leaders as moral role models. This is echoed by the transformational leadership theories. Leaders make their followers good by forming habits in them. Such habits are then reflected in their efforts and outcomes. Military leaders also need to develop behaviour modeling skills so that they can enable others to work effectively towards the achievement of military objectives and meet the military challenges of the 21st century.[20] Behaviour modeling involves setting good example for others to emulate. A military leader without good ethics should not be emulated because he will mislead the entire military. Military leaders can be considered as models of their followers. According to modeling theories, people follow (model) the behaviours of their leaders. If military leaders behave unethically, other military members will also behave unethically. This will lead to failure in the entire military. However, if the military leader behaves well, the entire military squad will also behave well and meet objectives of their military organisations in challenging military environments.
Military leaders should also develop motivational skills in order to motivate their followers to perform well in challenging military environments. Military leaders should use various approaches to motivate their subordinates. According to the Maslow’s Needs Theory of motivation, leaders can motivate their followers by meeting their needs which are: physiological, security, social, esteem and self-actualisation. Military leaders should ensure that these needs are provided for the military personnel, starting with the lowest in hierarchy (physiological needs). Herzberg’s two-factor theory divides work environment into two major groups: motivators and Hygiene factors.[21] Military leaders may define the military work environment in terms of either motivators or hygiene factors. In terms of hygiene factors, military personnel are motivated with good salary, job security, work conditions, quality supervision and interpersonal relations. In terms of motivators, military personnel should be motivated using sense of achievement, recognition, responsibility, and personal growth and development.
Lastly, military leaders should develop good personalities such as transparency, honesty, concern, humility, kindness, trustworthiness, etc. Military leaders should be approachable and non status conscious.[22] They should put the interests of the military organisation ahead of their own interests. They also need to be empathetic and sympathetic. They should put themselves in other people’s shoes, understand them, and consider their opinions and views.
In conclusion, it is clear that the key attributes and skills that military leaders should have in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century include: good personalities, motivational skills, creative skills, behaviour modeling skills, decision making skills, visionaries, team building, involving, and communication skills. These skills and attributes make military leaders outstanding and exceptional in the military environment. Through them, military leaders are able to meet any challenge that emerges.
Endnotes
[1] Rollinson, D. 2008. Organizational Behavior and Analysis. London: Prentice Hall
[2] Rollinson, D. 2008. Organizational Behavior and Analysis. London: Prentice Hall
[3] Campbell, D.J., Hannah, S.T. and Mathews, M.D. 2010. “Leadership in Military and Other Dangerous Contexts: Introduction to the Special Topic Issue.” Military Psychology, 22(1): S1-S14.
[4] Senior, B., & Fleming, J. 2006. The Leadership of Change in Organizational change. London: Prentice Hall.
[5] Hartman, L., 1999. “A psychological analysis of leadership effectiveness.” Strategy and Leadership, 27 (26): 30–32.
[6] Senior, B., & Fleming, J. 2006. The Leadership of Change in Organizational change. London: Prentice Hall.
[7] Ulmer, Jr. W.F. 1998. “Military Leadership into the 21st Century: Another “Bridge Too Far?” Parameters, Winter 2010-11: 135-155.
[8] Taggar, S., Hackett, R., Saha, S., 1999. “Leadership emergence in autonomous work teams: antecedents and outcomes.” Personnel Psychology, 52 (4): 899–926.
[9] Taggar, S., Hackett, R., Saha, S., 1999. “Leadership emergence in autonomous work teams: antecedents and outcomes.” Personnel Psychology, 52 (4): 899–926.
[10] Ulmer, Jr. W.F. 1998. “Military Leadership into the 21st Century: Another “Bridge Too Far?” Parameters, Winter 2010-11: 135-155.
[11] Rollinson, D. 2008. Organizational Behavior and Analysis. London: Prentice Hall
[12] Rollinson, D. 2008. Organizational Behavior and Analysis. London: Prentice Hall
[13] Ulmer, Jr. W.F. 1998. “Military Leadership into the 21st Century: Another “Bridge Too Far?”Parameters, Winter 2010-11: 135-155.
[14] Taggar, S., Hackett, R., Saha, S., 1999. “Leadership emergence in autonomous work teams: antecedents and outcomes.” Personnel Psychology, 52 (4): 899–926.
[15] Ulmer, Jr. W.F. 1998. “Military Leadership into the 21st Century: Another “Bridge Too Far?” Parameters, Winter 2010-11: 135-155.
[16] Rollinson, D. 2008. Organizational Behavior and Analysis. London: Prentice Hall
[17] Andersen, J.A. 2006. “Leadership, Personality and Effectiveness.” The Journal of Socio-economics, 35: 1078-1091.
[18] Campbell, D.J., Hannah, S.T. and Mathews, M.D. 2010. “Leadership in Military and Other Dangerous Contexts: Introduction to the Special Topic Issue.” Military Psychology, 22(1): S1-S14.
[19] Ulmer, Jr. W.F. 1998. “Military Leadership into the 21st Century: Another “Bridge Too Far?” Parameters, Winter 2010-11: 135-155.
[20] Ulmer, Jr. W.F. 1998. “Military Leadership into the 21st Century: Another “Bridge Too Far?” Parameters, Winter 2010-11: 135-155.
[21] Senior, B., & Fleming, J. 2006. The Leadership of Change in Organizational change. London: Prentice Hall.
[22] Rollinson, D. 2008. Organizational Behavior and Analysis. London: Prentice Hall
