Leadership in war time is a dynamic process. No one particular commander is exposed to the same challenge and implements a textbook solution. While leadership doctrine is provided to commanders, it serves more as a guideline than anything else. This situation can be clearly seen in the leadership and management styles of General Frank Savage and Colonel Keith Davenport. Both of these individuals were faced with the challenge of leading a Bomber Group during World War II. Grossly undermanned and equipped, their directive from command was to give maximum effort and fly their assigned missions until replacement aircraft and personnel could be brought up to the front.…
The purpose of this paper is to professionally analyze a leader in order to identify how their attributes and competencies impacted their organization and affected my own leadership philosophy. Master Sergeant Retired Roy Benavidez is a leader whose actions positively influenced the United States Army and greatly influenced my leadership philosophy. Benavidez influenced the United States Army by aligning his core attributes, character, presence, and intellect and his core competencies, leads, develops, and achieves with Army doctrine before it existed. Benavidez’s leadership style and personal sacrifices…
Air Force Doctrine Document (AFDD) 1-1 defines leadership as the art and science of influencing and directing people to accomplish the mission. This tried-and-true definition is one we’ve all heard before, and chances are we’ll hear it again. However, looking at other definitions, it is apparent most people define leadership in similar terms. DuBrin (2012) defines leadership as the ability to inspire confidence and support among the people who are needed to achieve organizational goals. Other experts say, “Leadership is the activity of influencing people to strive willingly for group objectives” or “interpersonal influence exercised in a situation and directed, through the communication…
Leadership in the Army is a vital part of success. Every single troop in the Army has experience it in one form or another. The processes used to lead help tie every mission, training exercise, and event together. The Orders Process and Troop Leading Procedures are imperative to mission readiness, unit cohesion, and overall achievement in the United States Army.…
Most Americans will never understand the human cost of combat. The moral, mental and physical demands of combat can break the strongest spirit or cultivate leadership potential. Retired Army General Colin Powell’s innate leadership abilities were challenged and honed from his first Vietnam War combat tour. Throughout his time in Vietnam, the critical leadership abilities of building trust and loyalty in one’s followers while displaying competence allowed Colin Powell to become an extremely effective organizational leader.…
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Ronald Reagan’s words provide me with a vision and the motivation to serve others by equipping them with the tools needed to reach their full potential. I have always worked hard as a leader to inspire others. I understand that I must be bold enough to have my own vision but humble enough to recognize achieving it will take the efforts of many people. I believe that we must work to together to keep America strong and ensure freedom for future generations, and I believe this is done through great leaders. The American Legion Auxiliary Girls State provides young women like me a deeper understanding…
Before I had some interest in becoming a leader, but I did not really have the drive and confidence to carry out a leadership position. However, during my junior year of high school, I was selected to attend a leadership camp, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). There was a specific keynote speaker at RYLA and his motivational speech gave me the motivation and determination to become a leader and make great changes. His statement still sticks to me today; I live life by this statement, “Success is in the struggle.” Now, I have taken on many leadership positions and have inspired others to become a leader. I inspire others by leading by example, and encouraging them to take a step outside of their comfort zone. I also inspire by building…
Since entering the U.S. Air Force at the young age of 19, I have been studying leaders. At first it was a fascination because some of them seemed so young and all of them seemed so confident and mission-oriented. I wanted some of what they had and set my sights to achieve it.…
Throughout my experiences, I have gained insight into what makes an effective and respected leader. Correspondingly, I have learned that maintaining group focus while avoiding dominating every decision is vital to have fruitful administrative endeavors. Being a youth representative for my church and a volunteer coordinator for my school’s chapter of National Honor Society have required efficient uses of my leadership skills. As I continue through life, I hope to foster my leadership abilities and use them to unite people and attain our mission.…
In today’s Army the expectations of a senior leader are very high. They must be strong in a large amount of areas and provide specific detailed guidance to foster a team to come together and accomplish the mission at hand. The opportunity to develop these skills while at the Air War College (AWC) away from the fast paced operations tempo that the force provides is rare. In this paper I will outline that for my success in the National Guard, I will set stretch goals in the areas of academics, professional and personal and define how I will accomplish them.…
There are over 781, 000, 000 results when you type leadership into the search engine. Whether it is leading a classroom, coaching a football game, or governing a state, most individuals have been in leadership role at some point in their life. While some leaders are thrust into their roles, others are more willing to take on a new leadership role. One thing remains true; there is no one and only way to lead. However, for the past few decades leadership theories have evolved and been the source of many studies.…
With over 15 years in the Air Force, I have a good deal of management experience. I have served as supervisor for up to 20 people at one time, and have been in many different situations where I’ve had to call on my leadership training. I have had to deal with young adults’ financial problems, divorces, and even suicide attempts. I am passionate about what I do, and I genuinely enjoy watching people succeed. There is no greater feeling to me than to watch someone succeed, and to know I had a hand in their success. Being a noncommissioned officer in the Air Force has afforded me a number of opportunities to lead people, as well as attend some of the best leadership training in the world. Many private companies pay thousands of dollars to send their employees to get the training I have received in the Air Force, and I have seen the benefits ten times over.…
As the old saying goes, “I’m a born leader”, cannot be further from the truth in today’s military and society. I honestly feel that leadership is a trait that some may be born with but to be a great leader it is learned through life experiences and good mentorship. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish objective and goals by directing organizations in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes; beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and personal skills. This has become a very difficult…
Leadership means many things to different people, and as a student of the Marine Corps, I have studied many of them. I know the traits, the principles, the roles, and the concepts. I have read of the greatest leaders in the world, and of ones that led their men to pointless slaughter. I have personally worked for men I would follow to hell, and ones I would feel safer around if they were locked in a cell. From all this, I have learned and absorbed, and I find on a daily basis the biggest part of leadership is simply to lead from the front.…
Napoleon's rise to fame is truly inspirational as he was able to make his way up the ranks based on sheer intellect and hard work. He was an excellent strategist, deeply studied of military knowledge at various military strategies used in actual combats. He especially advocates focus on the use of the artillery, and gives full play to the motor role of the cavalry. In fact, whether strategies or tactics, Napoleon had not created any new ideas, while he himself had certainly not been this self-proclaimed. If he ever so, he may be able to make the forces not repeatedly suffer heavy losses, until its final battle. But his guidance for the war was indeed a master. He was regarded as the best craftsman in the industry, and he knew how to make the most effective use of the hands-off-the-shelf tools and techniques, though not necessarily the most economical.…