Military Leadership: A Conceptual Model

Definitions of Leadership

Here are some partial definitions of leadership:

1. "Leadership is to give purpose" - very broad, and the connection to goal or mission is not clear.
2. “I need living companions, who will follow me because they want to follow themselves — and to the place where I will”. This is from Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The part about "following themselves" means that those being lead have certain abilities they want to exercise - a painter wants to paint, a boxer wants to box, warrior wants to fight. Following a leader allows them to exercise that ability.
3. "To influence or direct others to accomplish a goal that set before you." This is better but requires the leader to accomplish only one goal.
4. To correct this deficiency, this can be modified as follows: "To influence or direct others to accomplish a goal that set before you, and then build upon the results of that accomplishment."

Conceptual Model

Major characteristics of military leadership include:

• Character - these are virtues that a leader must possess. The USMC lists 14 leadership traits in their "JJ DID TIE BUCKLE" acronym: justice, judgement, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, tact, integrity, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty, and endurance.
• Competency - this is covered under USMC's traits of knowledge, judgement, integrity, bearing, decisiveness, and initiative.
• Communication - the ability to clearly and concisely express intent to those being lead, and convince them of the importance of a goal or mission.
• Conviction - this is a firmly held belief or faith that a goal or mission is just and that your team can accomplish it. This would maybe fall under the USMC's courage, justice, knowledge, and endurance traits.

Those virtues are necessary but not sufficient for a complete conceptual model military leadership, I believe.

Consider Teddy Roosevelt's "man in the arena" metaphor. Character and competency are necessary to inspire men to follow you. Communication is what is needed to tell them they're about to enter the arena and what their mission is. Conviction is the belief that that there's a reasonable chance of success in that arena.

Entering the arena requires courage, but what about conduct within that arena?

From limited personal experience it is as if a switch has been flipped, and confidence and habit are replaced by mastery and aggression; the desire for success is replaced by the need for dominate. It's not clear whether or how this joie de guerre fits into the usual list of virtues.

References

N/A. MCRP 6-11B (with Change 1): Marine Corps Values: A User's Guide for Discussion Leaders. 20 October 1998. Retrieved 9 August 2024 from https://www.fitness.marines.mil/Portals/211/Docs/FFI/MCRP%206-11B%20%20W%20CH%201%20Marine%20Corps%20Values_A%20User's%20Guide%20for%20Discussion%20Leaders.pdf

Nietzsche, F. Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None. (T. Common, tr.) Retrieved 9 August 2024 from https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1998/pg1998-images.html

Roosevelt, T. "Citizenship in a Republic." 23 April 1910. Retrieved 9 August 2024 from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Learn-About-TR/TR-Encyclopedia/Culture-and-Society/Man-in-the-Arena.aspx