Characteristics of Effective Leaders
Twelve Oclock High, a 1949 film starring Gregory Peck as General Frank Savage, tells the story of a “hard luck” bomber group whose commanding officer (Colonel Keith Davenport) had gotten too close to his men. As a result, personnel casualties increased, morale amongst the troops decreased, and the success of the unit was in serious jeopardy. Savage, an officer with an impeccable service record, was sent to relieve Davenport to provide solid leadership to the 918th Bomb Group and to help the allied forces achieve victory during World War II. Be*Know*Do, written by Frances Hesselbein and General Eric Shinseki (USA Ret), establishes that a military leader must set the example, have competence, and take action. Additionally, he must lead from the front, be a team-builder and recognize the need for leading change. These characteristics were displayed in Twelve Oclock High and can be used by leaders on a universal scale.
“A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops” – General of the Armies John J. Pershing. Success of a military leader rests on his ability to acquire the skills and characteristics that are necessary to inspire and motivate his followers under the most arduous circumstances. The book Be-Know-Do and film Twelve Oclock High provide the foundation for creating winning military leaders in times of war and peace.
U.S. Army Regulation 600-100 (March, 2007) defines leadership as “influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization” (p. 1). This definition is virtually a mirrored image of leadership as it applies to all walks of life and therefore doesnt have to be tailored specifically to the army. This begs the questions – what makes leadership in the army, or the military in general, unique? Why is it necessary for the army to publish field manuals on leadership to spell out to its leaders how to effectively lead? To answer these questions, we must take a closer look at the challenges that military leaders confront.
Corporate leaders have the opportunity to post job vacancies and conduct interviews to hand-pick the members of their teams. If an employee doesnt perform satisfactorily, he can be suspended or fired. The responsibility that most leaders have to their people comes to a stop at the end of the workday. On the contrary, military leaders must work with the personnel that have been assigned to them, they cannot fire anyone (except through court-martial), and theyre responsible to their subordinates twenty-four hours per day. Further, theres no such thing as overtime in the military. As a result,