Competencies of U.S. Military Leaders

Following on from the previous blog on the U.S. Military's Leadership Philosophy, lets look at some of the competencies that are needed for effective U.S. Military soldiers.

Firstly, following on from the BE-KNOW-DO leadership mantra, there's this quote from General Edward C. Meyer (Chief of Staff, Army 1979-1983):
"Just as the diamond requires three properties for its formation - carbon, heat, and pressure - successful leaders require the interaction of three properties - character, knowledge, and application. Like carbon to the diamond, character is the basic quality of the leader... But as carbon alone does not create a diamond, neither can character alone create a leader. The diamond needs heat. Man needs knowledge, study and preparation... The third property, pressure - acting in conjuction with carbon and heat - forms the diamond. Similarly, one's character attended by knowledge, blooms through application to produce a leader."

Below is what is required of leaders within the U.S. Military.

Attributes of Leadership:

• A leader of character
• Army values
• Empathy
• Warrior Ethos
• A leader with presence
• Military bearing
• Physically fit
• Composed, confident
• Resilient
• A leader with intellectual capacity
• Mental agility
• Sound judgment
• Innovation
• Interpersonal tact
• Domain knowledge

Competencies of Leadership:

• Leadership
• Leads others
• Extends leadership beyond the chain of command
• Leads by example
• Communicates effectively
• Develops others
• Creates a positive environment
• Prepares and develops self
• Develops and invests in others
• Achieves
• Gets results!

Leaders from all organisations and walks of life can learn from these core competencies on leadership from the U.S. Army.

The U.S. Army's Leadership Philosophy

The U.S. Military Philosophy on Leadership is:

BE-KNOW-DO

Firstly, the values and attributes of a leader will affect positively or negatively on their capacity to lead. Who we are internally and the definining qualities we possess are the foundational aspects of leadership. The 'BE' part of the leadership philosophy relates to our own morality, and a soldier's integrity; it is the internal make-up of a leader.

Secondly, to 'KNOW' is to have the knowledge required to make wise leadership decisions in the heat of moment. It is about understanding organizational expectations, technical systems, the management of resources, HR issues, conflict resolution, strategic problem-solving and so on. To be a good leader in the U.S. Army, as this document suggests, is to firstly have deep moral integrity (to 'BE') and then to have the intellectual prowess to be a good leader.

Thirdly, to round out the leadership philosophy, a soldier must 'DO'. Naturally, simply 'being' and 'knowing' is never enough to achieve the mission at hand; you must 'DO'.

In Christian terms, I have been thinking about what I call DNA. A good leader has Depth, Nurture and Action expressed in their life. Let me explain briefly. A Christian leader has depth with their relationship with God, and they have depth in their relationships with one another. A Christian leader experiences the Nurture that comes from other Christians/believers, who encourage, challenge and inspire. They also receive nurture from God the Holy Spirit, who comes to empower them and 'counsel' them. A Christian leader finally, not only has depth with God, and nurture from other believers, but they go to action. They live out their faith convictions, in order that their realms of influence would be transformed for Jesus' sake. So, DEPTH, NURTURE, ACTION.

Thanks to the U.S. Military for their leadership philosophy that says, BE, KNOW, DO.