Leadership

MAJ Greg Soule'
Student
Command & General Staff College
US Army Combined Arms Center
Ft Belvoir, VA

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author & do not reflect the official policy or position of the Dept of the Army, Dept of Defense, or US Govt.

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At some point during the transition process while out processing a unit, be it following a staff or command position, a Soldier or Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) invariably approached me and said, “We’re going to miss you sir.” It is these types of exchanges that make departing a bittersweet experience, and yet validate why I continue to serve as an Army officer. The bitterness comes from having to leave behind my cohesive unit that I helped train; the sweetness from the “pat on the back” discussed above. As an Army leader, the most important lesson I’ve learned is you must foster the right climate in order to be an effective leader. The best way I’ve found to foster this climate is by realizing for what purpose you have been placed in that leadership role, and by living and cultivating the Golden Rule within your organization.
First of all, too few officers realize why they exist. Perhaps a requisite slap in the face would do the trick. We have been placed in this unique position of authority over numerous Soldiers, oftentimes being straight out of college, and fail to realize for what purpose. Our purpose as Army officers is not to exercise control over Soldiers, but rather to serve them. I learned this early on in my career, and it helped make me successful as a leader. I don’t mean give Soldiers everything they ask for, but rather be their advocate. Our Soldiers need officers who look out for their best interests.
As a new 2nd Lieutenant (2LT), a Staff Sergeant (SSG) of mine was having trouble with the Housing Office. He would never have approached me with this, but I overheard another conversation and approached him. He lived with his wife and three kids in on-post housing. While renovations were being made, his family was moved from one house to the next. They had moved four times in the past year, and had another move scheduled in a few months. I felt this was unacceptable, but also thought what can I do – I’m just a lieutenant. But I felt compelled because it was the right thing to do. Using my chain-of-command, I raised the issue all the way to the Commanding General. Needless to say, my SSG’s next move was cancelled. I was able to help this SSG and his family, yet the benefit I received within the platoon was priceless. The Soldiers in the platoon saw through my actions that I was there for the right reason. They saw that I would be their advocate – their leader.
Another facet of being an advocate for your Soldiers is playing the role of buffer between them and your higher headquarters. Far too often, commanders and their staffs make decisions in a bubble, without having first-hand knowledge of the true situation. When decisions are made in this manner, there is potential for adverse effects upon your Soldiers. I have learned it is our job as leaders to be the buffer to help prevent these adverse effects from rolling downhill. It is our job, even though it might get you a butt-chewing, to ask why and maybe even present a different course of action for the commander and staff to consider. You might be told no, move out and draw fire…but you might actually change the course of action from time to time. When your Soldiers see you advocating for and caring about them in these ways, you’ll be well on your way toward creating the ideal command climate.
Second, in order to be a proper advocate for Soldiers, you must treat others as you would like to be treated (Golden Rule). Would you like it if your supervisor was always in your face yelling at you, and even took off his ballistic helmet and hit you in the head with it? Granted it was just your pride that was hurt as you still had your helmet on, and some situations call for drastic measures, but using this tactic in every situation is not treating others as you would like to be treated. It is not effective leading.
Sometimes you just need to listen. Everyone has one of those people in their organization where at first you try to quietly slide past their door or cubicle because you know if they hear you you’ll get sucked in to a conversation lasting no less than 45 minutes. I used to despise how this “wasted” what little time I had in each day. Then I started to realize I wasn’t applying the Golden Rule. This person just wanted to be heard. By stopping to listen, I showed them that I cared about what they had to say. I was even surprised that oftentimes I learned something valuable from these discussions.
These two ideals of remembering your purpose as a leader, and treating others with respect by applying the Golden Rule, helped me learn my most important lesson as a leader. The lesson of creating the right climate for effective leadership didn’t really hit home until I started teaching leadership at Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). It wasn’t until I was teaching Cadets how to be effective leaders that I realized I’d been applying these two fundamentals all along. Hopefully, many of these Cadets have gone on to make fine Army officers by becoming Soldier advocates and applying the Golden Rule.