Posted on Feb 17, 2016
How important is it for military leaders to be able to lead effectively through email?
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Face-to-face leadership is often looked at as the ideal way to motivate, train, and inspire teams and subordinates in the military. And I agree. But what about when your team is halfway around the world, and you don't have the luxury of seeing them face-to-face more than 1-2 times per year? What happens when IOT be an effective military leader, you literally HAVE TO be able to lead well via email?
Leadership Development
Leadership
Professional Development
Email
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 27
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CPT Aaron Kletzing I may be dating myself, but a leader can't lead thru email. Email is a tool, but not a way lead. Leadership is all about personal relationships.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
I agree with you, Sir, but as we get bigger and more widespread the tools we use have evolved as well. We tend to think in small unit styles of leadership. When talking of teams or squads we are transformative leaders. It is very much about the personal relationships. When talking "command level" where someone is not in the same geographic area as their leadership, we are forced to use other tools.
The CSA and SMA aren't able to develop the same type of personal relationships with their division counterparts that a platoon commander & sergeant can with his team leader and troops. The distance is too great. So they rely on the "written word" to convey their vision, much like your leadership abilities shine through on this forum.
In 3 sentences you were able to convey a philosophy that was clear, concise, and exactly what you meant. That's leadership over "electronic media" (email, letter, forum, whatever). This skill is one of many that separates you from others.
If you can do THIS over email. I can only imagine what you can do in person.
The CSA and SMA aren't able to develop the same type of personal relationships with their division counterparts that a platoon commander & sergeant can with his team leader and troops. The distance is too great. So they rely on the "written word" to convey their vision, much like your leadership abilities shine through on this forum.
In 3 sentences you were able to convey a philosophy that was clear, concise, and exactly what you meant. That's leadership over "electronic media" (email, letter, forum, whatever). This skill is one of many that separates you from others.
If you can do THIS over email. I can only imagine what you can do in person.
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SGT Eliyahu Rooff
I fully concur, Captain. You can't lead people if you aren't there. Email is a great communication tool when used correctly, but it has little to do with leadership.
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LTC (Join to see)
COL Charles Williams Sir, I would agree that leadership is about personal relationships. I would also argue that in the world that we live in today that it is often needed for a senior leader to express Commander's Intent and provide feedback to confirmation briefs via email. This is a digital way of providing supervision which as the 8th step in the Troop Leading Procedures is all about leadership. Just my opinion and a slight counterpoint to where you are coming from.
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COL Charles Williams
LTC (Join to see) - I am not saying email is bad, but I think it is a tool to assist leaders... not to replace actual face to face interaction... which seems to be happening more and more...
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In my opinion you cannot lead through email, you manage. Leadership is personal in nature and you need to see someone in person so they know you give a damn about them.
Edit: The original question I believe was edited. You can manage from your laptop via email or VTC to your dispersed unit, but the subordinate leaders on the ground are the one's actually leading. It doesn't make your job any less important, but by my personal definition sending emails does not constitute leadership.
Edit: The original question I believe was edited. You can manage from your laptop via email or VTC to your dispersed unit, but the subordinate leaders on the ground are the one's actually leading. It doesn't make your job any less important, but by my personal definition sending emails does not constitute leadership.
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CPT Mark Gonzalez
Senior leaders give their intent and subordinate leaders execute it. They cannot pretend to be everything to everyone, because they are human and have limited presence. It is no disrespect to the senior, but in my opinion leadership is a personal human interaction and management is not. After all a robot can send an email, but a robot cannot be a leader.
Senior leaders can write policies or send emails all day, but it takes the subordinate leaders time to actually read it and do something with it.
For geographically spread units the commander will circulate and project presence to his subordinates. This presence is incredibly important as it builds the human connection and loyalty. Once the commander returns he can send emails all day, but ultimately his subordinate leaders are their in person doing the leading.
Senior leaders can write policies or send emails all day, but it takes the subordinate leaders time to actually read it and do something with it.
For geographically spread units the commander will circulate and project presence to his subordinates. This presence is incredibly important as it builds the human connection and loyalty. Once the commander returns he can send emails all day, but ultimately his subordinate leaders are their in person doing the leading.
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CPT Mark Gonzalez
The most important leader is the immediate supervisor and there is nothing wrong with being a senior manager.
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MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P
LTC (Join to see) - You pose an interesting and relevant question. I'll be the first to admit I'm not well versed on Army capabilities for video capability at unit levels (IE: Company and below). Would it be possible for a Commander to establish video link with the troop down range? I would think at least on the UNCLASS level, there are a plethora of video programs (facetime, Skype, etc) that could be used. I'll admit it's not as good as true face-to-face but it beats a one-sided missive.
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LTC (Join to see)
MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P we have VTC capable in most locations in some way shape or form, the hard part is getting the allocated time for that. I would personally prefer email/phone call to a Skype/facetime chat with my boss. I understand for leading the masses, but it may come off as too disingenuous.
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Using email correctly in the US Military, is so important in the Marine Corps, it is now part of the Phase I training of New Officers at the Basic School's BOC Course, under "Military Correspondence" training classes and Instruction Manuals:
Electronic Mail
In today’s computer driven age, email has become an increasingly popular form of communication. Several important points to remember about sending emails are:
• Email should never take the place of a phone call
when the opportunity exists.
• Never counsel via email.
• Do not chastise via email.
• Never send email when you are angry.
• Vital information—do not rely on email.
• Email sent does not equal email received.
• Follow-up important email with a phone call.
• Don’t put it in email if you do not want everyone to
see it.
• Do not send personal information over email.
• Be respectful in tone.
See SECNAV M-5216.5, Chapter 4.
From: TBS MATERIALS PHASE I TRAINING:MILITARY CORRESPONDENCE
B020069XQ
STUDENT HANDOUT found online here:
http://www.trngcmd.marines.mil/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=emR9gWc4Xn0%3d&tabid=23571&portalid=207&mid=57768
Electronic Mail
In today’s computer driven age, email has become an increasingly popular form of communication. Several important points to remember about sending emails are:
• Email should never take the place of a phone call
when the opportunity exists.
• Never counsel via email.
• Do not chastise via email.
• Never send email when you are angry.
• Vital information—do not rely on email.
• Email sent does not equal email received.
• Follow-up important email with a phone call.
• Don’t put it in email if you do not want everyone to
see it.
• Do not send personal information over email.
• Be respectful in tone.
See SECNAV M-5216.5, Chapter 4.
From: TBS MATERIALS PHASE I TRAINING:MILITARY CORRESPONDENCE
B020069XQ
STUDENT HANDOUT found online here:
http://www.trngcmd.marines.mil/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=emR9gWc4Xn0%3d&tabid=23571&portalid=207&mid=57768
o·1¿isZíKe/dFÇÐØW3æúôñeQ§ÝdÜ]bÂK!)6»{LÑTnqïuãåIËÏëÕá=$k~ìrGWÉèÚvÉYå3èºÚÎ0}aÖT-x*lÛzÁ^ïæ~fL'@øk7UÞèÂá;ñND$SñWûIéH5T\ÜêçÔgÃÛ:ËÑîíI0.]aFnÆÙÞ55
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Capt Lance Gallardo - TBS used to be available as a "correspondence course" at one point from TECOM (or its predecessor). I believe Gen Amos was listed as having completed it that way during the Vietnam Era (he transferred to the Marines as Navy LTjg). I'm not sure when the program was discontinued, however TECOM has always been really good about having things online (I was in TECOM from 1999-2002).
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Capt Lance Gallardo
Believe me when I tell you, TECOM had none of these online materials when I went through TBS in 1990-91. Our PUBS must have weighed about 80lbs! I think we used a duffle bag to collect our initial issue of PUBS-it must have been like 30-50 FMF-1 through FMF-?? The internet was in its infancy, and if you had a 28KB connection that was good. I had a MAC SE and 1 Megabyte of RAM and a 2 megabyte Harddrive with floppy drives as the external media. My current gaming computer has 16 GIG of RAM (I built it myself) and I am thinking of bumping that to 24 or 36 GB of RAM. I currently have 300MB down connection through TWC.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Capt Lance Gallardo - I don't doubt you. I remember the first computer I bought for myself. It had a 1GB harddrive.
I remember carrying all my (paper) pubs etc from Camp Pen to Quantico in 1999 in one of the wood ammo crates.. only to replace them with .pdfs on a CD shortly thereafter. In 2000~ there was a HUGE push to get everything online when MCU was going through their accreditation process.
I remember carrying all my (paper) pubs etc from Camp Pen to Quantico in 1999 in one of the wood ammo crates.. only to replace them with .pdfs on a CD shortly thereafter. In 2000~ there was a HUGE push to get everything online when MCU was going through their accreditation process.
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Capt Lance Gallardo
About time, but probably light speed as measured in Marine Corps Time, which as you know moves differently than the rest of the known universe.
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