Developing will power in your team. How have developed will and team cohesion within your team?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 11:42:20 -0500

Our Main resposibility as a Leader is to obtain maximum performance from our Soldiers. How they performs depends on how well we can develop and put together their Skill, Will, and Teamwork. you understand skill, and you understand teamwork. But the "Will" part sometimes is difucult to develop, we have some tools in place in order to make a Soldier comply like UCMJ actions, Bar to reenlist etc. but the Will that come from the Soldier to do the right thing, the Will to fight, The Will to not let down his Buddies and his Leaders is difficult to develop for some. How you as a leader has/have develop your Soldiers Will? What challenge have you face in order to build their Will and team cohesion?

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2015 12:31 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 12:31:06 -0500

Your question, SFC Private RallyPoint Member, is an excellent one. It reminds me of the way the Iraqi army responded to ISIS as ISIS blew through the area. The Iraqis reportedly did not have the will to fight. They may have had the skills, taught - at least in part - by our deployed personnel. And they may have had teamwork and the necessary equipment, but the will was lacking, in my opinion, based on what I read and heard.

I think we learn will by being part of the team, by taking pride in ourselves, our teams, squads, platoons, companies, battalions, brigades, and so on, and so on. I think pride in self is a huge part of it. The will to fight, to stand with brothers and sisters in arms, comes in large part from within. It can be developed, nurtured, encouraged, but in the end it's the individual who must have that will. It comes from the inside -- something akin to courage or "guts."