Do you think undermining another person leadership style for the better is wrong?

2014-02-25T20:41:05-05:00

I have seen an issue developing within my soldiers of de-motivation due to several other NCO's telling them that due to the fact that they are in S-6 that there is no use of being motivated cause of there MOS and that everyone in s-6 is lazy and only takes initiative when told to do so. After witnessing this being said afterwards I pulled those soldiers aside and gave them my philosophy that I live by as S-6 saying: "Don't let people break your spirit or motivation be better than the person you work for look at there faults and don't make there mistakes and that is how you build your own individual leadership style that can make you a better leader than most". I'm the type of the leader that wants my soldiers to be motivated, take initiative in the absence of orders, wanting everybody to work as a team no matter the good or bad situations, and try to change a soldier state of mind to make the army a career and feel that everyday he put on that uniform he is making a difference within the army.<br><br>I want to know some better ways I could have handle this situation and was I wrong or right in this situation.<br><br>

Response by SPC James Bailey made Feb 26 at 2014 1:45 AM

2014-02-26T01:45:43-05:00

coming from a junior enlisted member's perspective I would say u were right in this situation

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2014 5:09 PM

2014-05-08T17:09:11-04:00

I would not call that undermining the NCO. You did not question him in front of the subordinates, and you didn't outright address what he did wrong to the Soldiers either. What you did was set them straight. Awesome job.

Response by SFC Brian Ewing made Oct 21 at 2015 12:58 PM

2015-10-21T12:58:35-04:00

Well I for one say that you shouldn't have to undermine anyone, if you speak one on one directly with that person you should be able to influence them by your example(s) if you are setting a/some good ones.
There could be some examples of "Toxic Leadership" going on in your unit which have lead to the behavior you mentioned regarding being unmotivated.

Nothing like one to one sessions and if that doesn't work then you bring in a Mediator so that you can clearly state what the issue(s) is/are and how it is effecting the morale of the unit or Soldiers.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Oct 21 at 2015 1:42 PM

2015-10-21T13:42:57-04:00

To answer the exact question, yes undermining another person's leadership style is wrong. Now that I am older and wiser I can now see my faults while I served. I always had a problem with peers and leadership and I will admit I did a lot of undermining in my 20 years of service in the Army. I will say this, you see the rank I left as after 20 yrs is only SSG/E-6, I am not ashamed of my rank, but had I did things differently and not piss off the hands that could help me I guarantee I would have at least retired as a SFC-E-7 !

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2015 11:13 PM

2015-11-12T23:13:18-05:00

My god I wish I could have been there to hear that conversation. The NCO's in that S-6 shop would have gotten the mentorship of their life. I wouldn't have ripped them in front of the Soldiers but regardless of MOS they are still soldiers. Find me on global and give me the unit. I work in III Corps G-6 as the acting Corps Automation Management Office SGM, we need to fix this ASAP.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 25 at 2015 2:17 PM

2015-11-25T14:17:52-05:00

SGT Private RallyPoint Member I think what you did was spot on. What that NCO did was demoralizing to your soldiers and counter productive to having a positive environment.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Nov 25 at 2015 2:22 PM

2015-11-25T14:22:27-05:00

Think outside the box. Many times Soldiers know the usual POG this or POG that, or SGT Such N Such is this or that. You probably know it too. Maybe going to their level "again" and breaking those stereotypes could be a way to go. It shows them you're not above them per se, but you're a NCO who's STILL a Soldier. Show them that they are every bit the Soldier that a Green Beret is. They are in fact. Show them that making themselves better isn't stupid. It seems like it in the short term and might not be popular, but when it comes time for 1SG or CSM to look at those for promotion....that "kiss ass" who took his career by the horns and did the hard choices will be the one that stands out, and those "cool guys/gals" who sat back and "marinated" will continue to "marinate" looking at their once peers progress.
To drive it home, make everything relatable, and something they can easily understand.
And when your Soldiers tell you that someone said whatever about the Six shop, reinforce to them that "They can talk sh*t about us....be DAMNED if they'll talk AT ALL WITHOUT us. Being in the 6Shop sucks sometimes, and I've heard or seen all the dumb stuff associated with it, but that little "slogan" along with some talks from my peers really put it in perspective.
You stay motivated and running at 100MPH and they're gonna see it and most are going to emulate.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 25 at 2015 2:30 PM

2015-11-25T14:30:32-05:00

When you disagree with someone leadership practices (I'm not sure doing as little as possible qualifies as a leadership style) you should be willing to stand up and disagree with them. The first thing you should is respectfully explain to them why they are wrong. The second thing you should do is explain to your soldiers that they should always pursue excellence, and that it doesn't matter if those around or even above them have lost sight of that goal. Invite them to respectfully critique you when they feel you are not pursuing excellence and inform them that you will be critiquing them as well.

If you and your soldiers are pursuing excellence, there is a good chance that you will be able to change the culture in your shop. A rising tide of professionalism tends to lift all boats, even those of tired and unmotivated leaders.