Favorite leadership style: Loud or Soft spoken?
Leadership
Great question, 1SG Llamas!
I have learned the most about leadership from watching my leaders. I've learned what NOT to do from the bad/toxic leaders and what I SHOULD do from the great leaders.
Most of all, I have found that since each person is different, and responds differently to various stimuli and styles, a good leader needs to tailor his/her leadership style to what is most effective FOR THAT PERSON. Of course this means living the NCO Creed in "... I know my Soldiers..."
Young/inexperienced Soldiers tend to need firm guidance from a confident knowledgeable leader. Older, more experienced Soldiers may respond better to a lighter, more casual tone or style. Of course these are simply generalizations, but that is from what I personally have observed and experienced. A young NCO who thinks that being loud and abrasive equates to effective leadership may only be partially effective. Most Soldiers can tell when a person is being fake. If one is not a loud person, that person trying to appear "tough" by being loud will be seen through, and as a result, the leader will have lost credibility, especially with the older/more experienced Soldiers.
I have also found that if you treat Soldiers (even those junior or subordinate to you) with dignity and a calm demeanor, they will respond better than the "old school" method of bullying everyone into submission. Now I am NOT discounting tried and true "old school" methods, as I consider myself "old school" but you also have to realize what age group you are talking to.
Leadership is about accomplishing the mission while encouraging your team to respect you, and therefore WANT to follow you, and not just your rank/authority. As George C. Scott, playing an about to retire general imparts to a young cadet in the move "Taps," "They'll respect the rank, hell they have to. But they won't respect the man. You have to earn that." Know your Soldiers and what approach is the most effective for each one, and success should follow.
SGT (P) Unger,
I have been loud on certain occasion, I call it "TRADOC" mode. When you attempt to be soft, Soldier confuse it with weakness. I have told my Soldiers before not to confuse kindness with weakness. Yes, one does need to tailor their Leadership style based on the situation; but you cannot go around having too many styles. Soldiers will respect the rank, as a Leader, one must earn the respect that comes along with the position/title.
Great point, 1SG Llamas.
When I get a new Soldier, I tell them that I will treat him/her as an adult unless/until she proves that to be a mistake, and then we go back to basics. I do also tell them not to mistake my respect for them as adult Soldiers for weakness.
I am not a loud person, and my style is softspoken but firm. Those who know me know that I am very creative when it comes to getting my point across. I do not feel that I need to be loud to be effective.
Some folks don't need to be yelled at, cursed at, or put down to get a point across; others might. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach won't be effective for those who don't respond well to your chosen approach; if you're a yeller, you may just end up pissing your people off, shutting them down, or making them afraid of you.
I've done this with nearly all of my Soldiers but I tend to talk to them and guide them in problem resolution as well as learning. Instead of beating them (proverbially) over the head, I get them to come to their own conclusions. This worked very well with my clerk in Korea. We would have many discussions on regulations, initiative, etc. It was awesome to see her eventually go "Ohhh" like a light bulb went on in her head.
A bullhorn only has initial or occasional impact until the eardrums refuse to receive its deafening sound.
A poised, steady voice must be clear, direct, and complemented with action for others to seek its instruction rather than merely bear it until it's toned out.
It must be a Generation Y thing, the "Yolo" Generation as I like to call it. They have many talents that I did not growing up, such as the ability to rapidly grasp technical concepts and equipment. They can also multi-task better than I remember being able to at the same age. Some of the drawbacks that I've noticed are the sense of entitlement that some of them carry with them. When I came in, I was only allowed in basically because it was during the Surge when the Army was waiver crazy. So I was grateful simply to be allowed in.
For some foolish reason, I was assessed as scared to take charge because I was too quiet. I learned the phrase ‘are you going to let me do my job?’ Particularly when someone would interrupt me to correct me in the middle of my class.
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