Which leadership quality degrades the fastest?

2014-08-12T10:56:31-04:00

We all have seen a sub-par leader... Although everyone starts out with great intentions (ideally), which leadership quality have you witnessed leaders lose over time? Empathy? Respect? Motivation? Soldiering Skills?
Which is most important?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 12 at 2014 11:35 AM

2014-08-12T11:35:43-04:00

Motivation is probably the one that I have seen become degraded the fastest. It can take just one really bad situation or one really bad senior leader to bring down the morale of the individual leader or an entire unit.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 12 at 2014 2:24 PM

2014-08-12T14:24:41-04:00

As far as leadership goes, the army (ADP or ADRP 6-22) doesn't spell out leadership qualities per say, but rather breaks down leadership into attributes and competencies. Underneath leadership attributes, you have character, presence, and intellect. Underneath competencies you have leads, develops, and achieves.

With that said, I believe the easiest attribute to lose would be character, while the easiest competency to lose would be develops. Character, for the simple fact that one decisiono/act and it's tarnished forever. Develops, because often times as a leader, it is very easy to get caught up in busy work, achieving results, meetings, etc. and it becomes very easy to neglect those that are looking up to you (PLs/XO) for their career development.

Response by 1SG Steven Stankovich made Aug 12 at 2014 3:05 PM

2014-08-12T15:05:59-04:00

Interesting question sir. I would have to say that over time, the leadership quality that degrades the fastest would be motivation. A close second would be character. In my experience motivation tends to degrade the longer one is inundated with politics, red tape, and conflicting guidance with regards to constant situations where doing the right thing subjects one to being a scapegoat. As motivation to do the right thing or go that extra mile to help a Soldier, a situation, or to better a unit, ones character also begins to slip. You are now looked upon as the guy/gal that doesn't care anymore.

Now this is all worst case scenario and in my experience, this is not the norm that I have seen in Leaders. It does happen though and that is why it is important to surround yourself with trusted peers to assist in identifying signs and offering support if they see you are getting burned out.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 12 at 2014 11:59 PM

2014-08-12T23:59:39-04:00

The leadership trait, ability, or what not that I struggle to maintain is empathy. Often I have soldiers come to me with situations and they always seem so dire. It is often hard to tell who really is in a bad situation and who isn't. Too often I find myself being less than empathetic when the situations call for it because I've been burned in the past. I think being empathetic toward a soldier's real situation is a quick way for you to break the leadership bond that you have with your soldiers. If they feel like you don't care then often they don't care either.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Aug 13 at 2014 1:24 AM

2014-08-13T01:24:52-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member - I will give my opinions re: the officer corps. Over time, I saw many leaders lose touch with the Soldiers in the larger unit, their needs on the ground, and the things they found important -- like free time with family. I saw this in multiple field grade officers in the battalions I served in, though certainly not all the field grades. I think that when leaders move on to new positions that do not directly engage with Soldiers in line units on a daily basis, it may become easier for them to perceive Soldiers as people on a roster, rather than individual men and women with unique passions, needs, and strengths/weaknesses. Again, I am not implying this exists across the board. I also knew some O-4 through O-6 who were incredible leaders and demonstrated time and time again how much they cared about Soldiers, sometimes at the risk of their own careers.

Response by CMSgt James Nolan made Aug 13 at 2014 7:49 AM

2014-08-13T07:49:41-04:00

Sir, I would add respect and trust. In the commission of your duties, you will most certainly make some unhappy. You are in the position of often times being the bearer of bad news. Show that you are not above doing the things that your troops will be doing. Show that you believe in what you are doing. Show that you care about the mission AND the troops. Never waiver in your convictions. Make it clear where you stand. Don't be afraid to make a mistake and if you do, own it. You will keep the respect and trust of your troops. They know that you are not perfect, but you are their leader. Jump in and get your hands dirty and watch what happens.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Aug 13 at 2014 10:49 AM

2014-08-13T10:49:47-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member - I really like seeing a 2LT asking this question and exploring these issues. Continue to push yourself and engage with the people contributing to this thread. Push them on the points they make, and over time this will help you define the kind of leader you aspire to be.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 21 at 2014 12:39 PM

2014-08-21T12:39:08-04:00

In my opinion and experience, the quality that degrades most quickly is Perspective. As personnel are placed in positions of higher and higher authority/responsibility, their ability to relate to both their subordinates and to the "real world' outside the military structure seems to lessen. The result of this is what I have termed, "little kingdoms."

Most have us have served with leaders who have attained enough rank to feel they can, "finally do things their way." it reveals itself in a leader's "pet peeves" being disciplined more harshly than other parallel infractions, the overt pressure of the leader's religious background at official functions, and other such breaches of the leader-subordinate relationship. Rather than focusing on the effective prosecution of warfare and creating challenging training to sharpen the force, they try to enforce their "vision" across their "kingdom." This degradation is directly responsible for such key qualities as Command Climate, faith in leadership, and the motivation of subordinate troops.

If a leader is not in touch with the social standards, personal needs, and larger realities of their subordinates living in a modern era and trying to meet their personal Maslow Hierarchy, they are a wrench in the system rather than the gears we need them to be.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2015 4:37 PM

2015-04-19T16:37:53-04:00

I have been fortunate enough to have led soldiers both as an NCO, and now as an officer. In my opinion, leadership is influence built upon a foundation of trust. Without trust, soldiers will not be keen to follow, or even respect you as a leader. I believe it takes great character and personal integrity to build this trust in your subordinates. Taking time to get to know your soldiers, taking care of them, mentoring them, and building them both as people and as professionals will show great empathy; they will see that they are a valuable part of your team worth being invested in. This will be motivating and will make them feel like an integral part of your unit's success.
Early in his campaigns, Alexander the Great took no special treatment and regularly had the same accommodations as his soldiers. He partook in their miseries and in their celebrations equally. He called his soldiers out by name after battles, recognizing them for their deeds, and regularly granted time off to those with families for various reasons. He was able to build trust and his soldiers followed him from Greece, to fight the mighty Persian Empire, then campaign over a decade all the way to India. Without his soldier's trust, Alexander could not have sustained these actions and achieved victory after victory. They trusted he would look out for their best interest, and in return, they would follow in full loyalty. Only when he began to look to his own selfish desires and neglect his troops did this change.
This can be seen throughout history, especially in this country and the people's relationships with politicians. We do not trust them, therefore they have a hard time influencing us and leading the country as it should be. We feel they no longer have our interest in mind, but instead they want to fulfill their own obligations. This is a reflection of poor character and integrity which leads to a degradation of trust. Once trust goes, all credibility of a leader is gone.