What is the Single Greatest Trait a Good Military Leader Must Possess?

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:33:17 -0400

Please share the word, along with it's definition and a brief explanation why you feel that a good leader must possess it. Your explanation can be of a leader that did or did not possess this trait. Please do not list the names of individuals.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 14 at 2014 5:45 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:45:29 -0400

COMMUNICATIVE. Good leaders are constantly communicating. They use their communication skills to share their vision or strategy, display confidence, express to subordinates their appreciation or displeasure, and learn from others.

EDIT: A great example of this happened today. I was on KP duty serving lunch and a senior NCO, one whom I highly respect but have never met, came through the line. He said, "You're on RallyPoint, right?" He then went on to give me a compliment and I was rendered almost speechless. It shocked me that this NCO would notice and remember a random specialist from RP, and then take the time to make their day. It not only made my day, but made my MONTH! I want to be an NCO like that one day.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 14 at 2014 5:51 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:51:21 -0400

- Audacity -

1. boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.

2. effrontery or insolence; shameless boldness.

Leaders should feel that they have the total support of their chain of command. To often nowadays we see good leaders with unlimited potential getting chewed up and spit out for accomplishing a mission in an outside the box manner. All that this does is make leaders "gun shy" and afraid to take chances, because they know that if they incur the wrath of their superiors their careers are over. At the end of the day all that this does is hurt the service. Instead of breeding carnivorous savages capable of thinking on their toes, we are breeding a generation of domesticated yes men who would rather let someone miles away do their thinking for them so they can avoid trouble.

We are the warriors of America, and the people of America want us to be barrel chested gun fighters not bureaucratic pencil pushers, there are far to many of them as it is. It is our job to deter conflict from ever beginning by projecting ourselves in a manner that is indicative of the Warrior Ethos.

Am I saying that people should not be held accountable for their actions? No I am not. I am merely stating that it would benefit our military as a whole if leaders were not vindictive in their distribution of punishments.

Our military will never be what it is capable of being until our leaders have the ability to make mistakes in order for them to grow and learn from them. That is how experience is gained, that is how Audacity is fostered.

Response by SPC David Wyckoff made Mar 14 at 2014 6:01 PM

SPC David Wyckoff — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:01:45 -0400

Integrity.

My Pop used to say integrity was doing the right thing even if no one was looking. I add, integrity is doing the right thing even if everyone is looking. Sometimes one is just as hard as the other.

A good military leader has the wherewithall to stand when others can't or won't. From integrity comes respect, both given and received, proffessionalism, and credibility and wrapped up in the quality of integrity is courage. Integrity breeds a culture where learning and teaching are encouraged. A good military leader provides the example of the standard and the enforcement of said standard.

To quote a movie, Attitude reflects leadership.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 14 at 2014 6:27 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:27:10 -0400

Humility

We must never forget that we are no better than the next person. We have all had different experiences and life situations that have shaped us into the individual and leaders we are today. A sign of of a great military leader is ones ability to recognize this in them self and not be to good to learn something from everyone. Some of my greatest lessons have been taught to me by those that were younger in age and service experience.

I reemphasize this to people all of the time as one person said it to me a long time ago; remember that we all put our pants on one leg at a time.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 14 at 2014 6:27 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:27:47 -0400

Vision

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 17 at 2014 7:38 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 19:38:04 -0400

I would have to say humility. Humility is defined as the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.

I have had the wonderful opportunity to be the acting 1SG for my company last year. I never let that power go to my head, and its because of the other 1SG's in my battalion showing me the ropes. I asked the Soldiers to accomplish missions, they were not ordered to. I made myself available anytime day or night for them. I grew the company from a meager 6 man company to 22. The 1SG has since returned from his mobilization and was dumbfounded. I am not just blowing my own horn here. If it were not for the great Men and Women in the Company it could have gone allot differently. I was successful because of them and only because of them.

If I were able to do anything differently I think I would go down the same road. There is nothing greater than being able to lead these Soldiers and have them be able to correct you when you are wrong. I took my lickings and am proud the way the Company held together.

the definition of humble

Humble definition, not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful. See more.

Response by CMC Robert Young made Mar 17 at 2014 9:59 PM

CMC Robert Young — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:59:34 -0400

Character - without character all else is meaningless.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Mar 18 at 2014 3:03 AM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 03:03:55 -0400

Caring.
A caring leader knows his troops, knows when they need a boot in the ass or a hand to lift them up. That same caring leader is the type of leader that shares the hardships of his men.

Response by SPC Gary Basom made Mar 18 at 2014 4:00 AM

SPC Gary Basom — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 04:00:41 -0400

Loyalty and Teamwork. A Marine, soldier or any service member gets the job done quicker if they work as a team, to work as a team the leader and the team must have a loyalty to each other. As in combat you watch out for each other's back, the NCO or officer takes care of their men, makes sure they are ready for their mission. The team works together to improve (team and individual levels). You train at this as you do at a job.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2014 9:56 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 09:56:09 -0400

Patience

Response by MSG Brad Sand made May 10 at 2014 11:10 AM

MSG Brad Sand — Sat, 10 May 2014 11:10:49 -0400

SSGT I was about to say there is no single trait, but then a versus came to me, and it IS the answer to your question;
1 Corintians 13:2-7 'If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.'
Love of Nation, love of your soldiers, love of the freedom,love of our fellow man and without love we are nothing and gain nothing.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2014 10:21 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 10:21:16 -0400

I don't see that any one trait is the "Most Important" They are all intertwined. Without one, you won't have the others. I always fall back to LDRSHIP. You can not be an effective leader without it.
Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless Service
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage

Response by SPC Darin Taylor made Aug 13 at 2014 12:18 PM

SPC Darin Taylor — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 12:18:48 -0400

"Initiative" A good leader is one who takes the initiative to get their hands dirty and help their soldiers complete a task at hand.