Intrinsically, individuals typically have varied outlooks on the style of leadership, its implementation strategies, and the consequences of choices that ultimately define an effective leader. By and large, the practical nature of leadership skills is evident and requires in-depth research, predominantly in comprehending the models and frameworks, which eventually portend success in the field. From a practical perspective, leadership encompasses an individual’s ability as well as that of the organization in the dispensation of duty. Furthermore, this ability extends to the leader in question and his/her ability to guide individuals or teams and entire organizations. Nonetheless, according to Yukl (2002), practical leadership is often impeded by the academic bias present in leadership. This bias often results in a divergence from practical managers, which remains crucial in present leadership dynamics.
In addition, owing to the diversity of global cultures, leadership correlates to divergent techniques and perspectives that are always morphing and evolving from one state to another. In this case, as a leader, what herald’s efficacy within the Eastern context may not be entirely effective within the West and vice versa. Such ambiguity demands flexibility in leadership, thereby, accommodating its variable demands. Within the learners’ context, one may argue that while there is a need for proper emphasis on practical leadership skills, the implementation of similar skills among students undertaking leadership eventually fosters the much-needed skills and knowledge for ultimate success in leadership whether in a managerial or organizational context. Ultimately, having these skills and nurturing them over time produces the effective leader. This paper analyses the leadership skills of James Mattis, the current United States Secretary of Defense, according to the five exemplary practices of leaders.
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Biographical Sketch
Having a luscious career, James Norman Mattis, born on September 8, 1950, is as mentioned above, the current U.S. Secretary of Defense. Being a former U.S. Marine Corps General, Mattis commanded the 1st Marine Division during the Iraq invasion of 2003 serving as the eleventh commander of the U.S. Central Command in the tenure of President Barack Obama. His career in the military is successful. His command ranged from the U.S. Joint Forces Command in which he served concurrently as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation for three years before being a replacement for General David Petraeus as commander of the U.S. Central Command. In the event of the Iraq War, Mattis commanded a set of military powers that were highly decisive in the overall conflict. Among these were the U.S. Marine Forces Central Command, the Marine Expeditionary Force, and the 1 st Marine Division. Aside from his military prowess, Mattis received affirmation, albeit on the waiver, as Secretary of Defense on January 20, 2017. Following this affirmation, he was the first member of the Cabinet to receive it under the current tenure of President Donald J. Trump.
Born in Pullman, Washington and the son of Lucille Mattis and John West Mattis, a mariner, James Norman Mattis displayed acute intelligence from the outset. In Robert H. Scales’ description, a retired Major General of the U.S. Army, he refers to Mattis as the most polished man he had ever known, fondly noting his habit of carrying the “Meditations” of Marcus Aurelius during military campaigns and deployments (Ricks, 2006). Such habits denoted Mattis’ intellect and value for mental prowess. After graduating from Richland High School, Mattis earned a degree in History from Central Washington University and a Masters degree from the National War College of the National Defense University in International Security Affairs. Under his military tenure, he was a graduate of the U.S Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School and the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College. With a personal library of more than 7000 volumes, his penchant for knowledge meant that he also instilled it among the Marines under his command.
Model the Way
Essentially, in understanding and admiring the leader, most individuals look at personal credibility as a foundation and essential aspect of overall leadership. Simply put, while people doubt the messenger, the delivery and acceptance of the message becomes difficult. In addition, it is evident that while the granting of titles is simple, leadership has to be earned through consistency in character (Kouzes & Posner, 2014). Such consistency sets an example to followers who ultimately are able to abide by the leader through thick and thin.
To be an effective leader, one has to have their own beliefs and stand by them as a guiding principle, often authentically voicing their values. Nonetheless, while this is the case, leaders cannot simply impose values on others expecting total commitment. Instead, through consistent engagement, leaders often inspire common aspirations. To begin with, modeling the way starts with the clarification of personal values through the affirmation of shared acceptable values. Fundamentally, behavior earns respect, in that, the effective leader places subsequent action after speech a priority in his or her daily life. Through simple daily acts, leaders create progress by building consistent momentum
As such, in Mattis’ case, the trait of modeling the way is evident throughout his early life, becoming more persistent in his military and political career. His most remarkable character trait and one that has been consistent throughout his life is his intellect and value for consistent learning. From one of his speeches, he is noted as saying that through constant reading, one eventually learns from the experiences of others, which generally represents a wise way to conduct business (Boitnott, 2018). As mentioned above, Mattis has a personal library cataloguing more than 7,000 books. In addition, he often quotes from obscure topics as well as passages ranging from counterinsurgency to philosophy often learning military strategy and putting immense emphasis on the pursuit of learning as a mode of making oneself better.
Among Mattis’ fundamental teachings has been the use of education as the best methodology of professional development and the prevention of stagnation within an organization’s knowledge base (Boitnott, 2018). Such affinity to the intellect has been Mattis’ strong suit throughout his military career. In keeping true to this value, he was also able to instill intellectual rigor to his Marines, requiring them to be well read in both the history and culture of the regions in which they were deployed. Such vigor extended to the point whereby he required marines under his supervision to undergo training in regards to cultural sensitivity.
Ultimately, regarding war, the faint of heart, the spiritually broken, the emotionally unstable, the physically unfit, and the mentally weak are heavily unqualified. In regards to this, Mattis’ attribute of living his ethos shows great belief in himself, his team, and the purpose by which he is serving, thereby, portending his leadership ability of modeling the way through consistent character build up. As such, this ensures the strengthening of subordinates, ultimately bringing about good followership and dedication.
Inspire a Shared Vision
Factually, to be a great leader, believing in making a difference is quite imperative. Typically, whenever individuals describe leadership experiences that turned out to be their best, the possibility of an exciting and decidedly bright future often accompanies such descriptions. For example, workers within a company may imagine a consistently bright future, full of skilled individuals with divergent backgrounds with new and more responsive partnerships between customers and employees. As a leader, the ability to influence such thoughts among subordinates rests upon the propensity to accrue and dispense a shared vision that resonates and is accepted among followers (Kouzes & Posner, 2014).
Therefore, in essence, the drive of effective leaders rests upon having a clear and consistent image of organizational possibility, which is, defining the potential of an organization and making it known to subordinates as an inspired shared vision. Often, great leaders analyze beyond time’s horizon, often deliberating opportunities that seem attractive. Such leaders have the desire to make things better than they are presently and to eventually create organized progress. Nonetheless, since leaders cannot command visions, they inspire it through constituents, ultimately making people follow the vision as their own.
Mattis shows the trait of being an inspiration to his followers in various ways. First, as the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Mattis stands by his beliefs on various occasions and regarding numerous pressing issues. As mentioned above, through standing against the inclusion of Russia as a military partner with the U.S., he displays his shared vision of world order. In this way, he ultimately conveys a future that according to him, is one that has the potential to be quite bright without persistent Russian interference. In addition to such sentiments, by being himself and not a puppet to higher hierarchies, Mattis often captures the values of others, commensurately using these sentiments to build up an inspired vision that goes a long way in the process of securing a bright future.
Challenging the Process
Depicting his leadership persona, in his tenure as secretary of defense, Mattis continues to display intellect, foreshadowing prime wisdom. He affirmed the commitment of the U.S. to defend South Korea as a longtime ally, predominantly considering the North Korea crisis. As an opponent of joint military collaboration with Russia, Mattis consistently states the potential of Russia when it comes to it being a threat to world order. In relation to his take on the Trump administration, Mattis has consistently shown great opposition to some of Trump’s administration policies such as the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Moreover, he has criticized implemented and imminent budget cuts, primarily those that impede the capability of belligerents to monitor climate change impacts. These entire stances prove a fundamental principle and a leadership trait in Mattis’ brief tenure as the secretary of defense: the ability to challenge the process immensely.
For one, no one gets a nickname such as “mad dog,” Mattis’ moniker, for playing nice and according to the rules. Contrariwise, no one can get an appointment as the Secretary of Defense if they are truly “mad.” As such, in Mattis’ case, the ability to challenge the process has been his strongest leadership attribute, consistently changing and altering organizational cultures with radical novel ideas, which ultimately aid in the process of reinventing organizations. By default, generals are avid students of history. To ensure the implementation of strategic decisions that ultimately governs military assets across land, sea, and air, an acute understanding of past workable strategies as well as those that did not work is imperative to the entire process of challenging previously held assumptions and instilled conducts.
Being a champion in challenging the process, Mattis displays this trait on several occasions not only in his tenure as the secretary of defense, but also before that while serving in the military. In the wake of 9/11, the then Brigadier General Mattis suggested the use of the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), an unconventional Ground Combat Element reinforced by a composite squadron centered on several helicopter squads as well as logistical combat elements (Valenti, 2014). His suggestion brought immense success in terms of force implementation in the theatre of war that was Iraq. This choice shows his trait as one who challenges the process, eventually, bringing about great versatility. In Iraq, such decisions proved their ability to project power, ultimately resulting in deterrence and a response to a multitude of scenarios simultaneously. Therefore, by challenging the process, Mattis was able to form the effective Task Force 58, ultimately changing the course of both the Iraq and Afghanistan War.
Enabling Others to Act
Often, leadership remains a team effort, which enables others to act through the fostering of collaborations and the strengthening of others. In the case of exemplary leaders, while explaining personal-best experiences in leadership, the use of the word “we” often transpires more frequently than the word “I” (Kouzes & Posner, 2014). Therefore, in a great leader, an explanation of trust, teamwork, and empowerment remains crucial, thereby, strengthening the capacity to deliver on promises and, ultimately exceeding the expectations of the leader.
Mattis shows the ability to enable others to act through making his subordinates his equals. In a quote, Mattis says, “I have been accused of making my subordinates my equals, and I happily stand guilty" (Boitnott, 2018). Numerous accounts from his military tenure show his humility and attribute of treating others as equals whenever he gets an opportunity. Doing this enables others to act due to the disbandment of the fear of hierarchies and power. In most cases, obnoxious leaders often try to cement the boss stereotype, thereby, leading to poor decision-making processes as subordinates who have great ideas refrain from contributing. Therefore, equality is at the core of effective leadership.
In addition, Mattis’ tolerance of failure, in his ethos that alludes to the expectation of failure, and its forfeiture, shows his ability to enable others to act. With regards to this philosophical thought, everyone fails at something in the long run. According to Mattis, failure is part of the learning process. As such, instilling this thinking among subordinates enables them not to be condescending to one another, which can result in an inability to take action for fear of failure. Ultimately, the acceptance of failure enables others to act.
Encouraging the Heart
The most compelling trait in Mattis related to encouraging the heart is summarized in his recognition of contributions and the celebration of victories and values. As a recap to his persona and traits as a leader, Mattis shows great potential in encouraging the heart. To begin with, in his letter written on the eve of the 2003 Iraq invasion, addressed to the constituents of the 1st Marine Division, he shows unfathomable prowess in his ability to encourage the heart. In it, Mattis encourages his men of their ability as Marines, stating they remain to be the world’s most feared and trusted force. He asks them to engage their brains first before their weapon and keep faith in their comrades as well as the Marine Air overhead. Such sentiments alone show Mattis’ attribute of encouraging the heart, further cementing his acumen as a leader ("Letter General James Mattis wrote to his Marines", 2018).
Other Leadership Ideas
Other than the five practices of exemplary leaders, Mattis also displays exemplary leadership concepts such as the situational leadership model. Denoted by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey, the situational leader is unique in that no major forms can define his/her style of leadership and that its basis depends on the kinds of tasks performed. Mujtaba and Sungkhawan (2011) show that a situational leader manages diversity, commensurately, ensuring the prioritization of productivity over the management of individual biases and personalities.
As such, regarding Mattis’ case, having served under various capacities within the military and in his present political docket, his leadership strategy as a situational leader is quite evident. While displaying traits such as adaptation, diagnosis, advancement, and communication, Mattis adjusts his behavior to match situational contingencies, communicates through proper relations with his subordinates, which ultimately aids in effective implementation and advancement. Throughout his military career, this type of situational leadership is quite evident with Mattis. Moreover, he also displays the organizational culture model through his adherence to and the installation of knowledge among his peers and subordinates, which ultimately creates a culture of intellectual competence and good education.
References
Boitnott, J. (2018). 7 Leadership Lessons From U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/309654
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2014). The five practices of exemplary leadership . San Francisco, CA: The Leadership Challenge.
Letter General James Mattis wrote to his Marines. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-letter-general-james-mattis-wrote-to-his-marines-is-a-must-read-in-military-history
Mujtaba, B. G., & Sungkhawan, J. (2011). Situational leadership and diversity management coaching skills. Journal of Diversity Management (JDM) , 4 (1), 1-12.
RICKS, T. (2006). “Fiasco”. Armed Forces Journal .
Valenti, M. (2014). The Mattis Way of War: An Examination of Operational Art in Task Force 58 and 1st Marine Division [Ebook]. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: US Army Command and General Staff College Press. Retrieved from https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/combat-studies-institute/csi-books/the-mattis-way-of-war.pdf
Yukl, G. A. (2002). Leadership in organizations. National College for School of Leadership.
