Management, like leadership, is primarily about making decisions. The decisions are either made from experience, instinct or after meditative contemplation and reviewing available information. The decision-making process and the type of decisions; however, changes at different levels of the organization (Brousseau et al., 2006). For instance, low-level managers and leaders focus on actions and clearing tasks, while high-level managers and leaders focus on strategic decisions. In the Army complex, the SGM plays a vital role unbounded by their level in the organization.
The author of this reflective journal entry is a mid-level leader at their current organization and plays two primary roles. First, they are interpreters (Zjadewicz et al., 2016). Strategic decisions, goals, plans from the higher levels of the organization have to pass through them. They, therefore, have to understand the information, interpret it, then give it down to low-level leaders as short-term tasks and goals. Secondly, they facilitate communication upwards. For instance, when performing their duties, the author has to deal with problems forwarded from lower levels. The author, therefore, utilizes critical thinking in two ways. First, for every situation, they have to decide if they can create a solution critically. If they have an answer, then they will communicate it both to the lower levels while framing the problem differently for upper and lower leadership. On the other hand, if they do not have a solution, they will rephrase that upper management can relate to forward it up the chain then. Critical thinking is, therefore, an essential skill required to perform the leader's duty.
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Leadership, however, changes at different levels of the organization. According to Brousseau et al. (2006), at lower levels, leaders and managers focus primarily on maximizing action. In other words, every task is time-sensitive and needs on the spot resolution. At higher levels, however, leadership becomes making decisions about what to include and exclude. Finally, at the highest levels, like the highest levels of the Army, leadership becomes strategic (Department of the Army, 2019). These leaders are hard to cultivate, for they need to be exemplary Soldiers, experts in their respective or several fields, and skilled thinkers capable of working at the highest levels. Unlike other leaders, however, strategic leaders operate at any level. To be effective, they can be big-picture leaders but have exceptional attention to detail at the lowest levels. According to Brousseau et al. (2006), the decision-making styles up the corporate ladder change from maximizers (leaders who make optimum decisions after analyzing all available data) to satisficers (leaders who make decisions on the go only with the available information, which is mostly incomplete). Therefore, the expectations for a leader's role evolves with their level in the organization.
The SGM is an example of a strategic leader that works at different levels. When influencing the development of the organizations and its leaders, the SGM plays multiple roles. According to The Department of the Army (2019), the SGM first plays the role of developing subordinates, instilling in them the Army culture and doctrine, and setting them on the path to playing different roles in the military complex. Secondly, an SGM leads by example and through their actions, extend influence to gain support from their audience. They are representatives of the Army. Besides, an SGM is a daily leader in the military and is mostly responsible for ensuring the completion of day-to-day activities. Therefore, an SGM is a strategic leader who works at all levels.
In conclusion, leadership changes at different levels of the organization, and an SGM is one of the few leaders that can freely move from one level to another. They play different roles, from development to leading by example, and representing the Army. Similarly, any leader that does not adapt to the requirements of their level is bound to fail at their job.
References
Brousseau, K. R., Driver, M. J., Hourihan, G., & Larsson, R. (2006). The seasoned executive's decision-making style. Harvard business review , 84(2), 110. Retrieved from http://projektkvalitet.dk/wp-content/uploads/The-Seasoned-Executives-Decision-Making-Style-reprint-.pdf
Department of the Army. (2019, July). Army Leadership and the Profession (ADP 6-22). Retrieved from https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/adp6_22.pdf
Zjadewicz, K., White, D., Bouchal, S. R., & Reilly, S. (2016). Middle managers' role in quality improvement project implementation, are we all on the same page? –A review of current literature. Safety in Health , 2(1), 8. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40886-016-0018-5
