The Leadership Traits Portrayed in the Movie "We Were Soldiers"

Introduction 

The paper aims at discussing some of the leadership traits that are portrayed in the movie ‘’We Were Soldiers. The leader who will be analyzed in the study is lieutenant Moore who leads a group of soldiers in the Vietnam war. Additionally, the report will outline the effectiveness and the ineffectiveness of the strategies that were used by Moore to lead the troop. The scene that is the most captivating in the movie will also be reviewed. Finally, the paper will discuss the impacts of a high-stress environment and the reason why supervisors fail. 

Supervisory Techniques 

Three supervisory techniques are exhibited in the movie “We Were Soldiers”. One method that is applied by Moore is that of treating the team members with dignity and respect. Khoshhal & Guraya (2016) observed that a leader should have a sense of the community to inspire the team to greatness. Everyone in the group is treated fairly despite the race of religion since, at the time of recording the movie, there was a lot of racism in the United States. The second supervisory technique is that of leading by example. Moore practices the things that he tells his team members which have earned him respect. The third technique that is utilized by Moore in the play is being committed to achieving the objectives of the troop despite the circumstances they are facing. According to Ricketts (2009), a successful leader should be persistent to attain the goals of the team. 

Effective Supervisory Techniques 

One of the successful supervisory technique is the one in which Moore treats all the soldiers equally. The strategy of treating people with respect is productive since it has increased the level of trust that the troop members have with their supervisor. Equality in the team has also enhanced the cohesiveness of the team since there is no discrimination. The other techniques adopted by Moore that is effective is that of leading by example. The effectiveness of any team requires the leader’s actions to be related to his utterances (Khoshhal & Guraya, 2016). A supervisor should not act in contrast with the things he or she asks the members to perform. 

Ineffective Supervisory Techniques 

The act of being relentless is one of the ineffective techniques in the movie. A leader should set objectives that are attainable and, in case, that they cannot be achieved, it is imperative to amend them. Moore is determined to win the war without even assessing the ability of his team. Moore leads the soldiers to a situation where they are outnumbered by the enemy leading to the death of his fellow team members. 

Scene 

One of the captivating scenes in the movie is when Moore leads the team to a valley despite receiving a warning that the enemy was aware of the plan. Moore had also been informed that his team would be easily defeated whenever they engage in war. One of the things that I should have done differently as a supervisor is sending some spies from my team to go and asses the valley. Information about the terrain of the valley should be gathered before planning the attack. After getting all the details regarding the battlefield, I would have requested for reinforcement to ensure that my team is not defeated. Immediately after getting the additional soldiers, I would have instructed the troop to attack to avoid giving the enemy an opportunity of attacking back. 

Impacts of a High-Stress Environment 

A stressful environment affects the supervisory techniques in various techniques. Firstly, high stress affects the ability of the supervisor to make decisions regarding the strategies that should be adopted. Secondly, a stressful environment influences the potential of the supervisor to exercise powers when the troop is affected. Thirdly, a setting with a high level of stress minimizes the capacity of the team members to communicate effectively, and, hence, limit the supervisor’s techniques. On the contrary, a low stress environment enhances the decision-making process making it possible to win a war. Besides, with minimal stress level, the moral of the supervisor increases making it possible to exercise the techniques. However, despite the level of pressure in handling a team, a successful leader is one who is tolerant of stress (Ahmed, 2014) 

The Best Supervisory Trait 

One of the supervisory techniques that I relate with is the one of treating all the team members equally. Fair treatment is imperative since it enhances the team’s morale enabling them to achieve their objectives within a short time. One personal account from my life was when I was appointed as the class representative at school. Through fair treatment, I ensured that all the students missed a day in school had all the information regarding the assignments and the coursework covered. My leadership trait enhanced the performance of each student and the class something that the school principal complimented. 

Why do Supervisors Fail 

The textbook techniques are not effective always since they are applied to a different kind of environment. A case in point, one of the traits as described in the textbook techniques is being resilient as was the case with Moore. However, the supervisor failed since the environment was different from what he had anticipated since the enemy outnumbered the troop. 

References 

Ahmed, A.D. (2014). Major Traits/Qualities of Leadership. International Journal of Innovation 

and Scientific Research , 3(1), 47-53. 

Khoshhal, K.I., & Guraya, S.Y. (2016). Leaders produce leaders and managers produce 

followers: A systematic review of the desired competencies and standard settings for physicians’ leadership. Saudi Medical Journal , 37(10), 1061-1067. 

Rickets, K.G. (2009). Behaving Intelligently : Leadership Traits & Characteristics. Retrieved on 

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