A leader in the army needs to be emotionless and exhibit coercive motivation. As the Army’s doctrinal manual, Field Manual (FM) 6-22, a leader in the military performs the duty of influencing populace through providing purpose, motivation, and direction. At the same time, the army leader works to achieve the mission and better the state of the organization. What needs to be added to the standard definition of an army leader is the general emphasis on the emotional side of being a leader. This is not in the essence of the hyper-excited leader that bangs the desk and screams at recruits. But a leader who is aware of his or her emotions and the way they affect people around them while performing the daily duties and responsibilities assigned.
What it takes to be a Leader
According to Daniel Goleman, a psychologist, and an author, to be an unbeaten leader, one must implement and always be conscious of his or her emotions and the way his emotional aptitude influences the way he or she leads and affects the subjects (Bolden & Gosling, 2016). The Field Manual for army leaders provides the competencies and attributes needed of an army leader. The FM 6-22 informs us that an army leader is a person who, by the desirable quality of assumed duty or assigned task, inspires and manipulates people to achieve the goals of an organization. An army leader motivates others both inside and outside the string of command to follow actions, focus on thinking and as well as shape choices for the more significant benefit of the organization.
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The overall idea of the public of an army leader is enigmatic of officer guiding troops into war also the well-dressed general giving a motivating talk. However, based on the definition of an Army, a leader is a person that satisfies the duties of the leadership definition. This is in the implication of leadership as soldiers, civilians, non-commissioned officers, warrant of officers plus commissioned officers that is the complete extent of the workforce in the Army system. The Army knows that every person can be a leader. All leaders in the Army can gain from the more in-depth understanding of their emotions and other people’s emotions. An Army system needs to realize that success in its leadership is dependent on its subjects. The well-known Army saying is ‘Mission first and people always.’ This saying is not just a lip act. The Army uses a lot of time in emphasizing the essence the relationship between leader-to follower, working in teams, esprit de corps, and organizational setting. These issues include the holistic insertion of the components of emotional- intelligence in training as a leader, doctrine and leadership context.
The Army leadership Field Manual 6-22 has not limited the discussion of the aspects of leadership emotions in the Leadership Requirements Model. Headings of paragraphs that are similar to competencies of emotional intelligence can be read across the FM 6-22 manual. The headings and the paragraphs address leader and soldier self-awareness, psychological factors of a leader, interpersonal tact, judgments and adaptability.
The current leadership and doctrines of an Army system promote adaptive, self-aware, flexible as well as responsive leaders. The outlined elements are competencies of emotional intelligence. The leadership doctrine of the Army knows its leaders to be innovative and self-aware. It as well identifies the essence of self-awareness. Self-awareness has the capability of helping a leader to become more efficient and adaptive. Self-awareness is pertinent to all contemporary activities that need cultural sensitivity plus the leader’s adjustability to particular environmental change. Golemam recognizes self-awareness as the basis for emotional intelligence.
What the Field Manual does is threefold. One, it does not approve aspects and competencies as emotional elements which are an implication that these are hard skills. Two, it does not illustrate the benefit of comprehending and implementing the psychological features of leadership. Three, it does not include discussed based on how to develop the necessary skills of employing the various facets of emotions effectively. Following the outlined steps will improve the leadership manual as well as provide significant support to leaders in the Army in becoming emotionally intelligent and highly effectual.
The publication of the Human Dimensions in Full Spectrum Operations 2015 to 2024 by the Army improved on its discussion based on emotional features of leaders plus soldiers in combat. The psychological aspects sophisticated by emotional intelligence are specifically critical in knowing how leaders in Army react and the way they become resilient. The document identifies the individual dimensions as cognitive, moral and physical aspects that prepare, raise and turn the Army into complete spectrum operation. The several elements of emotional intelligence are discussed in a detailed manner in the published document. It as well explicitly recognizes the importance of self-awareness in leadership and acknowledgment of the same in other people. There is also a detailed identification of soldier-to-leader and leader-to-soldier relationship development, all elements of emotional intelligence plus the personal need to have the broad concept of social awareness.
Identification of the named elements as being essential to the human dimension is a crucial step. The next step involves providing a holistic application of the aspects of human dimension under cover of emotional intelligence (Bolden & Gosling, 2016). Chapters in the Human Dimension document briefly discuss the elements of empathy and self-awareness plus the duties and requirements of leadership in the Army. The discussions on human dimension are intended to address the whole person as well as the holistic function of humans in the Army system. The system is inclusive of the culture, environment, society, and politics.
Requirements of Army leadership
The requirements of leadership in the Army are well illustrated in the Army Leadership Requirements Model. In the Field Manual 6-22, the Army defines, delineates and explains its leadership policy. The basis of the policies is highlighted in the Army Leadership Requirements Model. The model identifies the skills and attributes needed for successful leaders. The competencies and qualities are in line with intelligence building blocks of Goleman.
The leadership Requirements Model from the Manual
The model comprises of the attributes, what a leader does, as outlined.
Must be a leader of good character possessing army values, empathy and warrior ethos
Must be a leader of presence with a military bearing, physically fit, composed, confident and resilient
Must be a leader with intelligence having mental agility, sound judgment, innovative and with interpersonal tact
In the core competencies, what a leader does, a leader;
Leads, leads other people, extends influence further than the chain of command and leads by example as well as communicates
Communicates by developing a positive working environment, develops others and prepares self
Achieves, that is, gets results
The revised version of Field Manual 6-22 gives the new change on the historical foundation of leadership in the Army. There is also a description of the characteristics that illustrate that an Army leader needs to ‘Be, Know and Do.’ Be implies the qualities and characteristics a leader must possess, Know refers to the knowledge and skills a leader must have and develop and Do means how a leader will in turn work with the qualities, skills, and expertise. In the revised version of the manual, the Army resolved that it was essential to put a doctrinal highlighting on leadership intangibles. This was to be emphasized in the sense of leadership qualities and skills in the competencies to be possessed by an Army leader. Experts in Army leadership established the leadership requirements model planned just about the leadership qualities, the revised combination of be and Know, and the competencies of leadership, revised do.
Conclusion
The FM 6-22 notes the essential components of the model centered on what it takes to be a leader, who is a leader and what a leader does. The character of a leader together with the presence and intelligence help the leader to master the primary leadership competencies through lifelong training with determination. The balanced implementation of the vital leadership prerequisites allows the Army leader to create well-performing and unified systems that project and uphold land power efficiently. Moreover, it establishes a positive systematic climate in the organization, which allows the team and individual learning including empathy for team members, civilians, soldiers and their families. Naturally in each of the qualities and competencies, are the fundamentals of emotional intelligence. The skills and attributes are well-matched with the Goleman Model, and they neatly fit into the domains of emotional intelligence.
Reference
Bolden, R., & Gosling, J. (2016). Leadership competencies: Time to change the tune. Leadership , 2 (2), 147-163.
