I have never worn the uniform. I don’t have what it takes to fight for our country, and I would never insinuate that I could know what it takes to make a great soldier. But I know a thing or two about great leaders, and I know that a great leader will train great soldiers. I know this because I have gotten to know a lot of people connected to the military in my time here at Fort Liberty. When I talk to service members, their spouses, or my husband, I ask if they are happy with their decision to join the Army. The common answer is, “It all depends on the leadership.”
The service members I talk to are mostly happy with their decision, whether they planned to join for a short time, or they planned to stay the full 20+ years and retire. But sometimes service members plan to stay, and then those plans change because of the leadership.
Good leadership is a must everywhere. From volunteer organizations, private practices, corporate sectors, and everything in between, effective leadership leads to increased retention, a positive and productive team, and growth.
Leadership can affect a soldier’s dedication and success, or their disengagement and downfall. The Army has seven core values, all of which should be used in service to the group’s goals and how to get there: duty, respect, loyalty, selfless service, integrity, personal courage and honor. By following these, a great leader can demonstrate what it means to be a great soldier.
Personal pride is not part of the Army’s value system. It is never conducive for a leader to succumb to pride in relation to their subordinates. Great leaders understand that these men and women in uniform wanted to be here, and here is a hard place to be. It can be deadly, it’s isolating and it’s incredibly hard work. It’s therefore important to know when to lend a hand instead of commanding just to command or to meet a soldier with hostility. By foregoing the opportunity to hear soldiers when they need a leader, managers can create a dynamic wherein soldiers count the days for their contract to end, and they discharge.
A great leader will know when it’s time to challenge you and when to lift you up. Training people is a nuanced field; while our service members are here to do a tough job and they need tough training, they are still people. Great leaders can identify what’s good inside each and every soldier and build on those qualities to improve the soldier, thereby benefiting the entire squad. These actions make leadership transformational, turning a good soldier into a great soldier, and hopefully one day a great leader themself. But they’ll never make it there if they don’t have inspiration and guidance.
I hope that one day I don’t hear “it depends on the leadership.” Good leadership should not be optional. Soldiers should not get a great leader by chance. Everyone in the military community knows that everything is constantly in flux, and you adapt moment to moment. That comes with the territory, but strong leadership should be a guarantee. All our leaders should be teaching what to do, not what not to do.
Our soldiers are real-life superheroes. We’ve all heard “not all heroes wear capes.” I say, they wear uniforms. They serve our country and put their needs behind the needs of us all. And they continue to do so each day they put on their uniform and report for duty.
