The foundations of the Army leadership are rooted in history, loyalty to the nation and the Constitution, accountability to authority, and the Army doctrine; according with ADRP 6-22. This paper will examine the three cores of a leader’s competencies (leads, develops, and achieves), how the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution establishes common values, goals and beliefs, and how the Army doctrine affects the foundations of Army leadership.
Influence, accomplishment, and improvement represent the roles and functions of a leader. Leaders must lead by example with good communication skills to build trust that extends beyond the chain of command. Trust, through correlative effort, binds a group in order to achieve common goals. An incorrect form of influence will degrade a soldier’s value for the Army and the team, creating a negatively impacted soldier. As a leader, the higher the amount of positive influence on a soldier, the higher the chance the leader has to make a great soldier, better. A positive influenced soldier will achieve greater accomplishments in his/her career and personal life, than a negatively influenced soldier would. Accomplishments drive a soldier’s positive attitude forward whilst improving the morale and environment of everyone around them, and ultimately, the organization. Success come ‘through education, training and experience’ and develops soldiers into competent and discipline leaders and professionals.
Furthermore, to achieve greatness, a soldier must accept and act on constructive criticism from his/her peers and chain of command. Improving is an act of stewardship, striving to create effective, efficient organizations. Counseling is imperative for subordinates to improve performance and prepare leaders for eventual responsibilities, and should address strong areas as well as weak ones.
The Declaration of Independence establishes the belief that “all men are created equal”, which play a big role in the Army and leadership. A statement such as these is what makes serving the country a priority for many and an honor for all. As many higher-ranking leaders tell their subordinates: “I am the same as you. The rank changes, but we wear the same uniform”. This goes a long way to show soldiers in the military that they are equal to their superiors as men, which sets a standard for uniform, professionalism, duty, and behavior. In addition, the Declaration of Independence states that the people of the United States are entitled to “unalienable rights” among those being the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are powerful enough to make any man fight for his/her family’s liberty in order to pursuit happiness in the presence of life.
The United States Constitution establishes the framework for the creation of our national defense to include the fundamentals of funding, formation, and command of the Army. National defense is the priority of the national government, such that in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, 6 of the 17 powers, which are granted to Congress, deals exclusively with the national defense. Congress has the authority to “declare war, raise and support armies, provide for a navy, establish the rules for the operation of American military forces…”. The First Amendment establishes freedom of religion, of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a “redress of grievances”. These rights are of such paramount importance in an Army of many that are so culturally different, it demands the respect from every single person who joins. The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to bear arms and thus protect their homes and loved ones. The right to bear arms ties into foundation of leadership by allowing soldiers to protect their homes and loved ones in the service of their country.
The Army and its leadership requirements are based on the nation’s democratic foundations, defined values, and standards of excellence. Leadership doctrine understands that adaptation is vital to change in society, progression of security threats, and progression in technology. Leadership doctrine establishes commonality in the structure of language and expectations, with a fundamental set of attributes and competencies common to all cohorts and leadership levels. These fundamental attributes and competencies are mostly known as leadership requirements model (LRM) and include character, presence, intellect, leads, develops and achieves. The LRM is globally implemented model that crosses all levels of authority and responsibility within the Army. LRM is an eternal concept due to its transmissibility across generations regardless of resources, command, application, priorities, or strategies. The inclusion of military and civilian leaders within the army to the LRM increases the reach in which the model influences. Individual and organizational performance derives from leadership development commitment with a well-structured system.
In conclusion, the three cores of a leader’s competencies (leads, develops, and achieves) influences the leadership role by setting the example of how a leader should build trust, communicate, and create a positive environment for their soldiers. Education, training and experience develops soldiers into competent and discipline leaders and successful professionals. The Declaration of Independence establishes common values, goals and beliefs such as “all men are created equal” and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The United States Constitution establishes the framework for the creation of our national defense to include the fundamentals of funding, formation, and command of the Army. Alongside the First and Second Amendments protecting citizens’ and soldiers’ right to speech and bear arms, among others. Leadership doctrine establishes commonality in the structure of language and expectations, with a set of attributes and competencies common to military and civilian leaders across the army.