Leadership Principles We Can Learn from the Armed Forces

A leader is someone who have the authority to command or to influence. All of us have the potential of becoming a leader. It does not matter what scholastic degree you have attained or social status you are in. Sometimes, the call of being a leader just drops in front of you and at some point you may decline the responsibility! But being a leader is exciting! You are imposed with the responsibility of inspiring and influencing people in a team. And it can sharpen your ability to mingle with others and to collaborate with the ideas of the people around you. A team with an effective leader has a high probability of acheiving success.

As we all know, members of the Armed Forces are one of the most disciplined men in our society. We can say that being a leader in the Armed Forces is quite tough. Imagine yourself being a leader in a team of disciplined and tough-minded men! Yet as men-in-uniform, they also have principles that are useful in improving themselves and to guide them in becoming an effective and efficient leader. These are some of the leadership principles we can learn from the Armed Forces:

Know yourself and seek self-improvement.

As a leader, it is very important to know oneself. Knowing oneself includes the knowledge of your capabilities as well as weaknesses. If you know your capabilities, you can distuingish the things wherein you have the tendency excel the most, which is helpful for the team's success. Yet, it doesn't stop there. You also are ought to know the things in which you are weak. In knowing so, you should be able to give some time in improving in those weaknesses and assess yourself from time to time to become more efficient leader.

Be technically and tactically proficient.

Being able to know your capabilities, know can now be able to employ it to your team. And also being good at doing something gives confidence to your subordinates knowing that they have a proficient leader that is able to lead them to success.

Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates.

When you become a leader in a team, you are responsible for the members of that certain team. It is important to keep in mind that as a leader, you are accountable of the success and failures of your subordinates.

Make sound and timely decisions.

Leaders have the authority to command. In doing so, a leader should be able to give clear directions which could be the best option for addressing situation. The leader must also consider the time element in making such decision so that he/she might not delay the progress of team.

Set an example.

The leaders are someone in which the subordinates look upon. So as a leader, he must keep in mind that he is the model to the subordinates that surrounds him who depends on his decisions and his vision.

Know your people and look out for their welfare.

The two main responsibilities of a leader is the success of the mission and the welfare of his men. Leaders must know their subordinates, their strengths and their weaknesses, so that he can effectively engage them in the team. Like the leader himself, he must be able to know his subordinate's capabilities, so that he can give him a task in the team which his subordinate will likely to excel. It is also the leaders responsibility to commend them for the success that his subordinates have done.

Keep your people informed.

Keeping the subordinates informed is important in the team's progress. It is the leader's responsibility that his subordinates are aware of the things that are happening in team.

Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.

As a leader, you are responsible for what you decide for the benefit of the team. It is not good for a leader to blame someone in his team a fault which is a fruit of his inadequate decision. He must be able to take responsibility in everything he decides or does.

Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.

Leaders must give tasks to his subordinates clearly. It is his responsibility to make his subordinate understood such tasks, supervise him to make him report about the progress of the task given, and to submit it to him or give him feedback whenever the task is accomplished. He is responsible for every task given to his subordinates, its supervision and accomplishment to ,as much as possible, avoid failures.

Train your people as a team.

Teamwork is very important in acheiving goals in every team. The leader must exercise the spirit of camaraderie in his subordinates. In such condition, he might be able to know whose subordinates need much attention and help in tasks he has given, and so he can send someone to assist. Making the subordinates work as a team gives confidence to the leader that his men are working and helping each other for the accomplishment of ones tasks.

Employ your team in accordance with its capabilities.

This connects to the principle of knowing your people and look out for their welfare. One's you know the capabilities of your people, you can be able to employ them with tasks which fits to their expertise.

These are principles that are useful in making ourselves an effective leader. So whenever you will be choosen to become a leader in the future, look up on these principles. Yet, never forget that the least will become the greatest and the greatest will become the least. Our humility exalts the leader in ourselves.

Steem on!

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