Leadership Competency

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The U.S. Army, as well as all other branches of the military, utilize the concept of Chain-of-Command. Higher ranking individuals are often times put in charge of lower ranking individuals. Leadership plays a major part in any military environment, thus, leader competency is essential to success. Competency is defined as the ability to execute something with proficiency and accuracy. In the U.S. Army, every soldier will be tasked to lead at one point or another. Being well-informed about leader competencies is crucial for any soldier to flourish as a leader. Every leader needs to be skilled and knowledgeable in their responsibilities in order to be successful in the field, to set an example for his/her peers, and to improve as a person. A strong …show more content…
As an element of combat power, leadership unifies the other elements of combat power (information, mission command, movement and maneuver, intelligence, fires, sustainment and protection). Confident, competent, and informed leadership intensifies the effectiveness of the other elements of combat power” (ADRP 6-22, pg 1-1).
Influence is defined as the capacity to have an effect on people. Leaders get their soldiers to do what is required, although it involves more than passing along orders. Strong leaders communicate purpose, direction, and motivation to their soldiers. Purpose gives soldiers a reason to achieve an awaited or desired outcome. Clear, concise directions allow soldiers to adapt to changing situations when plans are modified. Motivation incites the determination and initiative required to complete a mission. ADRP 6-22 states, “a leader’s role in motivation is to understand the needs and desires of others, to align and elevate individual desires into team goals, and to inspire others to accomplish those larger goals” (ADRP 6-22, pg 1-2). Evidently, development of organization is crucial for preparing soldiers for future responsibilities and improving those soldiers’ performance as a whole. Thus, leaders are required to assess their soldiers on their strengths and weaknesses in order to assist in
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Values and ethics develop character, which is one of the attributes of leadership. Attributes go hand-in-hand with competencies; Attributes of a leader represent how a leader should be perceived, and competencies dictate a leader’s actions based on his/her attributes. One can not uphold to leader competencies if he/she lacks the attributes. For instance, leaders will not be able to accomplish missions effectively if they lack the sense of duty necessary to motivate and drive troops to complete a certain goal. According to ADRP 6-22. “Character, comprised of a person’s moral and ethical qualities, helps determine what is right and gives a leader motivation to do what is appropriate, regardless of the circumstances or consequences” (ADRP, pg 3-1). Values include the seven Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. The acronym for these values rightfully spells out LDRSHIP. Values directly correlate with ethics. Leaders with a principled ethical conscience, consistent with the Army values, will strive to implement the right choices when faced with difficult obstacles. Subsequently, a leader’s values and ethics ultimately define his/her character. Character is essential in successful leadership, strengthening the quality of leaders and helping them

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