Reflection On Impression Management

The book Black Hearts by Jim Frederick is an in-depth narrative about the 1st platoon, Bravo Company 1-502nd Infantry 101st Airborne Division deployed to Iraq in 2005. The leadership failures documented in this book range all the way from the general officer level down to the lowest private. LT general Ricardo Sanchez failed to understand the climate his command group was entering as they were deployed into Iraq. From then on the entire leadership failures continued to compound upon each other with improper time to plan. It is customary to have a six month lead time to have a proper battle hand off when preparing to take over an AO from another unit. To compound this problem, the entire time the 502nd was in pre-deployment training, they

As leaders, we must maintain a clear separation between ourselves and those we lead, both, on and off duty. I’m not saying that you and I are better than anyone else; however, as leaders we are charged with tremendous responsibilities and are held to higher standards. To put in bluntly, “we cannot lead soldiers and act like the soldiers”. Do not be a soldier’s buddy! We cannot get away with the indiscretions that out soldiers may because we must lead by example.

I am Joseph Maruska, I am currently a Major in the United States Air Force. This essay will introduce you to my personal command philosophy. It will also summarize and analyze a brief interview recently conducted with a current squadron commander using my own leadership philosophy as a guide. Throughout this essay I will draw upon my own personal experiences and thoughts, lessons discussed throughout the Leadership and Command Course, as well the discussion with a current squadron commander. Leadership and command styles come in many different forms and there is not necessarily a correct or incorrect way to lead depending on your organization or current turn of events. This essay is simply my thoughts after being in the Air Force for the last eleven years.

Poor leadership, or the more widely known phrase “toxic leadership”, has been a topic of concern throughout the history of the Army. The Army’s recently published leadership doctrine says that, “Army leaders motivate people both inside and outside the chain of command to pursue actions, focus thinking, and shape decisions for the greater good of the organization.” (ADP 6-22, 2012) There are many examples of leaders in recent years that have been relieved due to negative effects on their organizations. Poor leadership is commonly portrayed by telltale characteristics of those in leadership positions, revealed by detrimental effects on subordinates and mission accomplishment, and must be addressed through consistent education and

those leadership traits we learned as NCO’s. I have seen, and heard, too many times about fellow 150A’s that take a very hands off approach to leadership when they go to the company level as platoon leaders. I feel this happens because those individuals now think they don’t have to work as hard anymore simply because they are now a warrant officer, when it is the exact opposite. As a warrant officer you are now looked upon as the subject matter expert not only by your Soldiers, but your NCO’s and commander. As an NCO Soldiers look to you as someone whom sets the example on what to do, this is exponentially truer as a warrant officer. Furthermore,

One of the toughest group settings I have ever found myself in was Air Force ROTC Field Training. Field Training is a 5 week course for young college students in the ROTC program to learn how to become officers in the US Air Force and particularly how to lead people in a field setting. Our textbook defines leadership as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals (Robbins & Judge, 2009, Ch. 12). Now, imagine yourself dropped into the environment I was put in. I am one of 400 or so cadets in this encampment, over one thousand miles away from my home. My only communication with my family or the outside world is via hand written letters. It is the middle of the Summer in Southern Alabama, and the heat is so intense it was melting the shoe polish off of my shoes. I am constantly being yelled at by military drill instructors about all of the things I am doing wrong. And now, I am suddenly tasked with being the flight commander for the 20 other cadets in my flights that all come from different backgrounds, and all of whom I am meeting for the first time. In this research paper, I will talk about a few of the core concepts that I feel I applied very well to help me be the best leader I could be in this situation.

It is widely known that in the military you are assigned a great amount of responsibility at a young age and early point in your career. This amount of responsibility is far greater than a civilian would be assigned at the same age. When put in these leadership positions you rapidly acquire skills to care for, make decisions, and earn trust. On my first deployment, our Helicopter Assault Force consisted of two 47 crews decentralized from our higher command. Our senior ranking officer and Air Mission Commander was often just a Captain. Our Flight Lead was typically a W3 or W4 and was the primary decision maker when it came to mission analysis and courses of action development. It was our Captains job to ensure the risk levels were acceptable and sell our mission to higher command. With well-trained commissioned officers and extremely knowledgeable flight leads, we were able to operate with extreme efficiency from a decentralized location from higher command. Additionally the well-defined Commanders Intent and Key Tasks enabled us to meet both the ground force Commander’s goals and our higher command’s

Leadership, according to the Army doctrine, represents individuals’ ability to influence people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization (“Leadership” FM 6-22). However, the varying characteristics of individuals that the Army attracts may instill this doctrine in many different ways, leading to different representations of leadership. Some individuals choose to lead their subordinate in a stern matter, only displaying matured emotions and a “tough-loving” attitude to guide them in the right direction. Others

Leadership development in the military is critical to its mission and objectives. Understanding and embracing leadership will foster an agile culture and facilitate attainment of strategic goals. People desire quality leadership to assist with achieving their goals, albeit personal or professional development. Having a clear vision and the motivation to perform at high-levels influences others to work synergistically together to achieve organizational goals. Insomuch, employees value being treated respectfully, fairly, and ethically. Leaders serve people best when they help them develop their own initiative and good judgment, enable them to grow, and help them become better contributors.

This is our job as NCO’s to keep the culture and climate of our profession at its peak. We cannot be the ones that “talk the talk” but not “walk the walk” bring that culture down. It is one of our areas of expertise to take care and nurture young soldiers. They are the future of the profession, the future experts that will keep the profession strong and thriving. We as NCO’s must do our best to shield our young soldiers from “toxic” leadership, to show what good leadership is, and mold young soldiers into the professionals of

As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several

This is especially true for members of the military. They begin learning leadership skills from their first day of basic training and continues until the day they exit the service. The job of the drill sergeants in basic is to break a civilian down and train them in the mentality and the lifestyle that is necessary to be an effective service member on the battlefield. Transitioning from the service can be a daunting task for many members, especially the ones who started their career at a young age and retire after 20 years of service. This is due to the lack of leadership opportunities for many growing up, so all they know is the way they were trained during their military careers.

Cadets that have been trusted with positions in leadership have more responsibilities and are expected to be guiding the actions of their followers. Followers look up to and learn from their leaders and good leaders do not command their followers in a disrespectful manner, nor do they flaunt their authority over others. Leaders should possess the skills to motivate within their positions, this is how they prove that they have earned the right to have the responsibilities of a leader. These qualities will encourage followers to be loyal to, and respect their

The book Black Hearts opened my eyes to how leadership from a single Officer can have a grappling effect on such a wide range of soldiers from the lowest of ranks. One of the best takeaways from Black Hearts is to never do anything: illegal, unethical, or immoral. Although this is a easy statement to repeat, Black Hearts demonstrates the difficulties that lie behind these words. It has also painted a picture of how leadership can topple extremely quickly from a top down view. The Army is portrayed in a bad light throughout the book relentlessly. This is due to the concentration of poor leadership of the 1-502nd Regiment (Referred to as “First Strike”), a battalion of the 101st Airborne Division.

Because although we thought no one was watching, our soldiers were watching us. Now they have a different opinion of us as an NCO, as a leader, as their mentor. It may not be a big deal, but in the back of their minds they have that small amount of doubt in us and our decision making. Maybe one day it comes back around and they tell you "hey remember that time when you ..." or maybe they don’t come out and tell you, but they just hold it against you and talk bad about you behind your back. As an NCO, we need to be the best. Our integrity should not falter. NCO's are the backbone of the Army, and our Integrity should be our backbone.