Stanley Mcchrystal Downfall

Our nation’s military continuously evolves to ensure success in future operations. This change is only be possible if our top leaders work in concert towards a common goal. The purpose of this document is to highlight how General Stanley McChrystal changed the manner in which the U.S. Military operates and communicates in an ever-changing environment.

Poor leadership and communication are attributable to ineffective communication. For effective communication to occur The Communication Process must occur seamlessly. Communication at Cerner Corporation was perceived as ineffective because those at the receiving end were interpreting messages from managers that were not consistent with the goals of the company. According to Guffey, Rogin, and Rhodes (2010), “Predicting the effect of a message and adapting the message to a receiver are key factors in successful communication” (p.11). This explains the communication challenges at Cerner Corporation.

In this essay, I am going to discuss how practices of leadership contribute to managing communication in the post bureaucratic era. This essay shall discuss the effectiveness of leadership approaches in the post bureaucratic era in managing communication in organizations. In section 1, I shall discuss leadership in terms of communication by drawing upon the article by Barry B. (2007). In addition, I shall also discuss the use of communication in running an organization in a leader’s desired way (Jack, G., 2004) and the need of contingency approach (Browning, 2007, pg 190) while communicating with employees. In section 2, I shall discuss how management stimulate loyalty in employees through embedding organizational identity (Gagne, J.F.,

Generals during World War II faced daily innumerable difficult and grave decisions. Critical decisions made during WWII did not have the depth and speed of today’s modern communications infrastructure. Eisenhower quoted, “Making decisions is of the essence in leadership.”1

between leaders and their troops was not at all conducive to the success of their

Missing a layer of management that might contribute to poorer communication. Getting messages all the way to the frontline is a challenge.

On another occasion, General Stanley McChrystal flew into a combat outpost to see my platoon with the majority of my chain of command. We sat in a stable around a fire and he asked direct questions about the mission and what he could do to help us accomplish it. I answered his questions respectfully and bluntly. When he asked what questions I had for him, I asked the questions that my subordinates asked of me. After General McChrystal departed, one of my leaders pulled me aside and he told me that my bluntness stunned him. I replied that I doubted that the general flew all that way to receive sugarcoated answers. A few days later, an officer demonstrating new products in the field for General McChrystal visited our outpost and he confirmed my thoughts. He said that while his primary job was demonstrating the technologies and determining what was beneficial in the field, his ulterior job was collecting honest answers for the general because many people were afraid to be honest to his face. Techniques like these helped General McChrystal understand his operating environment.

The definition of leadership is symbolized by the diversified type of leaders within an organization engaging the trust of their subordinates. The American Soldier fully support the efforts and leadership made by all men and women entrusted with this tremendous level of responsibility; our current war fighter generation finds itself making significant changes to the way we lead within our ranks as a fighting force and an advocate of peace. “Why Write a Leadership Philosophy” by Gerald F. Sewell says, “When I took over as a military sub-community executive officer in the early 1990’s, I failed to share my leadership philosophy with my community staff; consequently, many did not know what to expect. I became aware later that several civilian members on my staff were afraid of me and did not know if they should approach me”. From this quote, you can almost draw a conclusion that our line of work is one that requires transparency and absolute solid

Without organizational communication, it would be extremely difficult to know what an organization stands for, why it exists, who its customers are, how work is completed, who has authority over others and so on. “Organizational communication serves as the glue that holds everything together while, at the same time, acting as a magnifying glass by making this clearer” (Hartzell, Sherri;, 2003-2015) What this means to me is that, be clear, and have everyone on the same

and that “leaders who coach, counsel and mentor subordinates establish close relationships that fosters trust by identifying areas of common interests and goals” (ADP 6-22 chapter 6-51). The typical view is holding leadership within the chain of command, it is easier to lead when you are placed in the position of authority and are backed by UCMJ. The challenge is extending your influence beyond the chain of command and you need to make sure that the influence you are extending is a positive one. A smart leader will find the most effective means of communication. In the modern age we are in this has never been easier, you can create a social media group for your platoon, group messaging systems etc. You need to create an environment that makes you easy to approach

“Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter."

In the book this was a constant and consistent factor and an obvious hint as to what to expect further along in the chapters which was a vicious tailspin out of control. Chapter 8 talked about a series of communication break downs. LTC Tom Kunk, the commander of the 1-502nd infantry regiment, set the standard of how the communication was going to exist within the platoons. The book talked about how he would lose his temper at his soldiers regardless how minor the issue. You could leave your weapon unattended or leave trash on the ground either way he would confront you in the most unprofessional way about it. This made his whole leadership style completely ineffective. I personally understand how much this can influence a soldier especially those who are still trying to figure out their leadership styles. If this is the only leadership style you deal with on a regular bases after a while it will start to become the standard for you. LTC Kunk being the commander of the regiment should be demonstrating better discipline and restraint. Instead this makes him appear to have no self control. He should have been setting the standard in a more positive way on communicating with members of the platoons, and creating a more cohesive environment. There were many other leaders in the platoon who made similar mistakes. This example doesn’t just apply to this particular situation but can also result the same in a family. If your mom and dad are constantly bickering and your always

Communication is an essential component in any relationship, including how it affects organizational behaviors. Too much, or lack thereof, can determine if the message was properly sent, understood, and received. According to Popovic and Hocenski (2009), leaders need to be able to communicate to their subordinates in language they can understand regardless of their level within the organization (Popovic & Hocenski, 2009, pp. 15-16). Because communication is a vital part of organizational structure, leaders need to have a thorough understanding of communication. “To determine which verbal communication behaviors are commonly used, one needs to first establish the relationship between

Communication is a part of everyday life. Not only is it present in our personal lives, but in the

The most advantageous learning I had through the process of research and in the time of this class, was when I was presented with the opportunity to teach literacy and foster diversity by becoming a mentor in a local program called Reading Buddies. As a mentor, I assisted elementary students who have fallen behind in mastering literacy, to help improve their skills in English writing and reading comprehension. Many of these students are those of immigrant families, who are currently facing hardships adjusting to schooling because English has been learned as their second language. I have always been passionate about education, so naturally, I took interest in providing help where the structural violence of our non-accommodating American