Taking Care of Soldiers Essay

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.

Being in a Leadership position doesn’t mean that the managers or supervisors get to do whatever they want, but they do have to lead by example. There have been times where the both of us have experienced certain events where we can hold specific friendships with our soldiers. Better way to explain is when the uniform comes on, it’s strictly business. We couldn’t hang out with the soldiers outside of work so that there wouldn’t be any favoritism in any working environment with our soldiers. It’s all about the way he treated his soldiers and how he took care of his soldiers. From his words, “If you take care of your people, your people take care of you.” It’s not all about dictatorship, yelling at your soldiers and the rank on your chest. “Taking care of your people is a manager’s first priority” coming from Brian. Being the umbrella or the shield for you people is basically what managers do to take care of their employees.

The constant presence with his troops was the most significant act of building cohesive teams through mutual trust. In Fact, “how he found the time and energy to be constantly with his frontline troops and still direct the overall activities of the division was a mystery.” 1 Interacting with your subordinates shows that you care. A leader that trains with his subordinates also earns credibility. How Soldiers trust, weights leader’s sound judgment for leading troops and accomplishing missions, regardless complexity.

soldiers is a tragic example of how, if that leadership is lacking, awful things can

As a First Sergeant in WTU, my responsibilities/duties included the health and welfare of Soldiers who were placed under the Commander’s authority. One question I asked myself when accepting this change of responsibility was… how am I going to achieve the responsibilities of identifying the needs of a Wounded Warrior without the proper training and knowledge? As a First Sergeant working for a Warrior Transition Unit, I experienced many trials while trying to understand and learn these triads of Care, and the Triad of Leadership techniques, followed by the challenges in dealing and understanding each Soldier’s needs.

At the end of the day, a true leader “in the army will do these three things live by the army core values, know the warrior ethos, and lead by example”-MSI textbook. Leaders both in and out of the army are held to a higher standard holding themselves in a professional manner at all times. The success of the group is attributed to the leadership styles and core values instilled in the solider to do his job effectively. General Eisenhower once

Leadership goals should always contain methods of a continuous process of learning through education, training, and individual experiences that help ensure that the message will be communicated in a confident and competent manner when leading troops. Soldiers tend to follow leaders that demonstrate and live the Army values, while displaying their confidence in every decision that affects change. Leaders are not born as organizational or tactical leaders; but grown by their genetic determinism, which is inside and the characteristics they work toward; that mold is which type leader they will become. Not just anyone can lead; you must have the desire to lead, be willing to make the commitment to being a leader, and prepare yourself properly, then you have the desire to become a leader. (Fulton, 1995).

Fifteen years of continuous combat deployments have strained many of our Soldiers to their breaking point. To ensure the continued readiness of the troops and the welfare of their families, the use of positive psychology and MRT can bridge the gap and prevent many issues from becoming more serious. The tri-signed letter by Gen Odierno in March of 2013, states the United States Army’s ready and resilient campaign will, “…improve the physical, psychological, and emotional health in order to enhance individual performance and increase overall unit readiness.” Dedicated leader involvement specifically from the Command Sergeant Major (CSM), or Sergeant Major (SGM) is the single most critical component in fostering a positive command climate through

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

They want to become that fearless leader as you have shown them. Dr. Kaurin mentions how a leader good or bad affects their soldiers, “Kirkland argues that trust is the essential factor in maintaining ethical behavior and unit cohesion. If the soldiers can see their leaders share their and the institutional values, they are more likely to uphold these values on their own, which is more effective than coercion; in short, the leaders set the group identity and values” (Kaurin, 2006, p. 03-03). So the idea with loyalty is that if everyone is loyal to each other within a unit and amongst the junior enlisted and senior enlisted and that there is a unit cohesion, each solider will put in what was given out. Thus, the more you put in the more you will get out which will build upon teamwork and trust amongst each other.

In the US army we are taught to live by the 7 army values. They are broken down to us in the acronym ‘LDRSHIP’. Loyalty “Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. constitution, the Army, and other soldiers.” Duty “Fulfill your obligations.” Respect “Treat people as they should be treated.” Selfless Service “Put the welfare of the nation, the Army and your subordinates above your own.” Honor “Live up to the army values.”

A leader is not always the first to have an idea, but should be the one who is always seeking out new solutions. One way of being a productive leader is discovering new ways to accomplish a set of tasks while maintaining a positive attitude. If a soldier is demonstrating a bad attitude because he feels that he can not accomplish a task then my job as a leader, would be to steadily encourage that soldier to work at being all that he can be.

A leader unwilling to sacrifice individual goals for the good of the unit cannot convince other unit members to do so. The mission suffers with potentially devastating effects. While personal goals often coincide with Army goals, there is no room for personal agendas at the expense of the institution or the American people. It is a standard in the hierarchy of military customs and courtesies that the leader must display to his subordinates that he is willing to put in extra effort, sacrifice personal time, and show initiative and motivation in order to achieve the same from his Soldiers.

Leaders owe their soldiers the best possible road map to success. Leaders help their soldiers solve complex problems by guiding them to workable solutions through effective counseling. Developmental counseling is subordinate-centered communication that outlines actions necessary for soldiers to achieve individual and organizational goals and objectives. It is vital to the Army's future that all leaders conduct professional growth counseling with their soldiers to develop the leaders of tomorrow. Leaders counsel their subordinate NCOs and junior enlisted soldiers. There may be situations where officers counsel junior enlisted soldiers. The point is this: every leader has an obligation to develop their subordinates through developmental counseling. The Army values play a very important role. Simply put the values of loyalty, duty and selfless service require leaders to counsel their soldiers. The values of honor, integrity and personal courage require both leaders and soldiers to give straightforward feedback and, if possible, goal-oriented tasks or solutions. The Army value of respect requires us all to find the best way to communicate that feedback and goals. Some soldiers may perceive counseling as an adverse action, perhaps because that is their experience. Developmental counseling most definitely is not supposed to be an adverse action. Regular developmental counseling is the Army's most important tool for developing future

Throughout history our country has had many leaders. Whether you’re the leader of a business, military platoon, or the leader of our great nation you were withheld with the honor and trust to govern the actions and best interests of fellow Americans. But just because you have achieved the title of a leader does not by default make you a good leader. A good leader is a person who has risen above and beyond to show cooperation, perseverance, and respect to decisions made by those still above you at one point in time. “As a seasoned member of the military, you’ve risen through the ranks because you understood your mission and performed your duties with distinction. At this stage of your career, your most important contribution may be how well you take care of the service members and