Leadership in wartime is a testing business, whether you are a battlefield officer fighting in close quarter combat, or a general plotting and scheming to the best effect. A complex challenge, which involves psychology, tactical and strategic knowledge, and the ability to know how to make sacrifices, only certain kinds of personality can handle war command. This article will outline some of the characteristics and abilities which make for good war command.
Leadership in a situation of conflict needs to have a clear idea of what it is hoping to achieve, of what its aims are. A leader needs to inspire a group of people, often very dissimilar in their temperaments and motivations, to cooperate in hope of achieving a specific task. A leader is there to provide the glue and the inspiration which bonds a team together; without a leader, a team is merely a crowd.
A sharp intellect is one essential characteristic that a good military leader must possess. Without the fundamentals of a sharp mind and good reasoning ability being in place, making the right decisions will be very difficult. Not being clever enough will also have other consequences, especially when it comes to planning operations.
A good commander must also possess empathy, the ability to understand human behaviour by putting himself into the situation of other people. A good leader should be able to second-guess his opponents as well as motivate his own troops. The ability to be able to envisage multiple different outcomes to a situation based on how people might react is an attribute which is invaluable for military leaders.
Indecision is one quality which no military should ever have. Prevaricating does an officer no favours, whether they are on the front line or developing tactical responses from a back office. Acting decisively is vital in warfare, and there is little time to consider and mull over decisions when lives are at stake.
Coupled to decisiveness is an ability to remain calm when under the most intense pressure. Despite the mayhem around him or her, a good commander can always give an impression of being calm and in control. Being able to take the emotion out of situations and remain calm enough to make rational and considered decisions is something every great commander has the ability to do.
A good officer should also have a deep wellspring of military knowledge from which to draw. Studying the battles of the past is one way of achieving this, but so is constant study and revision. A leader must keep his or herself abreast of the latest developments in theory and knowledge, as military situations continually change, with battlefield technology, enemy tactics and methods of treating casualties in a state of constant adaptation and improvement.
War command is a weighty and burdensome responsibility which only certain kinds of people can handle. Successful commanders often display a mix of abilities, traits and emotions which are used to make sure that they get the job done. In the end, a leader has to bind disparate elements together in a common search for success.
Leadership in a situation of conflict needs to have a clear idea of what it is hoping to achieve, of what its aims are. A leader needs to inspire a group of people, often very dissimilar in their temperaments and motivations, to cooperate in hope of achieving a specific task. A leader is there to provide the glue and the inspiration which bonds a team together; without a leader, a team is merely a crowd.
A sharp intellect is one essential characteristic that a good military leader must possess. Without the fundamentals of a sharp mind and good reasoning ability being in place, making the right decisions will be very difficult. Not being clever enough will also have other consequences, especially when it comes to planning operations.
A good commander must also possess empathy, the ability to understand human behaviour by putting himself into the situation of other people. A good leader should be able to second-guess his opponents as well as motivate his own troops. The ability to be able to envisage multiple different outcomes to a situation based on how people might react is an attribute which is invaluable for military leaders.
Indecision is one quality which no military should ever have. Prevaricating does an officer no favours, whether they are on the front line or developing tactical responses from a back office. Acting decisively is vital in warfare, and there is little time to consider and mull over decisions when lives are at stake.
Coupled to decisiveness is an ability to remain calm when under the most intense pressure. Despite the mayhem around him or her, a good commander can always give an impression of being calm and in control. Being able to take the emotion out of situations and remain calm enough to make rational and considered decisions is something every great commander has the ability to do.
A good officer should also have a deep wellspring of military knowledge from which to draw. Studying the battles of the past is one way of achieving this, but so is constant study and revision. A leader must keep his or herself abreast of the latest developments in theory and knowledge, as military situations continually change, with battlefield technology, enemy tactics and methods of treating casualties in a state of constant adaptation and improvement.
War command is a weighty and burdensome responsibility which only certain kinds of people can handle. Successful commanders often display a mix of abilities, traits and emotions which are used to make sure that they get the job done. In the end, a leader has to bind disparate elements together in a common search for success.
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