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Leadership

Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm
Pubilius Syrus

What constitutes leadership is a matter of opinion, indeed the magnitude of leadership literature that is available today confirms that leadership continues to be one of the most talked about management functions. Historians over the centuries have utilised varying contexts to document examples of both good and bad leadership. Whilst it is true that some leaders are naturally gifted from birth, there are those with little natural ability who have mastered the art of leadership only through training and development. Much of leadership theory revolves around the art of influencing, guiding, mentoring or inspiring others. Effecting teamwork and staff cohesiveness are important factors for any organisational manager, none more so than the military commander.

In the profession of arms, leadership is a vital aspect of survival. An army is task orientated, therefore team cohesiveness is crucial to achieving set goals and objectives. Military commanders from the lowest level section commander through to the highest level battle commander must be capable of leading effectively. It stands to reason then, that military commanders when seeking guidance on staff cohesiveness should seek to review research findings on leadership.

Three key approaches to effective leadership focus on attempts to find universal
‘traits’, ‘behavioural’ patterns, and various ‘contingency’ models that bring together a combination of findings from modern research. With an emphasis on aspects of these approaches, this essay will discuss research findings on leadership which may guide the military commander to improve staff cohesiveness.

Leadership

What is leadership? Robbins & Mukerji, (1994, p.364) define a leader as one who is able to influence others and who possesses managerial authority, whilst Bartol, Martin,Tein & Mathews, (1995, p.448) define leadership as the process of influencing others...