Leadership qualities

The way in which a commander leads his unit largely determines the extent to which that unit functions successfully. The ability to exercise command requires a combination of conceptual and human qualities, supplemented by a number of personal skills, one of which is without doubt the ability to communicate effectively. The quality of leadership will determine the quality of the command. It is the commander who ensures the execution of a mission by conveying action, motivation and energy, the will to “go for it”, to his personnel.

For effective command, the commander’s location is extremely important. He will position himself at a point from which he can have a decisive effect on the military action. He must be able to see and be seen as far as operational conditions allow; his staff should not form a barrier between himself and his unit.

Despite the simplicity of the underlying principles, the practical application of command is not straightforward. Commanders must be able to be flexible and adaptable when using their knowledge and experience, and that requires a high level of professionalism and skill.

Qualities such as intuition, originality and initiative, intelligence and vision, self-confiden-ce and determination are also essential.

Intuition is based on extensive experience and can considerably shorten an otherwise laborious rational analysis. In peacetime, this can be achieved through frequent exercises in the military thought process. That should generate the right feeling for – and the right appreciation of – the dynamic cohesion of the numerous factors of influence and also encourage pattern recognition. Intuition forms the basis of the ability to judge quickly and incisively in order to discern the most important and decisive elements in a great multitude of facts and situations. Anything less relevant and of secondary importance will be disregarded immediately, while the most urgent and important issues will be swiftly identified.

Commanders cannot always receive optimum support from their own staff. A staff will normally approach problems in a rational manner, so that the best solution can be sought objectively. This is not always in keeping with the commander’s intuition and judgement, which is difficult to explain to a staff in a short space of time. Inexperienced commanders sometimes need to be more persuasive with their staff than do experienced commanders who have already built up a reputation for success.

Originality and initiative are necessary to exploit opportunities, perform surprise actions and maintain a high tempo. Successful commanders are often those who are not afraid to take risks and have a slight tendency to challenge the established rules,

63 also in non-operational situations. It is these very characteristics which make them ideal for

dictating the operational environment and scoring points off the opponent. This attitude is, however, often at odds with what is usually organisationally or politically desirable in non-operational circumstances.

Intelligence and vision are essential to be able to understand – and come up with solutions for – complex problems. At higher levels especially, commanders must be able to judge non-measurable variables. Examples of these could be the sometimes unspoken wishes of political masters (whom the commander often knows personally), an assessment of emotions, the expected responses of allies and opponents and the counter-moves the opponent could be expected to take. As well as the clearly visible factors of influence, commanders must have a feeling for the invisible and actual situation in the mission area.

Self-confidence is essential to a commander and he must possess it in sufficient measure to be able to listen constructively to the ideas of his staff and his subordinates without the fear of losing his authority. This dialogue will demonstrate that the commander does not already have all the answers and is receptive to good ideas. It will help to build mutual trust and respect between the commander and his subordinates. A good commander cannot, however, rely solely on the creativity and insight of others; he must possess these qualities himself. He must have the ability to use the ideas of others to form and evaluate his own opinions.

Determination is necessary to perform actions. Lower command levels require a great deal of robustness and perseverance in the execution of their (combat) activities, in the course of which troops will face a combination of physical and mental hardship, stress, danger and death. At higher levels, that direct confrontation will often be less applicable. On the other hand, however, the combination of uncertainty and the responsibility for life and death can produce a mental burden of a different sort. In the often confused conditions of an operation, incoming information could be false or exaggerated. One of the effects of fear is increased inaccuracy and exaggeration. People under strain also tend to believe bad news rather than good news and to make the bad news worse when they transmit it to others. In such circumstances, commanders must trust their intuition and judgement and remain rock-steady. This is no mean feat and requires experience and a naturally optimistic outlook.

Determination and perseverance are even more important if the success of the military action is not immediately visible to others, such as higher commanders and politicians, or to the commander’s own staff and subordinates.

64

Even though at the higher strategic-operational level the problems may seem straightfor-ward because of the abstraction layer, that does not mean that execution will also be easy. It takes more nerve to make an important strategic-operational decision than it does to make a tactical decision. When making a tactical decision, the commander is swept along, as it were, by the pressure of the moment and the need to decide. In the case of a strategic-ope-rational decision, the tempo is normally slower. There is often enough time to form an opinion, for himself and for others, to listen to objections and even to regret any partially implemented decisions. But in a strategic-operational environment, determination is required to avoid becoming entangled in a web of conflicting interests and contradictory advice.

The work of a commander is wide-ranging and demanding. In the operational environment of active deployment, a commander’s scope of activity is virtually limitless, much more so than is the case in the peacetime organisation. To be able to lead military personnel under extremely difficult circumstances and still achieve success is a great source of satisfaction.

Every good plan needs a commander who will ensure that it is executed, adapted and carried through. Determination is required to persevere with the plan and not deviate from the original course. At the same time, a clear head is needed to make timely adjustments, especially in conditions of great (personal) uncertainty and psychological strain.

Intelligence alone is not enough. Tenacity, intuition, vision, originality, initiative and certainly courage and bravery are also the qualities of a good commander. He must also be able to view all aspects calmly and be analytical by nature; he must be prepared to adjust a plan, but not on the basis of any bad news that comes his way.

However difficult the role of a commander may be, a successful operation ultimately comes down to the skill of responding to the opportunities that arise. The point is to use the expertise and skills described above to act faster than the opponent, with a higher-quality output. Command has to do with the individual, and different circumstances call for different commanders. There is, after all, no unique formula or combination of qualities that will guarantee success. However important a commander’s personal qualities may be, he will ultimately be judged by his actions. An operational commander must have the trust of his superiors and his subordinates and, in the case of a multinational force, the coalition partners in order to be able to perform his task.