The Army Leader (Research Paper Sample)

The Army Leader
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
The Army Leader
Introduction
There are certain traits that an army leader has to possess. These skills can be classified in different ways. The paper entails a review of these skills from a three-dimensional view. This includes the character, presence and intellect requirements in the skills of an army leader.
* Character
An army leader has to possess certain traits to completely fit into the position of a leader. Character describes "who you are" and determines how you behave and act. For the case of an army leader, characters can be described in terms of certain values. These values include loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage (Schoomaker, 2006).
As far as loyalty is concerned, the leader has to truly bear faith and allegiance to the constitution of the United States, the army and all the other soldiers. The call of duty also has to be obeyed. The leader has to be in a position to fulfil the obligations that he or she is entitled to. In line with respect, the army leader needs to be a role model when it comes to handling other people. He or she has to treat others in a manner that they would have liked to be treated.
The leader needs to subordinate personal interests to those of service to the nation. Therefore, selfless service is required of the individual. This is evaluated based on the readiness of the army leader to sacrifice personal interests to those of the country. The actions of the leader need to be guided by the Army values. This way, the leader is expected to have honor for such values.
To act in line with the legal and ethical requirements constitutes to integrity, an aspect of character that the leader must possess. Finally, the leader must have self-courage in confronting emerging situations. This is important in ensuring that all the duties are lived up to. All these characters have to be applied at the same time in order to come up with a competent army leader.
* Presence
Unlike the case with all the other traits, presence is a trait that can be learnt from the external environment and while in service. Presence will be aimed at developing strategies to make people be inspired to trust and follow the leader. Presence can be described from four angles. These include military bearing, physical fitness, confidence and resilience. The leader has to be there for the subordinates in these four perspectives in order to be deemed a competent leader.
As far as military bearing is concerned, it is expected of the leader to act competently (Schoomaker, 2006). The leader has to know how to wear appropriate uniform or civilian attire with the best regards to pride and thrill. This way, the subordinates will feel motivated by appreciation by the leader of the value of being in the army. It is important to be there for the other members of the army so as to provide a clear picture of what it takes to be in the career.
The basis of unit readiness is physical fitness. Therefore, an army leader has to act present in physical exercises and other activities that pertain to body fitness. This provides the subordinates with appreciation of the need to be in the military. The army leader needs to lead by example. In this case, demonstrations are considered an added advantage that all the army subordinates could emulate.
Presence is also seen in the line of confidence in handling emerging issues. In the event of need for action, it is important for the leader to be present and lead the crew in combating the enemies’ threats. Finally, regarding presence, the leader needs to be resilient and be in a position to quickly recover from setbacks, injuries and adversity. This is important in providing endless hopes to the rest of the members in difficult times.
* Intellect
Mental agility is an intellectual trait that is required of an army leader. Agility is required to help in adapting to situations in confronting the enemy. The leader has to be in a position to put up with emerging changes or situations in the course of duty. It requires mental reasoning to develop agile strategies that would help combat emerging challenges in the military.
Intellectual aspects of army leadership can also be viewed from the judgmental perspectives. In making sound judgments, the leader has to express high standards of efficiency and pro...