Please respond and make a detail post on how you agree with this statement.
The Army has conducted a variety of studies to develop and confirm the efficacy of the leadership requirements model outlined in ADP 6-22. This model presents Army leaders with the expectations of leadership and the key characteristics and attributes that make good leaders. In pursuit of being the best leader you can be, it is important to have a healthy balance of all these characteristics and attributes. However, within my leadership philosophy, the character attribute is the most critical part of the leadership requirements model.
As leaders we someone will always be watching us whether it is our subordinates looking up to us to set the example, our peers seeking guidance, or our superiors evaluating our performance. Therefore, leaders must conduct themselves in a manner reflective of their position. In other words, leaders need to have developed their character to a high degree to perform effectively in their leadership position. Leaders who show elevated levels of character are empathetic, disciplined, and committed to living up to the Army values in every aspect of their lives. Thus, when facing extremely complex problems, leaders of character will fall back on their moral compass to make the right decisions. This ability to make morally and ethically sound decisions will serve as a basis of trust between the leaders subordinates and superiors.
To illustrate the value of leading with character would like to reference the book, Platoon Leader, in which 2LT James McDonough recounts his experience as an infantry platoon leader during the Vietnam war. One evening, several months after his initial entry into Vietnam, McDonoughs patrol base was infiltrated by two Viet Cong soldiers who were attempting to destroy the platoons ammunition bunker. The two Viet Cong were discovered and detained by a squad leader in the platoon. The squad leader, emotionally charged and enraged by the recent death of a close friend, wanted to execute the detained Viet Cong soldiers. However, 2LT McDonough made the moral and ethically sound decision to stop his squad leader from executing the detainees who were later transferred to the battalion EPW camp. This action not only saved his soldier from committing a war crime but also spared that soldier from having to consciously justify the killing of two unarmed detainees. In closing, I leave you with a quote from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday, A stoic has no uniform and resembles no stereotype. They are not identifiable by look or by sight or by sound. The only way to recognize them? By their character.
