The ability to lead at the senior level - A leadership-focused self-assessment.

Leadership -- a highly complex concept, which has always fascinated thinkers and philosophers -- defines the process of command itself. No one can say there is a universally recognized and accepted definition of this term. Rather, there are various recognized values and individual qualities, which together form what is called leadership. When endowed with these qualities you are considered a leader and are evaluated as a leader on your performance in different circumstances. What are the qualities I consider which would allow me to succeed in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment and to lead at the strategic level as well as how will I develop my shortcomings and reinforce my strengths while attending the Air War College? These are questions I will try to answer in this essay. I will adopt the Right to Lead Assessment Model (RLAM)1 as a frame of reference to tailor the concept of leadership to the military strategic environment and to conduct this leadership-focused self-assessment, which, in my opinion, requires distinct approaches at least in terms of competence, character, personality and trust. Competence. At strategic military levels, competence is essential to the success of command as well as to the understanding of the functions of military institution and its relationship with the society. Here, the ability to see the situation as a whole, to work with abstract ideas and develop theoretical models, to discover trends and make logical connections acquires more importance. Competence is often associated with knowledge. Strategic military leaders must possess high levels of knowledge to understand complex, volatile and probabilistic environments and to build a plan or a vision for the future. Failure to meet this vision will result in defeat.2 In this respect, I consider my abilities still tailored to the knowledge and skills to quickly identify the decisive goals in my domain of activity and to adopt the correct posture in order to achieve these goals. To stretch my competence to the competency3 required by the 1

The ability to lead at the senior level - A leadership-focused self-assessment. strategic level of military command I will take advantage of both Joint Strategic Leadership and Foundation of Strategy courses taught this semester in the Air War College. Character. Whatever the level of influence a military leader has, individual character traits such as empathy, kindness, cooperation, persuasion and conflict management are critical for a stable and successful organization. Such social skills facilitate the development of personal contacts and increase the power emanating from these relationships. As a holder of a strategic position, I shall create and conserve a complex relationship with subordinates and superiors, as well as with the peers inside and outside the military institution. I am therefore aware I need to master the ability of influencing people in order to better represent my organization and obtain adhesion and support for achieving its goals. In this respect, I consider the Air War College, with its multicultural and heterogeneous features, as the perfect environment to practice and improve my art of communication. Personality. Like most character traits, personality is essential in obtaining the respect and trust of subordinates. Personal integrity, adaptability, flexibility of mind and comportment are the most important virtues and essential qualities of a strategic leader. I therefore consider that possessing all this features I will be able to face any challenge, learn from previous experiences and make necessary adjustments. Furthermore, I will pay special attention to the ability of controlling emotions and their effect on others as well as maintaining calm in difficult situations. I find these as main attributes a leader should possess at the strategic level giving the fact that emotional instability is often a key factor in the failure of a mission or a leader's career. Trust. Through its constituents respect, confidence and commitment as described in RLAM, trust ensures the necessary level of cohesion for the success of all military enterprises. The leader must have the conviction that his group members are the most important factor in achieving the goals of organization such as his subordinates must have the conviction their leader 2

The ability to lead at the senior level - A leadership-focused self-assessment. is the right person to lead them toward the path of success. This is what I consider the evidence of reciprocal trust at the senior military level. Trust should not be authoritatively imposed but won little by little through the respect shown to the others -- superiors, peers or subordinates -- by force of personal example and fairness of leadership act. I am fully aware I shall always find the appropriate way to motivate and coordinate my team to be actively involved in the decisionmaking process and to achieve desired goals. What I need to improve is the ability of better balancing rewards with constraints consistent with my subordinates performance, in order to increase the efficiency of their actions and the satisfaction among them. Effective leadership is required in all spheres of activity but crucial in military environment, especially at the strategic level. Without robust leadership, it is unlikely that teammates will be able to focus their efforts in achieving the goals of organization and successfully accomplish the tasks. Leadership does not mean only authority but also the ability to command. A strategic commander will never be a strategic leader unless he/she presents a personal example to influence and inspire his/her subordinates. De facto, any commander will not become leader if he/she is not accepted and supported as a leader by his/her subordinates. Leadership requires much more than management competences or legal authority. Through incentives and personal example, successful strategic military leaders motivate their subordinates to unitarily subscribe to a common objective and believe that success is possible. ENDNOTES
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Gene Kamena, Self-Assessment and Your Right to Lead: A Leadership Primer, 16 July 2013, page 1. Robert Leslie Phillips, James G. Hunt, Strategic Leadership. A Multiorganizational-level Perspective, Connecticut, Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 1992. 3 Gene Kamena, Self-Assessment and Your Right to Lead: A Leadership Primer, 16 July 2013, page 3.