The Leadership Requirements Model - BE KNOW DO

From the desk of CSM Thompson

Good afternoon, and it’s time for another of my periodic leadership rants. Before I broach today’s topic, I wanted to explain the reason for these periodic publications. When I was appointed as the TXSG Senior Enlisted Advisor, one of the things the Commanding General tasked me with was to increase the professionalism of the force. This is one of the Commanding General's priorities, and it supports the CG's other priorities, which are Retention, Recruiting and Training.

I don’t get an opportunity to visit many units, especially down at the Company and Platoon level. Most of my interactions outside of Headquarters are at Training Center events or when I travel with the Commanding General. In these visits, I talk to relatively small groups and individuals, but that is not enough. Social media allows me to reach out to more of the force. These posts are a way for me to communicate with more Service Members and provide leadership tips and advice from my over 40 years in uniform. Many of these posts are the result of mistakes I have made and learned from in the past. We all know that experience is the product of learning from past mistakes. My hope is that personnel will read these and put them in their leadership toolbox. They can also be used for "hip pocket training" or worked into official training schedules if so desired. While my comments are directed towards NCOs and the Enlisted corps, the topics I cover in these posts can not only be used in the Tesas State Guard, but also in civilian and personal lives.

Now that I have completed my “disclaimer”, let’s dive right in.

Back in September of last year, I did a multi part rant on the 11 Principles of Leadership. Those of us that are “old school” were brought up on these principles. They were established in 1948 and first published in the U.S. Army Field Manual on Leadership in 1951. They were and still are effective, but, as time goes on, things evolve. Over a period of 60 years, there has been considerable research into the art and science of leadership, especially as it pertains to the fields of human behavior and interaction. As leaders developed better understanding of these fields, the Army decided to update their leadership model. The 11 Principles of Leadership, which many of us have followed for so many years still worke, but with progress comes change. In 2012, the Army published Army Doctrine Publication (ADP) 6-22 Army Leadership. The ADP 6-22 “establishes and describes the leader attributes and core leader competencies that facilitate focused feedback, education, training, and development across all leadership levels.” The ADP 6-22 introduced the Army Leadership Requirement Model. This new model brings in principles of servant leadership. According to an article published in the NCO Journal on 14 May 2013, “servant leadership — putting the needs of others first and helping people develop and perform as highly as possible — is ingrained in Army culture and within the NCO Corps.” Good NCOs practice servant leadership every day and the Army Leadership Requirement Model helps leaders ensure they are doing the right thing and showing what right looks like.

This rant will review the Army Leadership Requirements Model, which is divided into two broad categories. Those categories are Attributes and Competencies. Within each category are traits that form the basis for competent leaders.

ATTRIBUTES

The traits that fall under Attributes in the Leadership Requirements model are Character, Presence, and Intellect. These three traits are required for any leader to be successful. They are what a leader is.

-Character. The Army places such importance on character that not only was it included in the Attributes, but it was listed as the first one. A leader of character is an effective leader who can and does influence those around them to do their best. Being an NCO of character includes living the Army Values of LDRSHIP, having empathy when dealing with others, adherence to the Warrior Ethos and Service Ethos and finally having discipline. An NCO without character is not trustworthy and will have a tough time getting their troops to willingly follow them. While temporary compliance may be gained, the NCO without character is usually one that cares more about themselves than about their troops. They are not exhibiting the attributes of a servant leader. What these people are doing would be the exact opposite.

-Presence includes having military bearing, professional bearing, fitness, confidence, and resilience. This means the NCO looks the part. When an NCO with presence shows up, their uniform is in order, and they are within grooming standards. Troops want to emulate that NCO. This NCO has both tactical and technical competence, which is the definition of professional bearing. They are height/weight compliant and are physically capable of doing the job at hand (fitness). A confident and resilient NCO is one that can make appropriate changes “on the fly” when an operation does not go as planned. They can improvise in the absence of orders.

-Intellect includes mental agility, judgment, innovation, interpersonal tact and expertise. Intellect has less to do with “book learning” (which is important) and more to do with getting the job done. An intellectual leader can evaluate others’ points of view and then mentally put them into a plan to see if that point of view fits. Intellectual leaders are also tactful. They can get their point across without creating undue offense. Most importantly, intellectual leaders have knowledge of the task at hand and are capable of mission accomplishment. I recently heard the phrase “effective intelligence" on a podcast I was listening to. I believe intellect and effective intelligence are synonymous.

COMPETENCIES

The second category of the Leadership Model is Competencies. While the Attributes are things the Leader “is”, competencies are the things a leader “does”. The traits in this category are Leads, Develops and Achieves.

-Leads. Everyone knows that a leader is not born. They are made. It is a matter of learning tactics, techniques, and procedures. The leader then takes those TTPs and put them into action, learning what works and what does not work. They then apply those that work to lead others. Leadership is part art and part science. It involves communication, compromise, and flexibility. We will make mistakes and learn from them. We need to ensure that we, as NCOs, take care of our people to the best of our ability. What good leadership does not include is ego. An NCO that cannot put their ego in check will cause discontent which could result in mission failure.

-Develops. As stated in my leadership rant on 18 February, developing subordinate leaders is of utmost importance. A good leader trains their replacements. They locate those with the potential and encourage them to develop that potential. They also find those that are struggling with leadership and work to help them improve their skills. Good leaders need to remember that they won’t be around forever. They need to make sure the organization is in good hands when they leave. The only way is to develop those hands while they can do so.

-Achieves. A leader gets results. By integrating all the other attributes and competencies, they can achieve the commander’s intent. They do this by empowering their junior leaders to get the job done. They are agile in thought and action and provide feedback and direction without micromanaging their subordinates.

The Leadership Requirements Model ties in with the Army’s “BE KNOW DO” philosophy. The Attributes of Character and Presence constitute the “BE”, while Intellect makes up the “KNOW.” The Competencies of Leads, Develops and Achieves are the “DO.” By applying the Leadership Requirements Model both in the Texas State Guard and in our everyday lives, we can develop our own leadership abilities as well as the abilities of those around us. We should constantly strive to be the best NCOs and leaders we can be. We should also help others achieve the same.

Finally, I will close this rant the way I close all of them with my father’s advice; MISSION, MEMBERS, ME!!!!