Command Philosophy
The insight I have received on leadership has made me realize that everybody has a philosophy in life by which they live, whether they are in a position of leadership or being led. The leadership approach I adopt or adhere to depends on the position and the operational structure in place. The plan ought to be consistent and adaptable as I scale the upcoming posts or in the Chain of Command. I must also consider the context and the rules that apply to my position and organization.
I will apply command philosophy in the operations of my unit when I am given authority and control in any specific assignment in any given time or place. As a commander, I will lead the unit and gives instructive commands on what is expected of those I am leading. I will assign specific commands on how I wish my subordinates would act or perform those commands. I will influence them by adopting a philosophy, which is be based on my core values in life and the example I want to model for my squadron. For instance, my outlook in life is unique, which is informed by personal experiences and decisions throughout my life. There are transformational moments of my life that have had a lasting impact on me and most likely I will bring these perspectives to manage the unit. I have spent most of my life as a leader from an early age, because of the group thinking associated with school, which informed the philosophy ‘you are to fight to survive in this world’, and ‘live to fight every single day to win’ as a guiding principle. I always wanted to take control of the situation because others wouldn’t or expected me to lead. I discovered that this was my strength, that I fostered a climate of agreement and balance in group decisions. It is easy to use command principle to accomplish a mission more quickly and take control of situations within a unit. I believe that this strength will help me to communicate and lead my group throughout my career and still learn from them.
I will foster a command climate that establishes and briefs of my expectations of unit in order to be on the same page. This will help avoid friction and will give them insight on my genuineness and expectations as a leader. I will run through my command philosophy with peers, which I believe will pass the test of clear content and design before execution. I will communicate standards and expectations that the unit will meet to avoid the vague and general view of things. However, I will not craft an overzealous philosophy that may not be achievable and which may take away the personal initiatives from those I am leading. For example, I may have a preconceived notion concerning any member of my unit and I may come in wanting to change them based on these notions. I may have to adjust this approach upon realizing that these notions were either misleading or will produce toxic climate in my unit.
Tactical fundamentals will exemplify what I would like to achieve with my unit, and will require thoughtful application in a time of combat. The concept of Unity of Command filters through a common objective under a singular vision of the Commander In Chief (United States Marine Corps, 2014). I intend that my philosophy only emphasizes and plays a role in ensuring that vision is successfully carried out at the point of decision to final execution of the mission. For example, if am in distress at sea, I would have to take a calculated risk to keep my crew out of danger as the primary decision-maker in a navy ship. The weight of responsibility still lies with me when the rationale of my decision is questioned and I need to explain why I made the final call.
Joint operations will be centred around the guidance and intent of the commander with the forces relying heavily on combat experience and intuitive leadership. The authority I will demonstrate is practically meant to maximize the performance of the unit on the particular assignment. My power comes from orders from above which I will execute as directed, and my leadership should be trusted to have a successful mission. For example, I can only exercise authority lawfully over my subordinates, and in the same manner, I have received such directives, without any undue influence outside the Chain of Command.
Information management and reliable communication at my disposal are vital in decision making. Pervasive information would drive undesirable behaviour and adverse outcomes, especially in case of cyber attacks (Joint Chief of Staff, 2017). Coordinated operations rely heavily on valid and authentic information which is not suspicious to have well-calculated course of actions. For example, when the automated commands that are given are completely alien, they can be suspected to come from an enemy if they intercepted the computer cables in a cyber attack. Any decision I make outside the realm of sound judgment, should be questioned for inconsistencies, irrationality or lack of verifiable information.
Command and control will allow any decisions to be made even at the lowest levels and also have a robust network that connects my unit to receive mission-type orders and firmly execute them. My unit and other attached forces can accomplish the mission with success when the resources at my disposal are explicitly assigned to the mission at hand. I will have authority to direct his forces or delegate such authority to subordinates to act on certain tasks freely. For example, I would require direct authority from above to move it to a different location outside of the operational area.
Perfect discipline accompanies philosophy which is as humane as possible. Human discipline in my unit would inform what they you can’t do with a dead body of an enemy combatant. I believe it takes self-discipline to act appropriately in abnormal situations as a disciplined mindset allows us to succeed in any mission.
References
Joint Chief of Staff. (2017). Incorporating Change 1. Joint Operations. Retrieved from https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/jp3_0ch1.pdf?ver=2018-11-27-160457-910
United States Marine Corps. (2014). Intro to Tactics-Tactical Fundamentals B2B2267. Basic Officer Course.