Leadership is a vital skill that someone possesses to help influence other people in pursuing a common objective. The objectivity of this essay is to answer questions concerning leadership from Lt Colonel Adam Case 3.2.
Question 1
In my opinion, Lt Colonel Adam did his best based on the limited timeframe that he was to operate within. Adam was very reasonable in his endeavors because he tried to touch on every emergent issues during the transition. His incredible capacity in critical thinking helped him address the challenges at hand at both the human and technical level. The most significant issue was the conceptual level challenges (Northouse, 2004). Adam had been tasked to foresee the transition process at his base, and he made careful planning and consultation with both staff and other officers on how best the process could be conducted. Besides, he made a personal analysis that assessed the challenge at hand in a dynamic manner before deciding on officers who were to go on retirement as stipulated by the government. His proactiveness made him a reliable leader who was keen on following instructions from above.
Question 3
Unfortunately, it turned out that Adams was not an effective problem-solver (Northouse, 2004). After the plan to send most of the soldiers on retirement, it turned out that the base remained understaffed. Adam was good at following instructions, but he did not involve critical thinking while making decisions. Since the government wanted to send soldiers on retirement to ensure that expenses are cut, Adam had all the authority to do this in moderation, considering that his base was to continue with normal operations. I would advise him to think about the bigger picture first before obeying orders. The first thing to do as a leader is to assess the repercussions of your actions before implementing them. If the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then the action is justifiable. However, if the reverse is true, it is wiser to have a second thought to ensure that you make the right decision.