OFFICER COMMANDING'S VIEW OF LEADERSHIP AND COMMAND

Leadership is of the spirit, compounded of personality and vision; its practice is an art. Management is of the mind, more a matter of accurate calculation, of statistics, of methods, time tables and routine: its practice is a science. Managers are necessary; leaders are essential.
Field-Marshall Sir William Slim

Leadership

To be a leader one must;

Be competent - The leader must earn the loyalty and trust of both his subordinates and seniors;
Have purpose - The leader must inspire, focus and motivate the team;
Build the team - The leader must build a team that allows independent thinking and encourages members to make decisions;
Keep planning - The leader must keep forward planning to fulfil defined goals.
Accept and encourage change - The leader must diagnose problems accurately, adapt plans and implement change;
Communicate - the leader must communicate in a manner that achieves understanding and acceptance.


Command

Command is about

Have faith in the men around to do the job to the best of their ability;
Have the desire for his men to succeed;
Have the understanding that mistakes will be made - but we must learn from them;
Remain positive. Your men will follow your lead.
Know your people. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their interests and goals?
Remain flexible but don't give in because it is easier to do so.

My Expectations

I expect;

Every person to do their job to the best of their ability;
I will give you the maximum freedom of action to do you job - don't let me down;
You to give the same freedom of action to your men - and them not to let you down;
People to find the solutions to the problem and not just whinge about it;
Commanders and Leaders to make the right decision, even if it is the hardest;
People to learn from their mistakes and not to make them again;
Every person to make the most of the opportunities that they are given, enjoy the challenges and reap the rewards.