Introduction
As I aspire to become military personnel, I must know leadership skills that will guide me to execute my jobs. My interest is to be a future officer of the Army 2LT. Therefore, I must prepare psychologically to address issues related to the daily operations of the Army in the United States. John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership book guides how a future soldier can base perspectives in the Army by conceptualizing the elements per the book. For example, from the book, a reader understands that it is a must be effective by applying the law of the lid, whereby the leadership ability will determine any success as a military man. Additionally, the law of navigation will enable me to steer the challenges and forecast more about future escapades within the disciplined forces. Thus, I am hopeful that I will be among the proficient leaders while working in the Army 2LT in the US.
Applying the Laws of Leadership in the Army
Leadership in the Army is about influence, which means nothing more or less than leveraging the matters at hand by executing power. In the military, it is a serious business that needs competency in driving issues effectively. According to Maxwell (2007, p. 22), “Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” If you watch the dynamics between people in just about every aspect of life, you will see some people leading and others following, and you will notice that position and title often have little to do with who is really in charge.” It means leadership can come automatically or by executing the common understanding of what should accompany leadership.
As an aspiring soldier, I can buy a leaf from what other leaders in the military have done by basing my concepts on their past successes and improving on areas where they missed a chance to effectively transform a given element in the Army, navy, or air force as well as marines. There is a person I admire who rose from a commander in a private volunteer firm to commander in chief, and that is Abraham Lincoln (Maxwell, 2007). Despite having no military training, Lincoln was known for organizing men to fight, for example, in the Black Hawk War (Maxwell, 2007). And the end of military operations, Lincoln found his rightful place in the forces due to his influence. Therefore, it is important to use personal esteem and establish a charismatic attitude that shall be evident and useful in executing tough operations to fight terrorism, hunger, and any civil war.
The law of process suggests that leadership does not come or build in a single day. Rather it is a gradual process that requires swift understanding, perseverance, and a hard heart that can withstand storms along the way (Maxwell, 2007). What is important is to key in the valuable traits that show how one is radical to move through excess. Working in the Army requires a soldier to withstand difficult, scary, and devastating moments. I must take the blame, liabilities, and negative feedback when working under the command of my seniors. Additionally, if I mess up, my seniors will be held accountable for my actions, which is something that I have to understand clearly to be a future leader. Maxwell (2007 p. 45) gives Bennis and Nanus’s perception of a leader: “It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguish leaders from their followers.” To grow as a leader; one must be motivated to take challenges from what seems difficult.
As a military personnel, I must think that being a man of action is a compulsory cue that will enable me to lead other soldiers. That requires planning before starting a mission anywhere worldwide (Maxwell, 2007). For example, assuming that President Biden gives me the task of intervening on behalf of Ukrainians, I do not have to command my soldiers to counter their attacks on Russians. I will be required to predetermine the course of action, that is, to establish various negotiations through the chief of the military for the country. That may need us to adjust the priorities and allow time to review the feasibility of our actions. As a bold person, I must act in a calculative way whereby I will allow my soldiers to play calm regarding the war as I wait for the negotiated factions to yield. If that does not work, I must decide how to combat the matter forcefully but sparingly to protect the lives of innocent Ukrainians and the soldiers in the land (Maxwell, 2007). The combat must place Russia at the receiving end of the US forces, and that is how I can simultaneously apply the law of process and navigation as a soldier.
The law of solid ground requires leaders in the military functions to trust since that is a foundation of effective organization of parties in a given aspect in the Army. As a leader in the Army, I will let it be known to everyone that the decisions I take on behalf of the US Army will not be mine but for the rightful will of the citizens and the government (Maxwell, 2007). No matter how I lead my people or get pressure from the senior officers, I must not take action. Rather, I make good choices that will bring positive and permanent change as far as the Army is concerned. The Law of solid ground calls for military officers to communicate through character.
The law of respect is another set that is discussed in the book. Maxwell (2007) says that people naturally follow leaders more than they do themselves. Based on the increasing respect seen in Harriet Tubman’s case, I must show the balance between the negative and positive perceptions of a given matter that is contentious (Maxwell, 2007). For example, in countering terror, I will be forced to investigate whether there might be an issue that was crossed by the government, probing the rebel parties to start fighting back. Therefore, assuming that I will become the spokesperson for the Army, I will treat the matter neutrally so that I know the foundation of the terrorism activities. That will enable me to weaken the roots that started the national threat by focusing on removing any sponsors of the arms and communication networks and working on giving the terror groups a grace period to change.
Conclusion
Effective leadership skills must accompany the dream of becoming military personnel. There are various leadership laws that I will apply, such as the law of influence, the law of respect, the law of navigation, law of process, among others. The irrefutable laws of leadership will be helpful for my journey as a soldier since they shall guide my next course of action when it comes to daily military operations. For example, I will apply the law of influence to convince my colleagues of the importance of performing a given task by showing them the possible results that favor the objectives regarding the nation’s security and the interests of the common citizens. Therefore, the future of my career shall be guided by a raft of applications of leadership laws, as seen in the book.
Reference
Maxwell, J. C. (2007). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them, and people will follow you (10th Anniversary Ed.). Thomas Nelson.