“Leaders Eat Last”: A Discussion of Army Leadership Qualities
The Army invests a substantial amount of its time and resources into developing leaders. Due to their influence over their soldiers—and the world as a whole—leaders offer purpose and value to the Army profession. Because of their commitment to the development of leaders, the Army established a set of attributes and competencies that define an Army leader. Entitled the “Army Leadership Requirements Model,” these leadership standards dictate the core values, characteristics, and proficiencies that every emergent leader should strive for. Akin to the Army leadership model is the book “Leaders Eat Last.” In this book, Simon Sinek delves into how the impact of leadership can be both essential …show more content…
Army relies heavily on group efforts. Like James Sinegal’s model of mutual trust, the military desires its leaders to create a positive environment for the organization to prosper. First and foremost, effective leadership begins with strong character. The U.S. Department of the Army has set several universal standards, such as the Army Values and Warrior Ethos, to establish ethical guidelines throughout the organization (3-1, 3-4). Within these guidelines, empathy is weighted among the most important characteristics to have. Deprived of empathy from their leaders, soldiers will not have the trust needed to accomplish the mission. Soldiers have no drive to carry out an order if those orders are coming from somebody they don’t trust. With an established set of values, a leader must be able to put their own priorities last and gain the trust of their …show more content…
In this book, Sinek describes four chemicals in the body that work in driving our behavior: endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. He goes on to explain how endorphins and dopamine, the “selfish” chemicals, help a leader to be self-driven and survive; serotonin and oxytocin, the “selfless” chemicals, increase feelings of trust and strengthen social bonds (45). Without the self-driven, yet addictive, “selfish” chemicals, humanity wouldn’t be where it is today. If leaders don’t obtain any pleasure from progression, then they simply won’t progress. However, these self-driven tendencies need to be carefully balanced with the strength of social bonds. If leaders don’t have the capacity for cooperation and camaraderie, they will inevitably fail. This drive to support others and create real progress is what makes humanity so
The Army invests a substantial amount of its time and resources into developing leaders. Due to their influence over their soldiers—and the world as a whole—leaders offer purpose and value to the Army profession. Because of their commitment to the development of leaders, the Army established a set of attributes and competencies that define an Army leader. Entitled the “Army Leadership Requirements Model,” these leadership standards dictate the core values, characteristics, and proficiencies that every emergent leader should strive for. Akin to the Army leadership model is the book “Leaders Eat Last.” In this book, Simon Sinek delves into how the impact of leadership can be both essential …show more content…
Army relies heavily on group efforts. Like James Sinegal’s model of mutual trust, the military desires its leaders to create a positive environment for the organization to prosper. First and foremost, effective leadership begins with strong character. The U.S. Department of the Army has set several universal standards, such as the Army Values and Warrior Ethos, to establish ethical guidelines throughout the organization (3-1, 3-4). Within these guidelines, empathy is weighted among the most important characteristics to have. Deprived of empathy from their leaders, soldiers will not have the trust needed to accomplish the mission. Soldiers have no drive to carry out an order if those orders are coming from somebody they don’t trust. With an established set of values, a leader must be able to put their own priorities last and gain the trust of their …show more content…
In this book, Sinek describes four chemicals in the body that work in driving our behavior: endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. He goes on to explain how endorphins and dopamine, the “selfish” chemicals, help a leader to be self-driven and survive; serotonin and oxytocin, the “selfless” chemicals, increase feelings of trust and strengthen social bonds (45). Without the self-driven, yet addictive, “selfish” chemicals, humanity wouldn’t be where it is today. If leaders don’t obtain any pleasure from progression, then they simply won’t progress. However, these self-driven tendencies need to be carefully balanced with the strength of social bonds. If leaders don’t have the capacity for cooperation and camaraderie, they will inevitably fail. This drive to support others and create real progress is what makes humanity so