The Importance Of Military And Military Leadership

“Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes” is a famous military quote often used in today’s corporate environment (Ibsen, 2012). Military jargon is just one of the many items bridging the gap between the civilian and military sectors. Oftentimes the head of a corporation is compared to a military leader and vice versa. Although the term ‘leader’ is used to describe both positions, the qualities required for each job are often worlds apart. Thomas Kolditz (2007) examines some of these leadership qualities in his work “Leading as If Your Life Depended on It”. Kolditz discusses a concept he calls “in extremis” or “point of death” leadership and the difference to ‘crisis leadership’ as well as “Authentic Leadership Theory” (Crandall,

Work, in a peaceful climate, is often routine to the point of seeming mundane. Leaders develop guidelines to help employees remain focused on excellence. Military and corporate leadership competencies can be seen to mirror in their goals and visions such as the Army’s leadership requirements model of leading, developing, and achieving. Retired Maj. Gen. Walter Ulmer (1997) points out key differences between civilian and military leaders despite similar vocabulary in guiding the workforce. The first of these differences is education. Ninety-five percent of senior military officers have a formal education with a master’s degrees or higher whereas only thirty-five percent of corporate leadership have earned the same. The second difference is the overall culture (Ulmer,

111). This type of environment rarely occurs in the civilian sector and eliminates nearly all civilian leaders from comparison. The argument that crisis management resembles in extremis is discounted in that crisis leadership focuses on a leader’s reaction to extreme challenges or circumstance without warning. The premise of crisis leadership is founded on military history and incorporate lessons learned in tough situations. Kolditz clearly identifies the main difference of the two climates is that those in in extremis leadership roles have placed themselves in the situation on a voluntary basis. High-risk civilian professionals such as law enforcement, skydivers, and mountain-climbing guides are among the few that exhibit in extremis leadership qualities (Crandall, 2007, p.