Canada’s military leadership structure has gone through considerable changes since 1896 when changes to promote professionalism began. However, the Canadian Forces has done very little towards evolving since the exemplary leadership and professionalism shown during the Hundred Days War of World War 1. Instead Canada’s Armed Forces leadership has regressed into a state of systemic problems and lack of professionalism. Our armed forces are not reaching its potential as one of the world’s most professional because of educational flaws, politics and civilianization.
Education has always been a part of leadership development and culture of the Canadian Forces. Major J.W Hammond (1998) wrote “The present Canadian Forces leadership doctrine was for the most part completed in 1973... For the most part the 1973 manuals remain the textbooks for leadership today.” (p. 2) 38 years have passed since the inception of the leadership doctrine and very little has changed. The Canadian Forces is now committed to the inclusion of different ethnic origins into our forces. This should be reason enough to change how the doctrine is written as needs, demands and motivation will change. The Canadian Forces has also changed its mandate to provide a larger scope of aid to NORAD, the UN and other organizations. Which should also be reason to change what the Canadian Forces teaches about leadership. In reality the scope of the leadership doctrine should be written to reflect the modernization of the Canadian Forces. The doctrine should also be re-written to encompass the demands of the twenty-first century. The problem with teaching the ideals and leadership rules of years ago is that it simply does not represent the constantly changing state of our mi...
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...nd you have taken the first step toward failure.” (Hillier, 2010, pp. 17-18) The Canadian Forces need to step back from the politics and civilianization and focus on the people who will lead the identity of the military tomorrow not to do so would be a colossal failure and perhaps even the complete demise of the Canadian Forces as a whole.
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Hillier, G. R. (2010). Leadership:50 Points Of Wisdom For Today's Leaders. Harper Collins.
The years since the Battle of Vimy Ridge may have passed quickly, but the legacy of the Canadians whose accomplishments were great in that pivotal First World War battle lives on. Many people claim to this day that Canada came of age as a country on those hard April days in 1917. At first, through the meticulous planning of the battle, the world saw a nation capable of working together and making decisions as a team. Afterwards, with the range of technical and tactical innovations involved in the attack, the world saw a strong nation unafraid to protect and defend. In the end, through great sacrifice the world bore witness to the birth of the Canadian legacy.
Stewart R. W. (2005). American Military History (Vol. 1). The United States Army and the
As the incoming brigade commander, LTC (P) Owens, I see the critical leadership problem facing the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is the inability or unwillingness of Colonel Cutler to lead and manage change effectively. In initial talks with Col Cutler and in reviewing the brigade’s historical unit status reports, the 4th ABCT performed as well as can be expected in Afghanistan, but as the onion was peeled back there are numerous organizational issues that were brought to the surface while I walked around and listened to the soldiers of the 4th ABCT, in addition to reviewing the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) report. One of the most formidable tasks of a leader is to improve the organization while simultaneously accomplishing
Canada’s Little War. James Lorimer & Company LTD. Toronto [7] Canadians and Conflicts. Edmonton Public School Board [8] Haas. Suzanne. History Television.
Stacey, C. P. Six Years of War: The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific.
During World Wars I and II, Canada had no formal military. Canadian soldiers, whether volunteers or conscripted, were trained and lead by the British military. Although Canada had their own units, these were treated as an extension of the British military, not as an independent, Canadian branch. It was after the end of World War II that Canada took steps to truly separate themselves from their British roots, which included the creation of a formal Canadian army, navy, and air force. The c...
We can identify three major cultural dimensions that help us to understand what leaders must focus on as they guide the transition of the Army. First, professional Identity, which is guided by Soldiers at all levels who are striving for excellence in their functional specialty, i.e., HR Sergeants. Soldiers who have goals and ideals of the Army to ethically put service and duty first. HR Sergeants are trained and well educated in their field. They are taught to put Soldiers first and have great customer support skills. Second, community, the sense in which Soldiers stop thinking about “I” and start thinking “we”. The bond among units who not only believe in cohesion with Soldiers, but their families too. The HR Sergeants are there to take care of Soldiers when financial issues arise with them or their families and don’t back down until the situation is solved. Last, hierarchy, which leads to order and control and provides Soldiers with moral reference and a sense of direction. The HR Sergeant has the mentality of mission first, knowing who to contact at the next level for assistance helps get the mission
Commanders that serve in a forward deployed environment inherit a greater duty to perform under more pressure, while adhering to six additional principles. The principles of mission command are Build Cohesive Teams through Mutual Trust, Create Shared Understanding, Provide Clear Commander’s Intent, Exercise Disciplined Initiative, Use Mission Orders, and Accept Prudent Risk (ADRP 6-0, 2012). Major General David Petraeus took command of the 101st Airborne Division in 2002. In March 2003, he was leading the division into Iraq. He built his team on mutual trust, having two of three maneuver brigade commanders previously serve together in Bosnia, Kosovo, and stateside (Atkinson, 2007). The 18,000-Soldier force shared an understanding based on Petraeus’ intent and their mission orders. The remaining principles would come to the forefront, following the
Despite the tendency to treat West Point as if it is a world apart from the Army, the choices I make here and now form who I will be when it matters even more. Just as leadership lessons can be learned in a History of the Military Art class in an interdisciplinary manner, I need to focus on pulling as many lessons from my time at West Point so I can apply them when the stakes are potentially much higher. References Avolio, B. J. & Co. (2005). The 'Secondary' of the Leadership Development in Balance: Made, Born.
HBO’s series “Band Of Brothers” involves analysis of effective leadership and what qualities make for an effective leader. Despite having several similarities including serving in the same unit, holding leadership roles and suffering from some sort of trauma several of these leaders serve as foils for each other. By analyzing the differences between Captain Winters, Sergeant Lipton and Lieutenant Dike an argument can be made to decide what qualities make the most effective and ineffective leader. By looking at what the leader does, what the leader says and what others say about the leader the series determines what does and does not make a good leader in a military setting.
This study will also identify the theories that will help answer these and other questions. In addition, this research will determine methods in which these theories can motivate the employees.
Springer, Jane. Genocide: A Groundwork Guide. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press, 2006. (Accessed March 7, 2014).
Toffler, Patrick A. (2016), FY 17-18 America’s Army – Our Profession Theme, “One Army, Indivisible”. Information paper
As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several separate focus areas and identified my overall strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Over the course of this paper I will briefly discuss each one of these assessments and journal entries as they pertained to me and my leadership.
Middleton, John. "Rwanda." Africa: an Encyclopedia for Students. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. Print.