Influencing
- Leaders who influence—
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- Use appropriate methods to reach goals while operating and improving.
- Motivate subordinates to accomplish assigned tasks and missions.
- Set the example by demonstrating enthusiasm for—and, if necessary, methods of—accomplishing assigned tasks.
- Make themselves available to assist peers and subordinates.
- Share information with subordinates.
- Encourage subordinates and peers to express candid opinions.
- Actively listen to feedback and act appropriately based on it.
- Mediate peer conflicts and disagreements.
- Tactfully confront and correct others when necessary.
- Earn respect and obtain willing cooperation of peers, subordinates, and superiors.
- Challenge others to match their example.
- Take care of subordinates and their families, providing for their health, welfare, morale, and training.
- Are persuasive in peer discussions and prudently rally peer pressure against peers when required.
- Provide a team vision for the future.
- Shape the organizational climate by setting, sustaining, and ensuring a values- based environment.
Communicating
- Leaders who communicate effectively—
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- Display good oral, written, and listening skills.
- Persuade others.
- Express thoughts and ideas clearly to individuals and groups.
- Oral Communication. Leaders who effectively communicate orally—
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- Speak clearly and concisely.
- Speak enthusiastically and maintain listeners’ interest and involvement.
- Make appropriate eye contact when speaking.
- Use gestures that are appropriate but not distracting.
- Convey ideas, feelings, sincerity, and conviction.
- Express well-thought-out and well-organized ideas.
- Use grammatically and doctrinally correct terms and phrases.
- Use appropriate visual aids.
- Act to determine, recognize and resolve misunderstandings.
- Listen and watch attentively; make appropriate notes; convey the essence of what was said or done to others.
- React appropriately to verbal and nonverbal feedback.
- Keep conversations on track.
- Written Communication. Leaders who effectively communicate in writing—
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- Are understood in a single rapid reading by the intended audience.
- Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
- Have legible handwriting.
- Put the “bottom line up front.”
- Use the active voice.
- Use an appropriate format, a clear organization, and a reasonably simple style.
- Use only essential acronyms and spell out those used.
- Stay on topic.
- Correctly use facts and data.
Decision Making
- Leaders who make effective, timely decisions—
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- Employ sound judgment and logical reasoning.
- Gather and analyze relevant information about changing situations to recognize and define emerging problems.
- Make logical assumptions in the absence of facts.
- Uncover critical issues to use as a guide in both making decisions and taking advantage of opportunities.
- Keep informed about developments and policy changes inside and outside the organization.
- Recognize and generate innovative solutions.
- Develop alternative courses of action and choose the best course of action based on analysis of their relative costs and benefits.
- Anticipate needs for action.
- Relate and compare information from different sources to identify possible cause- and-effect relationships.
- Consider the impact and implications of decisions on others and on situations.
- Involve others in decisions and keep them informed of consequences that affect them.
- Take charge when in charge.
- Define intent.
- Consider contingencies and their consequences.
- Remain decisive after discovering a mistake.
- Act in the absence of guidance.
- Improvise within commander’s intent; handle a fluid environment.
Motivating
- Leaders who effectively motivate—
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- Inspire, encourage, and guide others toward mission accomplishment.
- Don’t show discouragement when facing setbacks.
- Attempt to satisfy subordinates’ needs.
- Give subordinates the reason for tasks.
- Provide accurate, timely, and (where appropriate) positive feedback.
- Actively listen for feedback from subordinates.
- Use feedback to modify duties, tasks, requirements, and goals when appropriate.
- Recognize individual and team accomplishments and reward them appropriately.
- Recognize poor performance and address it appropriately.
- Justly apply disciplinary measures.
- Keep subordinates informed.
- Clearly articulate expectations.
- Consider duty positions, capabilities, and developmental needs when assigning tasks.
- Provide early warning to subordinate leaders of tasks they will be responsible for.
- Define requirements by issuing clear and concise orders or guidance.
- Allocate as much time as possible for task completion.
- Accept responsibility for organizational performance. Credit subordinates for good performance. Take responsibility for and correct poor performance.
