In the military you will sometimes have leaders who are difficult to follow, but it is important to not let your feeling about that person get in the way of your mission.

In the military leaders change frequently and because of this it is almost certain that you will end up having someone who you do not agree with or do not get along with. But it is vital to your outfit, operation, or mission that you are able to function cooperatively and work under their command. Here are some ways to lead successfully from the second chair in the military.

 Learn How to Communicate Up the Chain of Command

It can be tough to find a balance when communicating with a superior who you don’t see eye to eye with. You can end up as a “Yes man,” simply trying to agree and make a good impression, or you can let you frustrations get the best of you and disagree with everything. Neither of those answers are productive. No matter who the person in charge is, your role is to constructively dialogue and offer productive feedback when asked. You can both agree and disagree, but in ways that are respectful of the command and productive to what needs to be accomplished.

Guard Your Tongue Around the People You Lead

In the end though, that final decision will be in the hands of the leader above you and you will need to relinquish that decision-making to that person and be okay with it. If the final decision is not the one you or your peers, or even those below you, would make, it is the decision and that is the end of it. You will then need to communicate that decision to the others as the final word and support it completely.

Get on Board or Get Out of the Way

Once that decision has been made it is final, and it is your job to support the mission and the leader to the fullest or remove yourself so that you are not a hinderance to the mission. The proper place for debating and discussing the whys and hows comes before this point, so once that decision is made there is no place for anymore of that. If your feelings towards the mission are in conflict with what is going on, then you need to step aside, because you are now a blockade to it all.

Don’t Let Your Boss Fail

Even when you know your leaders are temporary and it is tempting to let the world around you burn briefly in order to see one of them get what you think they deserve, your ultimate goal is to not let your boss fail. Your leader is still in charge, even if you don’t agree with everything they say or do. You are supporting everyone around you by supporting them, and you do it for the sake of the mission and because it is your job.

Article for this topic by Andi Dolinsky-Webb.

 

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Key Points:

  • Learn how to communicate up the chain of command
  • Guard your tongue around the people you lead
  • Get on board or get out of the way
  • Don’t let your boss fail

Quote This:

Ultimately, when it comes down to it, you don’t like the direction they’re going but you’ve been told to execute. It’s still your job to make that unit successful, so just do it.

See Also: Military

Talk About It
  1. What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. Are you more of a “Yes Man” around a leader you disagree with or do you argue more with them? Why?
  3. Have you been in any situations where you’ve had to step away because you disagreed with something? If so, how did it end up?
  4. When have you had to get on board with something you didn’t fully agree with? What was the hardest part?
  5. Has there been a time where you’ve let your boss fail or could have let your boss fail? What were the consequences?
  6. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.