Military Review English Edition July-August 2014 | Page 26

Twelve Strategic Leadership
Principles to Make Leaders
Successful
All Army leaders must succeed at two practical
tasks. The first is to make explicit that which is implicit. This means they must understand vision or intent
and put it into definable, measurable, positive action.
The second is to do what the boss needs them to do,
whatever that is and whether or not they understand
or agree with it. Both tasks address how we support
our civil and military leaders, equip them to make the
right decisions, and assist them with their strategic
responsibilities. We offer these 12 principles to help
Army leaders understand the strategic perspective and
enhance their leadership competency.
24

DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

United States. The principal players in the application
of strategic landpower are the Army, the Marine Corps,
and Special Operations Command. Each is designed
for a different purpose, but those purposes intersect on
the land where people live and interact. Our discussion
here focuses specifically on the Army.
The Army is applying the strategic landpower
concept across the “prevent, shape, and win” construct.
This means in the absence of a crisis, the Army will
employ landpower in key areas to maintain stability, build awareness, and establish relationships that
prevent or resolve conflict before it becomes a bigger
problem. Regionally aligned forces are an example of
how the Army does this now. We maneuver forces
worldwide to maintain strategic balance and prevent
conflict, deterring aggressors and assuring our friends.
Maneuvering strategically means engaging partners
with mission-tailored forces to advance shared interests
and maintain a relative positional advantage over time.
Once a crisis occurs, the Army will use landpower via expeditionary maneuver to restore strategic
balance. Because of the time and effort invested
during pre-crisis activities among the people of a
particular region, the force will be better prepared to
apply landpower responsibly and effectively during
decisive operations. When conflict escalates to war,
our Army will compel changes in enemy behavior
through the ethical application of violence. All the
Army’s efforts at the tactical and operational levels
should be focused on achieving the desired national
strategic end state.

From his office at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta
receives an update from Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, Jr., commander, U.S. Northern Command, about the wildfires threatening
Colorado Springs and the U.S. Air Force Academy, 28 June 2012.

Vision—take the time to get it right. Strategic
leaders must clearly articulate what needs to be done
and, in a general sense, the acceptable ways their
organizations conduct business. Crafting a vision is no
easy task, and it takes time to get one right. An effective vision helps subordinates establish the campaign
objectives that produce desired strategic outcomes. It
should be supported by thorough research that stands
up to close scrutiny.
To ensure your vision is clearly understood by your
intended audience, get the perspective of those in the
organization with experience and credibility. Your
vision should be simple, relevant at each subordinate
echelon, and easy to communicate to others.
Make mission command reality. The Army’s
mission command philosophy advocates the use of
mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within
July-August 2014  MILITARY REVIEW