Fearless Leadership: Examining the Influence of Courage in Military Command
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31849/joels.v5i2.18110Keywords:
courage, decision-making, fearless leadership, military commandAbstract
Abstract
This study investigates courage in military leadership, its impact on decision-making, inspirational influence, and the evolution of military institutions under courageous leaders in real-world scenarios and historical adversity. Using secondary data sources, including historical accounts and documented military actions, the research identifies attributes and skills associated with courageous military leadership, contributing valuable insights for training programs.
The findings reveal nuanced expressions of courage among military leaders, shedding light on their decision-making processes during critical moments. The study underscores the inspirational impact of courageous leadership on unit morale and cohesion, emphasizing its role in shaping the trajectory of military institutions over time. The identified attributes and skills of courageous military leadership serve as a foundation for developing effective training programs to cultivate future leaders.
Keywords: courage; decision-making; fearless leadership; military command
References
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Bass, B. M., & Bass, R. (2009). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. Simon and Schuster.
Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
Cummings, T. G. (2017). Warren G. Bennis: Generous Company. The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers, 127–141.
Denney, M. E., Smith, T. A., & Martinez, L. R. (2020). Courage in the military: A review and critique of the literature. Military Psychology, 32(5), 411–425.
D’este, C. (1995). Patton: A genius for war. (No Title).
Ferling, J. (2010). The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Fricke, R. K. (1999). Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam. MILITARY LAW REVIEW, 248–256.
George, B. (2010). True north: Discover your authentic leadership (Vol. 143). John Wiley & Sons.
Guelzo, A. C. (2013). Gettysburg: The last invasion. Knopf.
Hackett, J. (1978). The Third World War. Sphere Books.
Janowitz, M. (2017). The professional soldier: A social and political portrait. Simon and Schuster.
Kolditz, T. A. (2010). In extremis leadership: Leading as if your life depended on it. John Wiley & Sons.
Lavery, B. (2020). Nelson’s Navy: The Ships, Men and Organisation, 1793-1815. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Lemoine, G. J. (2014). Moral Courage: Its Nature and Development. Palgrave Macmillan.
Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2022). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development. Sage Publications.
MacArthur, D., & Kenney, G. C. (2018). Duty, honor, country. Eschenburg Press.
Marshall, S. L. A. (2000). Men against fire: The problem of battle command. University of Oklahoma Press.
McChrystal, G. S., Collins, T., Silverman, D., & Fussell, C. (2015). Team of teams: New rules of engagement for a complex world. Penguin.
McRaven, A. W. H. (2017). Make your bed: Little things that can change your life... and maybe the world. Hachette UK.
Moore, L. G. H., & Galloway, J. (2004). We were soldiers once... And young: Ia Drang-The battle that changed the war in Vietnam. Presidio Press.
Morgan, P. (2018). Resilience: Five keys to overcoming life’s challenges. HarperCollins Publishers.
Mullane, P. (2021, November 10). How the Military Prepared Me to Lead. HBS.
Olson, J. S. (2000). Making the Case for Leadership: Profiles in Courage on the American Battlefield. Da Capo Press.
Olsthoorn, P. (2014). Virtue ethics in the military. In The handbook of virtue ethics (pp. 365–374). Routledge.
Pury, C. L., Kowalski, R. M., & Spear, A. K. (2007). Exploring the Motivations Underlying Organ Donors’ Decisions: Identifying the Impact of Others and the Role of Decisional Conflict. 29(2), 179–188.
Roberts, R. (2018, July 20). 12 principles of modern military leadership: Part 1. Asymmetric Warfare Group. https://www.army.mil/article/208766/12_principles_of_modern_military_leadership_part_1
Robinson, S. (2016). The best and the brightest. Journal of Neurosurgery, 124(3), 831–833.
Samuel, D. (1984). Starboard Wine: more notes on the language of science fiction. Pleasantville NY: Dagon Press.
Sarjito, A. (2023). Integrating the Concept of Situational Leadership and VUCA in Formulating Adaptive and Responsive Defense Policies. Journal of Social Interactions and Humanities, 2(3), 221–238.
Schwarzkopf, N. (2010). It Doesn’t Take a Hero: The Autobiography of General Norman Schwarzkopf. Bantam.
Snider, D. M., & Matthews, L. J. (2005). The future of the army profession. McGraw-Hill Boston, MA.
Sweeney, P. (2017, April 19). The Importance of Moral Courage. Thayer. https://www.thayerleadership.com/blog/2017/the-importance-of-moral-courage
Székely, F., & Knirsch, A. (2005). The Courageous Leadership Framework: Lessons from the Literature. Journal of Business Ethics, 56(2), 149–158.
Thompson, C. B., & Ware, J. (2004). The leadership genius of George W. Bush: 10 commonsense lessons from the commander in chief. John Wiley & Sons.
Tzu, S. (500 B.C.E.). The Art of War. Translated by Lionel Giles.
Voyer, P. A. (2011). Courage in leadership: From the battlefield to the boardroom. Ivey Business Journal.
Williams, K. B. (2013). Grace Hopper: Admiral of the cyber sea. Naval Institute Press.
Withrington, C. (2021). Reflections on Learning to Lead with Moral Courage (2021 Cove Competition).
Yukl, G. (1981). Leadership in Organizations, 9/e. Pearson Education India.
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Published
2024-08-20
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Articles
How to Cite
Fearless Leadership: Examining the Influence of Courage in Military Command. (2024). JOELS: Journal of Election and Leadership , 5(2), 127-139. https://doi.org/10.31849/joels.v5i2.18110
