The Officer as a Gentleman. Toxic antidote?

Good post about what we as Army officers should strive to be. Gentlemen who leave a positive lasting influence on those we work with and come into contact with. People won’t remember every word you say, but they will remember the way you treated them and made them feel.

Henry V 4.3

We have been talking about this for a decade now, at least since Colonel George Reed published his paper on toxic leadership in Military Review, an article that has fueled innumerable leadership journal clubs in and out of the military.  It happens that in the ensuing years the military has been embroiled in a series of increasingly unpopular wars that have asked much of leaders at every level.  It is very likely as General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said, that our system has favored “competence over character.”  The need for short term results (within the two years or less of a short command tour) instead of an investment in the long term – including leader development – may be an unanticipated consequence.  Regardless, senior military leaders are increasingly characterized in the press as toxic and displaying poor moral judgment.

Toxins are poisons.  Toxic leaders poison those…

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