Leading From The Front and By Example - Brief Article

FA Journal, July, 2001 by Lash L. Sturdivant

The US Army is a unique, demanding and rewarding profession. Many tasks in our profession are crucial for the freedom of our country and allies. Therefore, any decision made by a soldier could be a matter of life, death or national security. Knowing this, we must have an Army that has strong, competent and responsible leaders who are willing to lead from the front and by example.

During the past few years, the time between promotions to corporal through staff sergeant has decreased considerably. What we teach our soldiers, then, becomes even more important to the Army as these soldiers take the reigns of leadership at a younger age with less experience. We must set and model high standards for our soldiers to work and live by.

Lead From the Front. We must realize that the definition of the word "leader" places one at the head and not the rear. As leader, you are the head who receives the mission or task and, in turn, carries the rest of "your body" with you. The mission or task may not be accomplished to its fullest if the leader is not willing to take his position out front. Our Army is depending on us, as leaders, to discipline, motivate and train our junior soldiers to be successful leaders in the 21st century.

It is essential our soldiers have someone to look to for guidance to accomplish whatever mission or task is at hand. They must have someone out front to motivate them to accept the purpose behind the mission as their own and not merely follow orders.

When the soldiers' purpose becomes one with the mission, their morale will be high. And the high morale will not only affect a few individuals, but it will spread and affect the entire team. This, in turn, sets the conditions for mission success before the work even begins.

Setting and Enforcing the Standards. For America's Army to remain the only superpower Army throughout the 21st century, we must have professional, technical, tactical and moral standards in place and live by them. We as leaders must work harder to bring junior enlisted soldiers up to these standards.

Your soldiers will be professionals if led by a professional. They will be tactically and technically proficient if their leader is tactically and technically proficient. They will live by Army values if their leader lives by Army values.

Leading by Example. Three of the most valuable words for leaders are "lead by example." While he is leading from up front, while he is setting the standards, a leader's actions are "heard" more than words. What a leader does is more important than what he says.

In fact, your actions add credibility to everything you teach or say to your soldiers. You gain the trust and respect of your subordinates as well as from your peers and seniors alike when your actions support your words.

We always must remember we are soldiers 24 hours a day. Therefore, leaders at every level must conduct themselves accordingly at all times--on the job, on post, at home or downtown. Such conduct sets good leaders apart from the rest.

During the past decade, our Army has been challenged by many obstacles at home and abroad. If we are to continue to meet and overcome the challenges that lie ahead, then we, as leaders, must continue to lead from the front, set and enforce standards, and be the living example that our soldiers will want to emulate.

Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Lash L. Sturdivant has led the IIId Armored Corps Artillery, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, since December 1998. He also served as the CSM for the 2d Battalion, 29th Field Artillery in the 1st Armored Division, Germany; 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery in the 2d Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington; 1st Battalion, 8th Field Artillery in the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and the 75th Field Artillery Brigade in Ill Corps Artillery. CSM Sturdivant served 8 years as a First Sergeant and 2 years as a Drill Sergeant.

Field Artillery History Author Wins National Award

"Congratulations!" to Field Artillery author Major Prisco R. Hernandez whose article "No Master Plan: The Employment of Artillery in the Indian Wars, 1860- 1890" was selected the best of the Army Professional Journal historical articles published in 2000 by the Army Historical Foundation, Inc., Arlington, Virginia. The award includes a plaque and $250. He is the Training Officer, Training Section of the 4th Brigade, 75th Division (Training Support), Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He won Second Place in the 2000 US Field Artillery Association's History Writing Contest with this article. He also won Second Place in the 2001 contest, as published in this edition.

Another historical article from Field Artillery made the finalists for the recent national award: "Fire Support at the Battle of Kursk" by Captain Thomas J. Weiss II, Commander, A Battery, 2d Battalion, 82d Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He won First Place in the 2000 US Field Artillery Association's History Writing Contest with this article.

Field Artillery has had two national award winners and three additional finalists in the past three Foundation competitions. Lieutenant Colonel R. Powl Smith, Jr., also won this prestigious national award for his 1998 article "Staying on the Cutting Edge: Military Professionalism and the Mexican War."