How do our current military leaders compare to the one's we had 20 years ago in the quality of Leadership?

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 18 May 2015 19:47:46 -0400

RallyPoint Leadership & It's People

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made May 18 at 2015 7:53 PM

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Mon, 18 May 2015 19:53:07 -0400

I am not sure how to answer your survey question CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member, but I think it is safe to say that the leaders of 20 years ago were a lot less concerned about being politically correct than the ones of today.

Response by SGT David T. made May 18 at 2015 7:53 PM

SGT David T. — Mon, 18 May 2015 19:53:31 -0400

We often get nostalgic about days gone by and glorify what came before and don't remember the bad. That being said leaders today are no different than they were before. We have some good some bad and everything in between.

Response by PO1 Jason Taylor made May 18 at 2015 7:57 PM

PO1 Jason Taylor — Mon, 18 May 2015 19:57:15 -0400

The climate has changed so much in the last 20 years, it is so hard to answer that. However I would say today's may be better, because of the extra B.S. And they handle it well. With the inclusion of woman in all aspects of the military now that could not have been easy from a supervisory stand point. BZ

Response by SFC Stephen King made May 18 at 2015 9:51 PM

SFC Stephen King — Mon, 18 May 2015 21:51:13 -0400

Leaders today are a different breed. The fact you have to be cognitive of all aspects of your leadership.

The ever changing society the close scrutiny plays into your drive. Simply stating you are a leader is not enough more than ever action speaks louder than words. Be, Know and Do still stands today. Purpose, Motivation and Direction defines you.

In comparison to the leaders of yesterday it was a different time but the both are equally effective.

Response by MSgt Keith Hebert made May 18 at 2015 10:04 PM

MSgt Keith Hebert — Mon, 18 May 2015 22:04:11 -0400

Other than the contr of the media
I think we are looking at that same dynamic the military faced after Vietnam

Response by SFC Stephen Carden made May 19 at 2015 12:32 AM

SFC Stephen Carden — Tue, 19 May 2015 00:32:29 -0400

I see a few guys commenting on this thread who weren't in the military 20 years ago, but I was. I can tell you that leaders of today aren't better or worse than leaders of 20 years ago, they are just different. 20 years ago, the Army was a different organization than it is now. We didn't have so much political correctness back then for one thing. Leaders could lead without worrying who they offended. NCOs taught Soldiers, now everything is done through online training. Today, leaders are more tactically proficient because we have had the opportunity to put our training into practice for over a decade. Today's leaders are more educated and definitely more cerebral than they were 20 years ago, and much more tech savvy. However, today's leaders are more removed from their Soldiers. There seems to be much less interaction between leaders and Soldiers these days. This is due to most everything being done on computers, the rise in popularity of e-mail (I have actually had a leader e-mail me a question when we were both in the same room!), and the misinterpretation of fraternization policies (IMHO). There is much less esprit de corps and intra-unit bonding than there used to be.
I don't know if I can compare the quality of leadership between now and 20 years ago, because different styles of leadership were required back then than are required now. Not better, not worse, just different.

Response by COL Charles Williams made May 19 at 2015 12:58 AM

COL Charles Williams — Tue, 19 May 2015 00:58:33 -0400

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member Like others have already said, I don't think we are different, I think times are different. I was in the Army 33 years, and in that time my mission as leader was always "mission accomplishment and taking care of Soldiers. That is still the mission today, although latest Army leadership regulation (ADP) has added a third point; improving your organization.

In recent years, for good reasons, the Army has put a big push on families, and taking care of families, which is a change, and which is a good thing.

That said, I also think us (all) old timers are doomed to think - like the old timers before us - that back in the day things were tougher, we were harder, etc. I think it is all a matter of perspective.

I believe Junior Leaders today are much more flexible, capable, and creative than we were. I think they are better than I was, and was this shit. I often wonder if I could even hang today.

I also remember soon after 911, us old Soldiers lamenting about how the new Soldiers were soft, and wouldn't be able to cut like we did back in the day. That was so far off... too say the least. Again, in many ways they were different from us, and the times were different, but they were/are more than up to the task.

I joined the Army in Feb 80... as many of you also did (the Cold War), and things were pretty simple; fight the Soviets, outnumbered, and win... In the Fulda Gap. I am glad it never happened.

Finally, I often wonder, would I have joined the Army after 911, knowing we were at war, and that there was a very real chance I could get killed or wounded? I would like to say, of course I would. But, I know, like most speculations, I really can't be sure.

The Army is good hands, in my view.

Response by PFC Tuan Trang made May 19 at 2015 1:07 AM

PFC Tuan Trang — Tue, 19 May 2015 01:07:45 -0400

The current leader have more experience them the past.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made May 19 at 2015 11:18 AM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Tue, 19 May 2015 11:18:38 -0400

The world has changed so much in 20 years.

Let me just point out a couple examples; Google. Cellphones.

We didn't have "Social Media" 20 years ago. We didn't have phones in the barracks 20 years ago. No internet, email, barely even had cable. We still had VCRs.

At Libo, it was like rats abandoning a sinking ship. If your leadership wanted you after hours, they had better let you know in advance.

We were in a "semi-conflict" era (Cease-Fire Gulf, Somalia, Kosovo, etc), which means a lot more Garrison time for Leadership development. Basically focusing on the fundamentals. But we were also refining all the lessons learned as well. MARPAT, new gear changes (new Alice, gortex, sleeping bags etc).

Things have just changed so much, they aren't really comparable in many ways.