Page 104 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

INTEItNATIONAl. l.A\\' AND TIlE SEA 109

le<ld effectively. Other viewpoints stress le<ldership <IS <l m<lnage- Reasoned obedience is the type most often desired in the Navy
rinl process, or as a matter of character and moral development. and N1ROTC. Navy work involves col1stant learning, and it is known
Still another holds that leadership can best be learned b), stud),- that people work and learn best when allowed to use their own ideas.
ing the lives of great men and women. Each of these philosophies Most da)'-to-day routine orders give the receiver some fi'eedom in
has merit, but none, by itself, answers the question of how effective deciding exactl}' how to carry them Ollt in a responsible manner.
leadership can be developed. Orders may be given in various ways. Polite phrases such as
There is no denying that some people arc born with physicill "please" or"would you" and other common courtesies ma)' be used
and mental qualities that make them natural leaders. Howe\'er, by a senior when giving orders, but even if the order has the sound
histor), is Ili11 of examples of people who reached great heights of of a request, it is still an order. \Vhen time permits, the leader may
leadership as the result of study, discipline, and hard work, in spite explain the reasons for an order. The juniors Illny be encouraged to
of handicaps such as small size. physical disabilities, or a lowly ask reasonable questions. or even suggest possible alternatives, but
family background. this does not imply that subordinates ma)' decide whether or not
Leadership is an art, gift, or science by which n persall can they will abe),. Often. ho\\'ever. a more specihc form of order called
direct the thoughts, plans, and actions of others in order to obtain a COllllllmin may be appropriate.
their obedience, respect. confidence. and loyal cooperation. Each A command calls for immediate blind obedience. Courteous
of these objectives is essential. Lack of an)' one probabl)' would terms normally are not used in commands. There is usually no
cause failure in any situation where leadership is needed. time for hesitation or questions regarding such orders. Examples
might be commands to commence fire 011 an enemy. or to abort a
dangerous landing approach to"1Il aircraft carrier,
Obedience
People obey the orders of lawful authorities because of either
Obedience is the most important of the qualities that good leaders the hope of reward or the fear of punishment. Reasoned obedi-
should strive to instill in their personnel. Obedience is necessarily ence to an order often involves hope of some kind of reward. This
the first lesson that lllust be le;;lrned by any military person. may take the form of a simple verbal compliment (such as "\'Vell
The first lessons learned by children from their parents involve done!"), public recognition and praise, the privilege of greater
obedience: cOlile here. go there, sit down, eat, don't touch, be care- responsibility, or improvement of status in the organization. Blind
ful, pick it up. etc. Obedience is necessary to teach the child to do obedience to a command seldom lends itself to particular reward
basic activities and to protect him or her from dangers. In adult at the moment. imd is more often associated with the threat of
life, however. obedience is of greater concern in military life than punishment should it be disobeyed,
in most civilian environments. The good leader should strive to have the respect, confidence.
\'''hile disobe)'ing the law will result in punishment of one sort and loyal cooperation of subordinates, but it is impossible for him
or another in either environment, the loss of their jobs is proba- or her to lead without first obtaining their obedience.
bly the mosl significant result when civilians disobey their boss.
The militar), "product," however. is defense of our cOlilltr)' and our
The Military Leader:
Wily of life. Milit'H), service people. theretore, must be more ide-
A Legal and Moral Obligation
alistic than the average civilian, since the)' are serving, protecting,
and defending the United States and its allies-even to the extent Civilian executives hold their positions by virtue of superior
of giving lip their lives in peace or war. Thus there is a greater need knowledge and experience and strong character or personality.
for obedience from service members illllniform. The executive probably is not legally responsible for the persons
employed, and any concern for the well-being of subordinates is
Obedience in the Military Services primarily a moral one.
Military leaders, all the other hand, have both a legal and a moral
I n the militar),. an order is a directive to action of some kind,
obligation to do all in their power to lead their subordinates efiective-
generall)' given b)' a senior to a junior. In the oath of service takcll
Iy and to be concerned about their welfare. The president. as repre-
by all enlisted personnei upon enlistment. the)' promise to faithfully
sentative of the people of the United States. has granted each military
abe)' and calT)' out the lawful orders of those appointed over them.
leader extensive authority to do so based on a legal contmct.
Obedience to orders has two forms in the militar)" each with its OWI1
The military leader must depend upon subordinates to accolll-
time and place. Blil1d oiJedience is automatic response to orders sllch
plish assigned missions. Consequently, leaders Illust be aware of
tiS commands isslled during dose order drill. or steering cOlllmands
their subordinates' capabilities and their limitations. The leader
to a helmsman. There is no time for questioning or determining the
must personally be concerned with subordinates' health. we1t~lre,
reason for this type of order. ReaSVllen oiJedience, on the other hand,
and any problems that may affect their peace of mind and effi-
allows for some personal initiative in calTying out an order.