Leaders of Character

Guided Discovery.

Photo by Charlie Firth on Unsplash

Suggested Reading

• ADP 6-22, Army Leadership and the Profession

  • Pages 2-1 through 2-12 based on printed document (PDF pages 41-52)

  • Examination of the values and character of a leader

• Link to ADP 6-22 on the US Army Publishing Directorate

• This week’s Study: LDRSHIP

• All excerpts below are from ADP 6-22 unless otherwise noted

Introduction

***We’re trying something different this week: focusing on key excerpts and questions, without as much prose.

2-3. Character consists of the moral and ethical qualities of an individual revealed through their decisions and actions. Leaders must consistently demonstrate good character and inspire others to do the same. The close teamwork demanded to execute military missions at all levels requires that everyone in the Army share certain desirable character attributes. … Character attributes that are of special interest to the Army and its leaders are—

• Army Values.

• Empathy.

• Warrior Ethos and Service Ethos.

• Discipline.

• Humility.

2-5. The Army recognizes seven values that all Soldiers and DA Civilians must internalize. Embracing the Army Values is the hallmark of being an Army professional. Doing so represents a pact with teammates and the American people to be trustworthy and accountable. When read in sequence, the first letters of the Army Values form the acronym LDRSHIP:

• Loyalty.

• Duty.

• Respect.

• Selfless service.

• Honor.

• Integrity.

• Personal courage.

How do you talk about your values?
Should everyone be held to high character standards?
Do organization values matter? Should an organization be allowed to have bespoke values?

This Week’s Reading, Abridged

2-6. The first order of loyalty is to the Constitution and the ideals upon which it is based. One cannot remain loyal to the Constitution by being loyal to those who violate it. To create strong organizations, superiors, subordinates, and peers must embrace loyalty. One way that individuals demonstrate loyalty is by upholding all of the Army values.

2-7. Duty extends beyond law, regulation, and orders. Army professionals exercise initiative when they fulfill the purpose, not merely the letter, of received orders. Leaders take responsibility for their actions and those of their subordinates…

2-8. The Army Values reinforce that all people have dignity and worth and must be treated with respect. The Nation was founded on the ideal that all are created equal. In the Army, each is judged by the content of their character. Army leaders should consistently foster a climate that treats everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, creed, or religious belief. Fostering a positive climate begins with a leader’s personal example. Leaders treat others, including adversaries, with respect.

2-9. Unselfish, humble leaders set themselves apart as teammates who are approachable, trustworthy, and open to follower input and advice. Selfless leaders aspire to attain goals for the greater good, beyond their own interests and benefits.

2-11. Leaders of integrity consistently follow honorable principles. The Army relies on leaders who are honest in word and deed. Leaders of integrity do the right thing because their character permits nothing less.

2-13. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables all leaders to stand up for what they believe is right, regardless of the consequences. Leaders, who take full responsibility for their decisions and actions, even when things go wrong, display moral courage. Moral courage also expresses itself as candor—being frank, honest, and sincere with others. Carefully considered professional judgment offered to subordinates, peers, and superiors is an expression of personal courage.

When personal values conflict with organizational imperatives, how do you prioritize?
Is selfless service realistic in a performance-based compensation culture?
How do you include your values in your personal or team decision process?

2-14. Variation in upbringing, culture, religious belief, and tradition is reflected among those who choose to serve in the Army. Such differences provides many benefits for a force globally engaged around the world. Good leaders value this differences in outlook and experience and must treat all individuals with the inherent dignity and respect due every person.

2-18. Ethical choices may not always be obvious decisions between right and wrong. Leaders use multiple perspectives to think about ethical concerns, applying them to determine the most ethical choice. One perspective comes from a view that desirable virtues such as courage, justice, and benevolence define ethical outcomes. A second perspective comes from a set of agreed-upon values or rules, such as the Army Values or Constitutional rights. A third perspective bases the consequences of the decision on whatever produces the greatest good for the greatest number as most favorable.

2-19. Leaders should not intentionally issue vague or ambiguous orders or instructions to avoid responsibility or accountability.

2-23. Army leaders show empathy when they genuinely relate to another person’s situation, motives, or feelings. Empathy does not mean sympathy for another, but a realization that leads to a deeper understanding.

2-25. Army leaders recognize that empathy includes nurturing a close relationship between the Army and Army families. Army leaders at all levels should promote healthy families and relate to the challenges they face. Empathy for families includes providing recovery time from difficult missions, protecting leave periods, and supporting events that allow information exchange and family team building.

How do you reduce ethical ambiguity for your organization or team?
Is empathy compatible with competition?
Do you know your team members’ or subordinates’ family situation? Do you care?

2-29. Discipline is essential to character, just as it is to an organization. All leaders must demonstrate self- discipline—the ability to control one’s own behavior—to do the harder right over the easier wrong. Doing tasks to the established Army standard without deviation reflects discipline.

2-30. At the unit level, leaders maintain discipline by enforcing standards impartially and consistently. Often this involves attending to mundane details, which may seem less urgent than an organization's key tasks, but are necessary to ensure success. … When enforcing standards, Soldiers expect their leaders to do so in an impartial, transparent, just, and consistent manner.

2-31. Humility in its simplest form is the absence of arrogance. It is a sign of a leader being unselfish, working toward something more important than themselves. … For humility to apply, a leader must first have competence and confidence. A leader with the right level of humility is a willing learner, maintains accurate self-awareness, and seeks out others’ input and feedback.

2-32. Humility exists on a continuum.

2-33. It is difficult to judge our own humility.

Do employees like or dislike disciplined leaders? In what situation is discipline wrong?
Where are on the humility continuum do you sit? Is it where you want to be?
How do you talk about your values?

Questions for Individual Reflection

1. Can a leader maintain authentic humility when pursuing aggressive growth targets or other highly competitive objectives?

2. Is empathy a strategic advantage or an emotional liability?

3. When does discipline become rigidity? How do you recognize that inflection point in yourself?

4. How do you maintain integrity when industry practices normalize ethically questionable behavior?

5. Is character development scalable across global organizations with vastly different cultural contexts?

Professional Discussion Prompts

1. Can respect for competitors coexist with attempting to destroy their market position?

2. When does loyalty to legacy employees become detrimental to organizational transformation? How do you navigate this with honor and integrity?

3. How do you honor commitments when market conditions fundamentally change?

4. When should personal courage include challenging board decisions publicly?

5. Is discipline more valuable than innovation in disrupted industries?

Personal Discussion Prompts

1. What family values have you compromised for professional success?

2. How has your definition of courage evolved since your first leadership role?

3. When have you shown loyalty to someone despite professional cost?

4. How has increased wealth affected your capacity for genuine humility?

5. What personal discipline do you struggle to maintain despite its importance?

Exercises

1. Empathy Erosion Assessment

   1. Exercise:

      1. Participants reflect on their capacity for empathy at different career stages

      2. Share specific examples of when success reduced their empathetic responses

      3. Explore barriers wealth and power create to genuine understanding

   2. Debrief:

      1. Which groups have become invisible to your empathy over time?

      2. How does your lifestyle insulate you from others' struggles?

      3. What practices could restore your empathetic capacity?

2. Service Motivation Archaeology

   1. Exercise:

      1. Individually, dig into original motivations for choosing a career path

      2. Share how these motivations have evolved and what replaced early idealism

      3. Explore whether current work still serves something beyond self-interest

   2. Debrief:

      1. When did service to others become secondary to personal advancement?

      2. Which early motivations would your current self find naive?

      3. How would you redesign your role to serve something greater?

Feel free to borrow this with pride and use with your teams, professionally or personally. If you do, please let me know how it went and tips for improvement: matt @ borrowingwithpride.com