The Combat Zone Leader

Simple thoughts by Chester B Cabalza



“Never pass up the opportunity to remain silent”

In the article by William G. Pagonis, based form his experience in the Middle East, he thought that leadership is not simple, yet too often, leadership is presented as an abstract undertaking with a matter of vision and values rather than practical detail.

This is true, especially that there are now many guides on how to become a good and effective leader. However, Lieutenant General Pagonis’ kind of leadership, with his expansive operational duties in different parts of the globe, like in Vietnam, Germany, and Iraq, to name a few, has a unique way of looking at leadership.

He deems that one needs charisma, presence and other notions. Thus he champions that no military commander downplay the importance of personal presence in leadership. Almost every combat officer is put to test to command presence. Loyalty and trust are also vital in combat zones where conflicts and pressures can immediately escalate when it is not handled properly.

What matter most, according to the principle of leadership propagated by General Pagonis is that: whether one is running a company or feeding, clothing, and equipping an army, the bedrock principles of leadership don’t change. A combat leader should know his stuff and listen hard, and can manage his troops to fight like lions for him.

There should also expertise or the art of war and empathy to help others. Expertise can be acquired by hard work and sometimes by luck. But empathy is innate in us by helping fellows hurt in war. Empathy is an absolutely vital quality because it helps you know where to draw the line and make it stick.

Yes, I agree that by definition, leaders do not operate in isolation; rather a good leader in combat zone involves cooperation and collaboration. The other piece involves system building to ensure that the right information flows back up through the organization to the leader.

To conclude, what is good about this article is its presentation on how to handle pressures at the same time it helps you to emerge as an effective and charismatic leader in combat zone where you can affect your troops to boost high morale and remain strong and determined as you carry the quality of expertise, empathy, loyalty, and trustworthiness.