Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Humor in Uniform – “YES-MAN” LEADERSHIP – Paradox of Military Promotion System

HUMOUR IN UNIFORM

“YES-MAN” LEADERSHIP – Paradox of Military Promotion System

A recent discussion with young and mid-level officers who seemed quite disappointed with the top brass reminded me of an article I had written 3 years ago – so here it is – once more – for you to read and ponder over...

CAN GOOD FOLLOWERS MAKE GOOD MILITARY LEADERS ?
Ramblings of a Retired Mind
By
VIKRAM KARVE

LEADERSHIP IN UNIFORM

THE OFFICER LIKE QUALITIES (OLQ) NON SEQUITUR

If you wonder why  at times  the military leadership seems clueless on taking decisions well within their purview  and seeks “guidance” from politicians and bureaucrats  maybe the answer lies in the promotion policies of the Military Human Resource (HR) Management System.

The promotion policy of the Defence Services is based on the premise:

“Good Followers make Good Leaders”

Yes  promotion in the military is based on absurd logic  a contradiction in terms  on the non sequitur:

“You have to learn how to follow in order to lead”

Is this statement not an incongruity in itself?

How can the ability to lead depend on the ability to follow ?

It is just like saying that  the ability to swim depends on the ability to sink

Good Followers carry out decisions made by others. 

Followers are required to blindly obey orders without questioning.

Good Followers are not expected to use their own ingenuity.

They must simply “do what they are told”.

Good Followers must never act on their own initiative or “make waves” or “rock the boat”.

To put it in a nutshell – Good followers are “yes-men”.

Ironically – the basic hypothesis of the military promotion system is: “good followers make good leaders”

Hence  in the military  it is mostly “yes-men” who rise up the promotion ladder  and hence it is mostly “yes-men” who get catapulted to leadership positions in the military.

Ideally  in theory  “officer-like-qualities” – like professional competence, integrity, patriotism, honesty, straightforwardness, single-mindedness-of-purpose, brashness, and the ability to call a spade a spade, by bluntly speaking out your mind  are desirable in combat officers.

However  in practice  especially in peacetime cantonment soldiering  these very same idealistic “officer-like-qualities” may adversely affect the career prospects of an officer  in comparison to his more “tactful” morally-pliable peers  who “ego-massage” their superiors  practice “yes sir yes sir three bags full sir” yesmanship – and grovel with sycophancy in front of their seniors.

Well  I have seen this happen in the military services  but when I see so many “yes-men” masquerading as leaders in the civilian world too  especially in politics and bureaucracy  it seems that this absurd non sequitur paradox “Good Followers make Good Leaders” is universal in nature.


YESMANSHIP versus LEADERSHIP

ONCE A “YES-MAN” ALWAYS A “YES-MAN”

In his book  “On The Psychology of Military Incompetence”  Norman Dixon quotes Liddell Hart:

“A lifetime of having to curb the expression of original thought culminates so often in there being nothing left to express”.

In his book Himalayan Blunder  a fascinating war memoir of the 1962 Conflict between India and China in which India suffered a humiliating defeat  Brigadier JP Dalvi mentions that a Corps Commander was sacked because “he refused to be as a dog in obedience and a lion in action” and was replaced by a more pliable General.

An apt metaphor:

How can the same person be expected to be an obedient dog and ferocious lion”...?

How can you have a split personality like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...?

You can either be an obedient dog – or a ferocious lion – isnt it?

In the military  after grovelling and bootlicking for 30 years to “earn” his promotion to high rank  how can you suddenly expect an officer to instantaneously metamorphose from a “dog in obedience” to a “lion in action”...?

With continuous dedicated practice of good “followership”  meek obedience becomes your trait – and subservient yes-man-ship becomes ingrained in your nature – which you cannot change overnight.

Once “yesmanship” becomes your natural trait  you will continue to be a good follower  irrespective of whatever rank or level of authority you attain.

There is truth in the saying:

Once a yes-man always a yes-man.

Good followers are competent at carrying out orders  while good leaders are competent at making decisions and giving orders.

Yes  a leader is required to take decisions.

And – “Yesmanship” stifles decision making ability.

Sadly – thanks to the military promotion system  in their quest for promotion at any cost – ambitious officers fall victim to the “ACR Syndrome” – since promotion is solely dependent on the all important ACR (Annual Confidential Report) – and this “ACR Syndrome” promotes “yesmanship” in the services.  

In the long term  continuous practice of “yesmanship” kills leadership qualities.

With the proliferation of “yesmanship” – it is no surprise that – instead of becoming more and more mentally forceful as they become senior  some highly ambitious officers start becoming spineless  due to their servility to the powers-that-be  as they crave for career-success  and even yearn for post-retirement sops.

Thus  by the time they reach high rank  long years of submissiveness severely compromises their mental robustness  and this may affect their command capability  especially in a crisis.

You cannot expect an officer to be a “dog in obedience” and a “lion in action” at the same time.

Similarly  once a junior officer who is a “lion in action” gets slowly converted into a “dog in obedience” as he gets senior – it is difficult to instantly re-convert the “dog in obedience” back into a “lion in action”.

Thus  when a yes-man is promoted to a leadership position  he cannot take decisions himself  and hence  he keeps running to his superiors for even the smallest of issues  though these decisions may well be within his purview.

Is this not visible in the senior military leadership of today  who keep running to their political and bureaucratic masters  seeking advice for decisions  which may well be within their scope or may be purely tactical or military in nature?

The One Rank One Pension (OROP) imbroglio is an example of this.

Do you see this lack of good decision making capability in the political and civilian leadership as well?


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Many of the greatest military leaders throughout history  who achieved success on the battlefield and victories in war  were notoriously poor followers  especially in peacetime soldiering. 

In fact  in many cases  had it not been for war  many of them may not even have been promoted. 

One such example in India is Field Marshal Manekshaw  who may have retired as a Major General  had it not been for the 1962 war.

Let me end with a quote:

Thousands of moralists have solemnly repeated the old saying that only he can command who has learnt to obey.
It would be nearer the truth to say that only he can command who has the courage and initiative to disobey.
~ William McDougall, Character and the Conduct of Life (1927)

Dear Reader: What are your views on “YESMANSHIP” versus LEADERSHIP?

Do you feel that “yes-men” can make good leaders – especially in the military?

VIKRAM KARVE
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