Army: Too Many "Toxic Leaders"

[Richard]

Army Pub 6-22:

"Toxic leadership is a combination of self-centered attitudes, motivations, and behaviors that have adverse effects on subordinates, the organization, and mission performance. This leader lacks concern for others and the climate of the organization, which leads to short- and long-term negative effects. The toxic leader operates with an inflated sense of self-worth and from acute self-interest. Toxic leaders consistently use dysfunctional behaviors to deceive, intimidate, coerce, or unfairly punish others to get what they want for themselves. The negative leader completes short-term requirements by operating at the bottom of the continuum of commitment, where followers respond to the positional power of their leader to fulfill requests. This may achieve results in the short term, but ignores the other leader competency categories of leads and develops. Prolonged use of negative leadership to influence followers undermines the followers' will, initiative, and potential and destroys unit morale."

And so it goes...

Richard

Army Takes On Its Own Toxic Leaders
NPR, 3 jAN 2014

Top commanders in the U.S. Army have announced publicly that they have a problem: They have too many "toxic leaders" — the kind of bosses who make their employees miserable. Many corporations share a similar problem, but in the Army's case, destructive leadership can potentially have life or death consequences. So, some Army researchers are wondering if toxic officers have contributed to soldiers' mental health problems.

(Cont'd) http://www.npr.org/2014/01/06/259422776/army-takes-on-its-own-toxic-leaders

[Trapper John]

Interesting read Richard. IMHO, the US Army has always been at the forefront of being able to police its own, transparency, accountability, and adaptability to institutional challenges with comparative ease and remarkable efficiency. This is a seeming paradox for an institution so steeped in tradition. It is without a doubt the best leadership training program in the world and it practices what it preaches. I seem to recall reading a similar piece about 30 years ago which is about the correct time frame for cyclical institutional house keeping. ;)

Now if it were so simple to clean house of the toxic political leadership. (I use that term very loosely; the obvious oxymoron not withstanding.) :D

[sinjefe]

The Army can write all the articles it wants on Toxic leadership. From Odierno on down, a great majority of those who would make the decisions on how to get rid of toxic leaders are themselves toxic leaders.

[The Reaper]

The Army can write all the articles it wants on Toxic leadership. From Odierno on down, a great majority of those who would make the decisions on how to get rid of toxic leaders are themselves toxic leaders.

Concur.

And they let it go on for the past 35 years, why start cleaning up the act now?

Probably a way to purge those without mentors and clear the way for their cronies.

TR

[Box]

as long as we can hurry up and get rid of all these dirt merchants with visible tattoos...

...and all of these tax burdens that think they are too good to obey rules and refuse to wear a reflective belt

...lets purge the entire lot

[MR2]

My God, we're turning into France :confused:

[BMT (RIP)]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-investigations-point-to-military-system-that-promotes-abusive-leaders/2014/01/28/3e1be1f0-8799-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html

BMT

[sinjefe]

Just another circular discussion that leads nowhere and does nothing. Meanwhile, for those in (especially around the RA), they are surrounded by "toxic leaders".