[April 2, 2017] There is an old stereotype that soldiers of the American military are rigid, lack creativity, and are robots that always do as they are told. It’s sophomoric to hold such a view because behind it lays an important truth; there is a lot of freedom of military thought and that is a good thing for the free world.
“Freedom rings where opinions clash.” – Adlai E. Stevenson, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat
As a Private in the U.S. Army, I was reminded that “we’re not interested in your opinions.” Usually followed by a pejorative term like “maggot” or “worm,” I was unknowingly being prepared for a greater freedom than I could have imagined at the time. It’s not particularly surprising that a Private would not have a valuable opinion regarding military operations and that is why Sergeants don’t waste their time hearing them out.
Once promoted past the lowly rank of Private that begins to change. The more senior a soldier (as measured in experiences), the more value is placed on their opinion and creative thinking ability. In fact, the military goes out of its way to encourage free thinking, flexibility, creativity, and resilience of thought. Many of my civilian friends and relatives actually thought we spent the day marching back and forth around our barracks. They couldn’t have been more wrong.
Military members are challenged to give their thoughts; testing their thinking against opposing views to make them better. Opinions are strongly regarded as long as they are accompanied by relevant information and logically presented. The clash of opinions in the U.S. military is regarded as a positive thing and the most efficient form of advancing the best, most useful ideas.
This “clash” (to use Stevenson’s word) of opinions is often found in relaxed environments where ideas are freely exchanged and debated; usually with the caveat of non-attribution. Non-attribution protects us from dumb ideas, inappropriate comments, and the revealing of compromising information. Better to get it all out in the open where the errant can see the downside if their ways and it matures us and sharply hones our leader skills.
With this freedom of thought, our soldiers quickly realize that with that freedom comes responsibility and maturity. The maturity comes with the realization that without it we could be led like sheep to the slaughter. Songwriter and singer Bob Dylan once said it best in defining a hero; “a hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.”
[Don’t forget to “Like” the Leader Maker at our Facebook Page.]