Leadership Development Skills for Military Women

This section is for comments about the military woman's viewpoint on what leadership skills and developmental tools are required to be effective and successful in the military environment. It is intended to be informational and educational. Book reviews are welcomed as well as personal experiences which will facilitate the learning of leadership skills.

I am a former military woman, I left the military after 6 years for personal reasons that had to deal with pay along with being a newly single mother. I wanted to comment on books to read for Leadership Development Skills for Military Women, and I believe that one book that helped me in both my military time and now as a civilian was the book The Art Of War. Sometimes looking at the world through a man's point of view, or what is considered to be... may be enlightening. I was very successful in the Army and if I had stayed in as I wanted to, I would have gone very far. I know that my male commanders and some of my Senior Officers studied the book in developmental classes. Although it was not written by a woman, for a woman, we can all learn a few things from it. If I was female commander, I would certainly include this book into Non-Commissioned and Commissioned Officers Professional Development.

Posted: 7 Aug 99: Here are two books that are must reads for women who want to progress in the Department of Defense.

1. Leadership Skills For Women: Achieving Impact as a Manager, by Marilyn Manning with Patricia Haddock, Crisp Publications, Los Altos, California, 1989, (order by calling 1-800-442-7477).

This 65 page workbook is designed to be used in either individual study or workshops and seminars. While it makes no reference to the military women, the principles it articulates seem as applicable to soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines as they do for women in the auto industry or banking. The book starts by listing the characteristics of effective leaders. It helps the reader identify her particular (although individual) style. It mentions some prejudices against women based upon stereotypes and makes a number of recommendations which will help overcome those biases. It suggests maintaining a crisp, no-nonsense image, carefully planning work and projects, minimizing hand gestures, and depersonalizing what happens in the workplace. It is explicit: don’t flirt, keep a sense of humor, and don’t discuss your personal life or troubles with men (they don’t react the same as women), don’t try to be one of the boys, communicate by looking people in the eye and using professional language, and remember that liking others isn’t necessary to get the job done, but team work is.

Next, the book discusses the necessity to build and lead an effective team. It suggests strategies for analyzing teams and what motives them as units and individuals. It also lists seven basics of team leadership: treat subordinates equally and give them attention as required; keep your promises; be consistent and positive even if you feel negative; set a good example; stay calm; foster the free flow of ideas; clearly communicate goals and make sure they are understood. The third topic the book covers is planning tools. It says women should involve their teams in goal setting. It also lists a number of common suggestions for improving one’s time management skills, like planning activities daily; doing highest priority things first, delegating effectively, learning to say "no" to noncritical tasks, and using a calendar to control your time. The authors also recommend some strategies for effective problem solving. They discuss a variety of conflict resolution styles and how to work with them. The styles are: avoidance, accommodating, win-lose, compromising, and problem solving. Each of these methods may be more effective in some situations than others. The authors do an especially good job of explaining how to deal with difficult people, they categorize them as attackers, egotists, sneaks, victims, negators, super-agreeables and unresponsives.

The book closes with a section on developing personal power. The authors discuss the challenge of balancing home and career. They remind us that we should hire the help we need and not worry if the house isn’t perfect. They say that authority comes from inner confidence in one’s skills and abilities. That confidence, in turn, is built on appropriate assertiveness skills which combine genuine respect for others, honesty, active listening and a willingness to look for win-win resolutions.

This is a book that can be read in a short sitting. Applying all the superb suggestions will take much, much longer. I recommend it as a great introduction for women new to a leadership role.

2. Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Can Women Reach the Top of America’s Largest Corporations?, Ann M. Morrison and others, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1987 revised in 1992. Available from retail booksellers.

This book chronicles a careful study of 76 successful corporate executive women. They weren’t named, but might just as easily been flag grade officers or a command’s top enlisted member. The lessons imparted by this book will help military women chart their paths to the top. The authors asked these questions: what does it take for women to enter the executive (command) suite; what factors propel and derail women; are these factors the same for men and women;and finally, do women need the same opportunities for development as men? The authors found that generally, in corporate America, there is a glass ceiling at what the corporate world calls the general manager level. Women are penetrating this barrier, but it takes fortitude.

The authors found that women face three levels of pressure. The first of these is the routine pressure of the job itself. The next is the pressure associated with being a pioneer (a first or only). The last is facing the strain of managing two jobs, the office and the home. Men generally only face the first kind of pressure. Some women overcome all three pressures, some do not. Those who were successful shared these attributes: they had sponsors and help from senior managers that was earned by a solid track record of achievement; they really wanted to progress in their work; they managed subordinates well; they were willing to take reasonable risks, and finally, they knew how to be tough, decisive, and demanding. Those who were not so successful were unable to adapt to changing work environments and bosses, their expectations for perks and salary were unreasonable, or they simply didn’t perform well.

The authors explain important findings when comparing executive men and women. They note that women are not better at reducing interpersonal friction. They are not more understanding or humanitarian, they are not more focussed on presentation of themselves, and they were not more suspicious or touchy. Likewise, women were not less dominant in leadership situations. They were not less self-confident, optimistic, able to cope with stress or less self-disciplined. The successful women had mastered the ability to simultaneously exhibit certain characteristics associated with men and some typically associated with women. When to display either was the key. From this analysis, the authors recommend: take risks, but be consistently outstanding; be tough, but not macho; be ambitious, but don’t expect equal treatment (this is a startling assertion - but remember, it was just in July 1999 that the first woman was named to the senior position in a fortune 500 company); take responsibility, but follow others’ advice.

1. Learn the ropes of your organization. Work in positions which have credibility, be nonthreatening, learn to trust your superiors and have realistic expectations for promotion.

2. Take control of your career. Don’t expect others to manage it for you or take care of you. Seek the right jobs and get the education, training, and experience necessary for promotions. Even if you don’t get the job you want, do the very best you can to show that you put the needs of the company first. That will be appreciated and may later be rewarded. This is especially true in the military.

3. Build your own self-confidence by being willing to take on new challenges to convince yourself of your abilities. Your skills will always be compared to others and the obviously better performers will stand out. Seek success in activities outside the organizations. These help relieve stress and can be another opportunity to build skills and self confidence.

5. Focus on the "bottom line". What is your unit’s goal? Make it your focus. Take in the broader perspective, not just the narrow area of your specific job.

The authors suggest that while today there is a glass ceiling that women will have to work especially hard to overcome, there is a bright future. More women are entering non-traditional careers and they will be viewed as less and less of a novelty. Younger men aren’t as biased as their fathers. Business is recognizing women as an untapped resource that will help them improve their bottomline. This is just as true in the military as it is in the civilian sector.