Navigating into the Military Leadership Landscape

Abstract

Military leaders significantly influence national and global history. Through a standardized, hierarchically defined management structure, the military cultivates values and rules reinforced by education, discipline, and experience. Armed Forces operate under strict discipline, structured power, and a collective demand for commitment and efficiency, while adapting to ever-changing challenges. Military leadership involves managing human resources under pressure, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, and relies on personal traits such as credibility, determination, and role-modeling. This study investigates the military leadership landscape through four leadership theories—charismatic, transactional, transformational, and servant leadership—across five dimensions: personality, vision, influence, personnel management and care, and responsibility in decision-making and risk-taking. A quantitative survey was distributed across three branches of the Armed Forces. Findings indicate that transformational and servant leadership elements predominate. Understanding modern military leadership benefits researchers and military leaders, encouraging further investigation.