MAGAZINE
SPRING 2020
ENVIROMENT Understanding the contemporary operating environment .
Our daily tasks should contribute to the improvement of the Alliance . Understanding our environment is a necessary leader trait to shape our leadership and management styles .
Spectrum of engagement . Maintaining ‘ currency ’ in today ’ s 24 / 7 news cycle can be daunting . The following prompts , from basic knowledge to full spectrum , can facilitate increased engagement . Is your knowledge of NATO up to date ? The NATO Staff Officer Orientation Course⁹ provides the basics on arrival in NATO , but have you followed up on the latest news and declarations ?¹ ⁰ Is your professional knowledge aligned to the NATO interoperability standards ? Many Education and Training Facilities ( ETFs ) provide this knowledge and the information can be found in the Electronic Training and Opportunities Catalogue ( ETOC )¹¹. Are you in synch with the latest policies from the two Strategic Headquarters ? The Senior Officer Policy Course and European Security Cooperation Course ¹² are two examples of where the recent policy pronouncements and dilemmas are discussed . Focusing our own learning on the entire spectrum of NATO engagement will allow us to truly grasp the complexities and adapt our leadership style to today ’ s NATO .
Hybrid . The future environment is no longer just contained within the military sphere . An earlier Multinational Capability Development Campaign ( MCDC ) project on countering hybrid warfare produced handbooks for both understanding and countering hybrid warfare ¹³. There are a number of national and Alliance descriptions generated from the original definition 14 . In your current contribution to the Alliance are you thinking in terms of military ( NATO and nations ), cross government ( within nations ), Non-government organizations ( NGOs ) within both nations and internationally ?
Adversary . The recent NATO Command Structure ( Adaptation ) ( NCS ( A )) is designed to keep us both relevant and capable for today ’ s challenges .
Many of the trials we face are no longer ‘ peer to peer ’ conflict but rather a more diverse range of adversary actions a n d reactions . This complexity is well illustrated in the Cyber Domain where we see threat actors operating autonomously or as part of a larger organization , each with very different reasons for hacking ( thrill seekers , terrorist groups or hacktivists ). This also means that our collective or national response to an attack will rarely be of equal status .
SELF Understanding your own leadership style is key to working successfully in complex multinational environments .
Style . There are many templates available to support assessment of your leadership style , both as a leader and a contributor to a team . The NATO School Oberammergau ( NSO ) employs the persolog behaviour profile within its noncommissioned officer ( NCO ) leadership programme . This uses the DISC ( Dominant , Influencing , Steady , Cautious ) behaviour profile and is informative for leaders in both individual understanding as well as analysis of those personnel with whom they work / interact .
Emotional Intelligence . History clearly shows us that no clear ‘ blueprint ’ exists for a successful leader . Different situations demand different types of leadership ( everything from the battlefield to the boardroom ). Neither IQ nor technical skills distinguish great leaders , but rather deep emotional intelligence that consists of the following skills : Self-awareness , selfregulation , motivation , empathy and social skills 16 . Ones “ mental fitness ” and personal ability to find balance and sustainment of the tasks at hand are crucial to modern leadership and management .
Bias . A generally accepted definition of bias suggests “ a prejudice in favour of or against one thing , person or group compared to another ”. However , further exploration into different types of biases reveals multiple types or examples : cognitive bias , unconscious bias , cultural bias , gender bias , AI bias etc . Without opening this debate here , are we aware of our own biases and how they may affect us and our decisions ? Acknowledgement is the first step towards improvement .
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Decision Making . Whether you look at Winston Churchill ’ s favourite maxim : “ Action this day ” or Peter Drucker ’ s “ Ultimately all strategy devolves into work ”, the role of the leader is to get things done and effective decision making is key . Procrastination is the enemy of the decision maker and the Eisenhower Matrix is a great tool ¹ ⁷ for identifying where