Military Review English Edition November December 2016 | Page 71

LEADERSHIP

coming in last.5 Charismatic style, defined by outward
passion, a guiding vision, and an inspirational demeanor, resonates in the U.S. military culture accustomed to
a certain amount of command swagger.6 In contrast, a
team-oriented approach, one predicated on loyalty and
cooperation, is favored by black respondents in South
Africa.7 Meanwhile, in Morocco, a participative style that
pushes leaders down into the trenches with their team
members is the favored approach.8
In the aforementioned countries, these values
represent the inherent understanding of how a leader
behaves. As such, U.S. doctrinal and cultural models
are often incorrect for developing African leaders
of all echelons. African models must serve as the
primary basis for African curriculum development,
professionalization initiatives, and capability development efforts. By transplanting Western models
onto African militaries, U.S. envoys risk a fundamental failure of recognizing the environment generating
these leader models as well as the environment in
which they will soon be required to operate. For U.S.
military leaders and planners, these dynamics must
also be examined on a personal level when considering how best to engage African leaders. Being cognizant of one’s personal bearing and comportment is an
important part of dealing with African counterparts,
MILITARY REVIEW  November-December 2016

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Keith Vital speaks to Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers about their mission and progress during a field training
exercise 25 February 2009 at Camp Sandee S. Ware in Careysburg
District, Liberia. (Photo by Sgt. Elsa Portillo, U.S. Marine Corps)

for even the most culturally nested plan cannot overcome a tone-deaf presentation.
The modern French experience in Africa provides
an example of a carefully developed and culturally attuned approach to partnering. A 2006 Military Review
article by retired French Col. Henri Boré details the
significant amount of thought and preparation that he
and his compatriots invested to ensure the effectiveness of their unconventional warfare efforts alongside
African partners. This groundwork was exhaustive and
time intensive, but it frequently resulted in a number
of mission-essential insights. Boré writes of the sometimes-jarring learning process:
There are beliefs and practices below the
cultural surface that many Westerners miss or
find difficult to fathom: a company commander in Chad shooting one of his lieutenants in
the head for lack of respect in front of the unit;
a captain, native of the south of Mauritania,
paying obedience to his second lieutenant,
who was a member of a dominant northern
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