Leadership for Intelligence Professionals   

The “Core Traits” Emphasized by the Military

The "traditional"  Military “Core Values”

JCS Pub 1      Former Army         Air Force         Navy               Coast Guard

Integrity         Candor                    Integrity           Honor                  Honor          

Competence   Competence            Excellence       Commitment       Devotion

                                                          in all we do     competence        to duty

                                                                                   teamwork          

 Physical

Courage          Courage                   Courage           Courage           

 Moral                

Corage

                        Caring                     Service             Concern             Respect

                                                        beforefore        for people

                                                         self       

Teamwork

Army has revised its "Core Values" to represent the word " Leadership"—LDRSHIP: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage—obviously, all the core traits are there.

Military Training

USAF Squadron Officer School                  USMC MCI 03.3m   

-Integrity                                                       -Integrity             “Possession of these traits does not

                                                                                                     guarantee success.”

-Knowledge                                                  -Knowledge     

-Courage                                                        -Courage

-Selflessness                                                  -Decisiveness

-Loyalty                                                         -Dependability

-Commitment                                                -Initiative

-Energy                                                          -Tact

-Decisiveness                                                 -Justice

                                                                       -Enthusiasm

                                                                       -Bearing

                                                                       -Endurance

                                                                      -Unselfishness

                                                                      -Loyalty

                                                                      -Judgment

World War Two Leaders

-Admiral Arleigh Burke USN: "integrity" and "knowledge or skill".  US Naval Academy textbook Voices of Experience..

  -General Lemuel Sheaphard USMC: "sterling character" and "professional competence"  US Naval Academy textbook Voices of Experience.

 -General Ira Eaker USAF: "integrity", "wisdom" and "courage".    

Vietnam

-VADM James Stockdale USN: "integrity" and "competence" and certainly displayed great moral and physical courage which he described as "bedrock virtues all successful leaders must possess." In "Machiavelli, Management and Moral Leadership" in Military Ethics.

First Gulf War

-General Fred Franks, USA (Ret.):  "In battle character counts...courage, integrity really count, yet competence is also important for leaders." In General Fred Franks with Tom Clancy Into the Storm: A Study in Command .

Recent Years

- LTG Walter Ulmer USA (Ret) has cited "the timeless leader qualities: integrity, high energy, courage and commitment to institutional values." In Parameters, Spring 1998.

-General Montgomery Meigs USA: "character as the essential ingredient of senior leadership, especially of military leaders….moral characteristics and ethical mental traits….intellect"…energy…selflessness… humanity….essential characteristics of generalship….All of us need development to progress to the level of competence and character our potential allows."  In his presentation to the Brigadier General Training Course at Fort Leavenworth in late November 2000.

--General Richard Myers USAF, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff:  "fundamental qualities of good leadership"…The most basic quality of good leadership is character—an individual’s moral excellence and distinguishing ethical integrity…"spirit of selflessness", "loyalty", "moral courage"…. "good leaders must delegate wisely". In Joint Forces Quarterly, Autumn 2002.