What make a great comander ?

What makes a great Commander?

My question is, what sort of commander, one who commands armies, regiments, battalions or right down to section commanders of 8 men? Even at the bottom of the food (command) chain are the section commanders who can win or lose battles.

It was often stated that Corporals (section commanders) were the backbone of the British Army
 
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So can we quantify the qualities of a great commander?

Here are mine:

1. Leadership - the abilty to inspire subordinates to achieve his goals.
2. Popularity - doesn't mean be soft on the troops, but they have to feel that whilst he has a job to do, he / she has their best intersts at heart and will not waste their lives.
3. Success - everybody loves a winner, it also helps to generate popularity.
4. Focus - sets the goals and pushes everyone to achieve it., was going to say planning, but I think that this goes further, in all aspects of military / civilian life.
5. Logistics - food on the plate, mail on time, boots fitting - never forgetting that these are important issues.
6. Leading from the front and by example.

Any others ?
 
Sven Ortmann said:
The great commander is a good commander who has additionally studied and understood military history; many conflict, many nations, many periods.
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It certainly helps but I wouldn't put that as one of the defining qualities. This is usually considered extremely important by those who's understanding of military operations comes from history books and history books alone.

A few qualities needed:
Competence in their task and the confidence that comes with it.
Ability to teach and train their people.
Honesty. If you lie once, no one will believe you the next time around.
The character and personality that suits their line of work.
Resourcefulness.
 
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I found this in a book I was reading... thought it really fit.
  • He should be able to sit back and avoid getting immersed in detail.
  • He must not be petty.
  • He must not be pompous.
  • He should trust those under him and let them get on with their job without interference.
  • He must have the power of clear decision
  • He should inspire confidence.
 
"He should trust those under him and let them get on with their job without interference."
Depends on the people he has.
 
As a general the attributes needed to be great, in my estimation, are:

1 - understanding of strategical operations - the ability to not only plan your campaigns but to see them executed.

2 - control of logistics - never putting you command in a position where it cannot be supplied and always maintaining complete control of how supplies will reach the army

3 - tactical awareness - being able to understand how a battle/campaign progressess and having the ability to change the way your own force is fighting so as to reach the preferable outcome

4 - decisiveness - being completely sure of yourself and your judgement and having complete confidence in your ability to deal with whatever changes may come.

5 - leadership - being able to win and keep the trust and loyalty of your subordinates and being able to convince them to have complete trust in your ability.

6 - understanding limitations - being able to analys what your army is capable of and what advantage you have or do not have over your enemy and to never try to accomplish something that does not fall within those limitations.

7 - public relations - the ability to convince the public in your own nation to give their full support to your command and operations and being able to convince the public in the country you occupy that you are, if not there for their benefit then at least, preferable to your enemy (particularly important in a modern war)

8 - inter-allied politics - the ability to cooperate with politicians, generals and armies of country you are allied to and to keep both their forces and you own focused on reaching the end goal of the conflict, rather than dissagreements between each other.

9 - keeping a clear head in battle - never losing track of what is happening and being able to observe changing situations with a calm disposition, allowing you to make changes as required without panic.
 
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Partisan said:
So can we quantify the qualities of a great commander?

Here are mine:

1. Leadership - the abilty to inspire subordinates to achieve his goals.
2. Popularity - doesn't mean be soft on the troops, but they have to feel that whilst he has a job to do, he / she has their best intersts at heart and will not waste their lives.
3. Success - everybody loves a winner, it also helps to generate popularity.
4. Focus - sets the goals and pushes everyone to achieve it., was going to say planning, but I think that this goes further, in all aspects of military / civilian life.
5. Logistics - food on the plate, mail on time, boots fitting - never forgetting that these are important issues.
6. Leading from the front and by example.

Any others ?
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I agree with everything.

The biggest things in my mind:

Leading from the front. Put yourself in danger with your troops. You will get more respect in this way then any other.

Success as stated. Seeing a CO take a privates weapon who couldn't qual and using kentucky windage to shoot with a qual of 34/40. I have seen this happen and was very impressed.
 
1) Determination
A great leader has an almost inexhaustible stock of determination. He is the first one to initiate an idea and the last one to give up. It is because of a leader's determination that projects are completed.

2) Flexibility
It is his ability to adapt to any situation. He sees the situation from many different angles and can adjust himself accordingly.

3) Resourcefulness
Sometimes, not everything is handed to you on a silver platter. In these cases, you're going to have to think of other ways to get what you want, or to achieve what you want to achieve. Coupled with flexibility, resourcefulness is definitely a powerful leadership tool.

4) Creativity
Another vital factor on what makes a great leader is his creativity. Creativity is not just about art and aesthetics. It is also about being able to solve a problem with the least amount of time and effort.

5) Self-confidence
Without self-confidence, how can a leader expect to get his people to follow him? But keep in mind that self-confidence is different from arrogance. Don't make the mistake of confusing one for the other, or you'll soon find yourself being the target of everybody's ire.

6) Positive Attitude
A great leader has a positive countenance but is not overtly idealistic. Instead, he tries to make the best out of everything.

7) Responsibility
Responsibility is a double-edged sword. A great leader understands that whatever happens in his team (whether good or bad) is his responsibility. He does not hog all the glory and does not play the blame game with his subordinates either.

8) Good Communication Skills
Never underestimate the power of good communication skills. As a leader, you will be tasked to oversee everything that comes and goes. What makes a leader great is his ability to communicate effectively with his team. A good leader understands that people don't perceive messages in the exact same way.

9) Consistency
How credible, do you think, is a person who only does well during certain months? A great leader is a fine example of consistency. He takes actions and delivers, project after project.

10) Forecasting
A good leader knows what's up ahead. He has the ability to estimate the projected value of a certain object in the future.

So what makes a great leader? It is a mix of these qualities. You don't necessarily have to possess all of them, but you should at least strive to develop many of them.
 
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A commander that commands his forces from the front line, that motivates, instills pride & honor, a commander that leads through respect not fear is a good commander... A commander that leads from 100 miles behind the front line, behind a computer in a fortified bunker is not a good commander.
 
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