In the realm of military leadership, resilience isn't optional, it's expected. Commanders grapple with high-stakes decisions in the face of uncertainty, bear the weight of their subordinates' lives and welfare, and safeguard entire nations. Daily, they manage complex logistical systems and advanced tech infrastructures. Still, they remain steadfastly focused on morale and organizational culture. To them, these elements are cornerstones of combat strength. Yet, this people-first leadership style often slips past top business decision-makers, hindering their organizations' success amid escalating complexities. In this piece, I discuss the strategic importance of morale and empowerment, drawing insights from military leaders, particularly the masterminds behind Ukraine's battlefield successes.
A Pillar of Military Doctrine
The United States Army doctrine underscores the crucial role of people leadership, emphasizing that technology and advanced weaponry cannot replace this competitive advantage. The Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, currently leading the nation's survival war against a resource-superior opponent, confirms the relevance of this focus amidst active battles. In his first video interview amidst the full-scale Russian invasion, he expressed his primary mission as reshaping the leadership culture within his forces. He aims to foster an environment where everyone values their subordinates' opinions and where soldiers on the ground feel empowered to call any commander, including him, directly if a need arises. He sees this new culture as a vital advantage over the Russian forces. Other top Ukrainian leaders, including Defence Minister Reznikov, echo this sentiment.
Morale and Empowerment as Means for Navigating Uncertainty
The focus on people-centered leadership and culture in a nation at war may seem surprising, but it is anything but coincidental. Military training and practice have long recognized the significance of troops' morale and empowerment as critical prerequisites for success, tracing back to military strategist Carl von Clausewitz in the 19th century. Military professionals consider leaders who are not effective in motivating their subordinates unfit for military leadership. Fear-based, disempowering leadership styles are seen as a strategic weakness.
This military approach is born out of the century-long experience of dealing with complex, uncertain, and high-risk environments. When faced with uncertainty, leaders understand the need to work with probabilities. In rapidly changing and intricate situations, it is impossible to plan every mission-critical task in detail. Therefore, leaders focus on maximizing factors that increase the odds of success and minimizing those that diminish them. Motivation and empowerment of individuals, coupled with local decision-making, emerge as universal factors that directly impact the execution of strategy.
Set morale to a low value, and you decrease your teams’ chances of success. At scale, probabilities turn into outcomes, and this means real-life failures. Set morale to a high value, and you increase the odds of success for each tactical task. At scale, this means a strategic victory. This isn't a "feel-good" anecdote; it's a mathematical reality understood by military minds.
The Cost of Neglecting Morale and Empowerment
Paradoxically, while the best military leaders have long recognized the strategic importance of motivation and empowerment, business leaders often perceive these aspects as "soft factors" that can be addressed once a year during employee feedback surveys. Despite the frequent rhetoric about the significance of organizational culture, it rarely becomes a true daily priority for top business decision-makers. In many large companies, directive, "command-and-control" leadership styles are tolerated for years. Countless examples exist of disengaging leaders entrusted with executing complex operations. Matters of employee motivation are often relegated to the HR department. Such a scenario would be unthinkable in a strong, well-led army. As the business landscape becomes increasingly uncertain, and the pace of change accelerates, this approach is severely handicapping businesses' strategic execution capability.
In a world where adaptability, innovation, and agility define success, businesses must learn from the military playbook. Leaders need to understand that morale and empowerment aren't mere afterthoughts or HR checkboxes. They are the lifeline of strategic execution. Just as military leaders connect the dots between culture and combat power, business leaders need to prioritize building empowering, motivating cultures as a strategic imperative for success in today's turbulent business environment.
