In my 13 years in the Marine Corps, most of my time has been spent as a platoon sergeant. My job is to run my platoon and train the Marines best for the mission, but most important I am there to help them Marines to take over my position when I leave. I have thought about leadership theories and how they could help me to be a better leader for a platoon. When a platoon sergeant takes over a platoon, they are getting a fresh platoon of new junior Marines for the most part. It is their job to take them through the cycle from zero knowledge to deploying and applying the advanced knowledge to have a discernible impact on the battle field. The use of path goal leadership theory is the best one I have found to explain the life cycle of a platoon sergeant thus far. Utilizing path goal theory, I will take you through this life cycle and show how the leader must evolve to continually motivate the platoon to do their jobs and be successful on a deployment. In this theory, the leader is the one that provides those rewards and direction for the followers to keep continuing down the path to get there (Northouse, 2007). Adapting and incorporating more than one style throughout what makes path goal theory confusing sometimes, but is a valuable tool for leaders to master (PSU World Campus, 2017).
As a platoon sergeant at my last unit, we took the platoon from the time they get to the company and we begin the training cycle all the way through a deployment. In order to qualify for a deployment, the Marines must train extensively and then be able to apply the knowledge to an ever changing environment. To achieve the goal of ultimately being successful in a deployed environment and have a discernible effect on the battle field, we adopt a crawl-walk-run approach to leadership and training. The first phase of this training, the tasks to the Marines are new, unclear and in some jobs can seem very complex. As a platoon sergeant, we need to be able to guide the Marines through this phase. These new tasks can seem very confusing. In this first stage of a platoon’s life cycle the platoon sergeant must be directive and give the Marines the goals to achieve. This directive style is necessary to explain what is to be expected of them to complete the tasks, they train them personally and give them the direction to see and learn the proper procedures to do the work, and expected timelines for completion (Northouse, 2007). For example, in putting up an antenna in communications, the goal is to be able to do this by themselves in an expedient manner. The platoon sergeant in this stage gives the Marines a class on how to put up the antenna and maintenance of it, they explain the procedures for putting it up the antenna and gives them a goal of successful completion of the task of 40 minutes. In this crawl stage, the platoon sergeant is directive on order to ensure the Marines are prepared to do the task in the next stages. For example they are out with the Marines doing watching them put up the antenna in the controlled environment around the classroom and providing guidance and hands on refinement along the way. The need for a leader to incorporate the achievement style here for these tasks serves to set up the Marines for success in the subsequent stages of the life cycle for the Marines. Giving the Marines challenging goals to achieve feeds into the Marines’ need to excel and achieve in this stage (Northouse, 2007).
The next stage in their training life cycle is the walk stage. In this stage, the Marines have moved beyond the basic skills of just putting up the antenna in the controlled environment and with close guidance from the platoon sergeant directing them along the way. In this phase, the goals become harder. The goal in this stage is to set up the antenna in under 25 minutes. To start with, we train in the controlled environment and the Marines have ready access to their antenna bag at all times. In this phase they have put up the antenna so many times that it gets boring. In this stage, the task shifts from complex to repetitive, mundane and at this point it is not challenging anymore. This coincides with the next stage of path goal theory and changes the way a platoon sergeant must lead. This is a very important stage for the platoon sergeant to change to a more supportive style. The goal is to make the Marines feel like they belong to something to satisfy their need for affiliation and keep their eye on the goal even when doing this mundane task (Northouse,2007). To provide that challenge and keep them achieving their goals, I will usually have them be doing their normal work and then I will call them and in order to get out of work or go to lunch they have to drop what they’re doing and come get their antenna to set it up in a certain time to get their free time. This usually makes them move faster. It also simulates being in a deployed environment and having to drop what they’re doing to go on a mission and teaches them to be prepared at all times. This is incorporating that achievement oriented leadership style to keep them challenged and is kind of a game with them to make the training more fun providing that nurturance in the supportive style (Northouse, 2007). This blend is an essential part of path goal theory that may seem confusing sometimes to researchers (PSU World Campus, 2017).
The final phase of training, or the run phase, is the field exercise and final evaluation phase where the Marines are no longer in a controlled environment, but away from the comfort of the classroom and placed out into a training area that is an unknown terrain. In this phase, the Marines are trained on putting up an antenna and have done so many times that it is almost second nature. The training area presents an unclear and unstructured task that the Marines need to solve where best to put it. Instead of just telling them at this point in order to satisfy their needs for control and clarity, I will give them a specific training area to go to and find the best place to put up the antenna (Northouse, 2007). The total time for this is a little longer than before, but from the time they have identified the training area and with involvement and guidance of myself picked a specific site, they have only 15 minutes to put it up. This participative and again achievement oriented style I adopt serves to give the Marines a say and ability to apply the knowledge they have attained. I work with them to best tackle the problem of picking a site. It begins to instill their sense of autonomy and involves them in the decision making process to prepare them for going to a unknown area on a deployment and have to make the decision on how and where to set up their antenna in their site (Northouse, 2007). By the end of this phase, the Marines are not only confident in their ability to do the tasks, but they have the confidence in their leader that they were able to train them to accomplish the initial goal of being ready to deploy.
I could write pages and pages of how this theory is applicable to the evolution of the platoon sergeant in training their Marines, but by focusing on just one task in the grand scheme of things, we can see how just in their specific task the need of the leader to adapt their style in order to properly train the Marines. If I would just direct them the whole time then they would never develop the competency or confidence to be able to do this task without the direct supervision of the leader, and the leader wouldn’t be able to develop the confidence in his team to be able to accomplish the mission without their presence. Throughout the entire cycle, the leader is ensuring that the Marines are focused on the overall goal of being able to serve in a deployed environment where lives are at stake. Throughout this crawl-walk-run cycle of training the onus is on the leader to adapt their style to the needs of the Marines to accomplish the mission and keep moving forward to their goals.
Northouse, P. (2007). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage Publications.
PSU World Campus. (2017, Jan 9). PSYCH 485: Lesson 6. State College, PA.
mmv5127 says
Nathan,
Having been in very similar positions throughout my time in the Marine Corps (16 years) I can definitely agree with you that our leadership style changes throughout a junior Marines career. You absolutely hit it on the head in saying that new Marines to the command are lead using Directive Leadership and as they get through the training cycles/deployments your leadership style switches to Path-Goal theory.
This is extremely in our line of business because, depending on who you are with, lives are on the line. Crucial times call for everyone to work as one unit and if during garrison training someone becomes unwilling to follow their leader, in combat that could mean tragedy.
I was actually just speaking to some students about this, this past week. We were talking about how the “New” Marine Corps is full of silver spoon “kids” who need to be told the “why” of everything that we tell them to do. Back in the day if a SSgt, GySgt, or even MSgt/1stSgt told you to do something, you did it without asking any questions. Now in today’s Marine Corps, junior Marines are asking questions all the time and if you say “because I said so” or “just do what I say” they go barking up the command tree and request mast for hazing.
These instances have probably happened numerous times in your unit as it sounds like you are in a Comms Bn/Co or something along those lines; So I could only imagine the issues young Marines bring up. I am at a unit that has very senior SNCO’s and I can’t believe the complaining that goes on here. Which brings up a unique dynamic of discussion. How do you lead senior SNCO’s when you are one as well? I ask/state this because it is a very Alpha dominant arena that you are in at this point and everyone is sort of set in their own ways. So now you’ve got someone coming in and directing senior Marines what they should be doing and even becoming a micromanager with some of them. At this point in a Marines career they shouldn’t have to be micromanaged but some still need it. Then when they are, they get disgruntled and upset about it. They don’t understand why someone would do this because in the past no one has. So it becomes a sort of “power struggle” between the leader and follower at this point and if the leader is strong willed they will not give in. Then again, even at this senior stage of a Marine career, they go cry wolf up the chain of command. It sounds unlikely to happen, however, I have seen this happen multiple times.
In some instances, the Marine Corps is going through a rough transition where it has become the “nicer” Marine Corps and everyone can get what they want if they complain enough, it’s sad. The Marine Corps needs to go back to the directive leadership from the top all the way down. Discipline would tighten back up and when a leader said something needed to be done, it would be with no questions.
Great post though and defining to us all how a Platoon Sergeant leads and some of the hurdles they must overcome before they can transition into a new leadership style.
Matt