INTRODUCTION
Communication has been one of the biggest challenges with the contemporary
battlefield and leading the strategic corporal. When senior leaders are not co-located with
subordinate Marines, communication can break down and form a chasm between what is
said and what is understood. This chasm can be bridged by building trusting relationships
up and down the chain-of-command and having a strategy in place to handle conflict.
For Marines, these two characteristics of leadership are of the utmost importance on the
battlefield. Senior leaders have to be able to trust junior leaders to carry out the mission,
and junior leaders should be able to trust that the commander has the Marines’ best
interest in mind.
Additionally, when conflict arises, leaders should be able to manage conflict and allow everyone to reengage in accomplishing the mission. These two salient leadership principles should be established prior to deploying overseas and engaging a live enemy, implying that ample time and effort should be invested in building trust and managing conflict at every available opportunity.
CONTENT By CHAPTER
1. Leading Marines In A Digital World
2. Text - Understanding and Communicating through Narratives
3. Film - Marine Corps Combat Leadership Skills (Color; Public Domain; 1986)
Actor and WWII veteran Lee Marvin narrates this USMC training film on combat leadership.