Self-Respect Essential.—The leader has to guard his own self-respect and that of his men. Self-respect is absolutely essential to having self-confidence, and self-confidence is absolutely essential for either leader or man to play his part successfully. If work is to progress efficiently each will be constantly called upon to make decisions as to what is best to be done, and to act upon them definitely. Each must therefore have enough self-confidence to do this without running to someone to ask what to do in an effort "to pass the buck" of responsibility.
In the Leader.—First, then, the leader must maintain his own self-respect—in his daily contact with life and men, and in the conduct of his office. His relations with his superiors and co-ordinate leaders; his knowledge of his job; his self-control of temper, frivolity, pettiness, etc.; his methods of directing work and handling men—all these are to influence and to evidence his self-respect, and are thus matters for his consideration. He must realize that he stands before his men as a better man on the job than any one of them—and in this light he wants to be an inspiration, not an apology. It need not lessen his self-respect if he lacks either physical stature, or age and long experience—though both these may be helpful. Superior knowledge and moral qualities determine one's fitness for leadership, and enlist the men's loyalty and obedience. How often in the war, especially in the French army, we saw grizzled old fighters loyally following youngsters just out of the training schools because they had confidence in the knowledge these boys had gained. In our draft army training it was not uncommon to see a squad of big Northwestern lumbermen following a keen-eyed little corporal as though they thought him a second Napoleon. It is not the size or age of the body but what emanates from the soul within it, that makes the leader of men.
In the Men.—And second, the leader has to cherish the self-respect of his individual subordinates, be they leaders of smaller groups or the men themselves. He needs their intelligent co-operation and must often depend on their individual judgment and their willingness to carry on without specific instructions. And unless these men believe in themselves and feel that he believes in them they will be afraid to decide what to do, and afraid to do it, for fear of failure and its consequences. So by showing confidence in them, by never ignoring them as individuals, by encouraging and commending good as well as correcting error, the leader develops the self-respect of his men as a sure basis for the self-confidence and strength of character they need in order to meet his requirements.
Courage, Fear and Self-Control.—In many fields of activity a leader is likely to be called upon to meet emergencies requiring a cool head and a stout heart. Some men shrink from assuming the responsibilities of leadership in these fields lest they lack the nerve and show fear when the test comes. It should be helpful to them to understand something about these emotions, why they come and how they are controlled. We may assume that everyone feels fear, for the self-protective instincts are perhaps the strongest, and fear is Nature's instinctive warning of the imminence of danger or of consequences which threaten our well being. The purpose of this warning is to make us take steps to meet the danger, and it thus leads us to action. Then we forget the fear, as it generally disappears when we have gotten into action. A developed mind and character, bodily health, and a determined purpose, all combine to enable one to avoid showing fear or letting it improperly influence his actions. No one would willingly follow a leader who lacked a courageous character, nor could a leader hope to carry on successfully if he was self-conscious of his own moral weakness. So we say that both the leader and his men must have confidence that the leader possesses courage and force of character, so he will be self-controlled and capable of calm reasonable judgments in the crises of his work. The leader establishes this mutual confidence by the self-control and good judgment with which he meets the smaller emergencies of daily administration. If he becomes excited over little things, bellows and shouts because something goes wrong, he is not only failing in self-control, but is making his men question his force of character and his ability to meet a real situation. A new leader should therefore make a point of training himself in self-control under trying circumstances; he should even seek situations which try his nerve and judgment, rather than avoid trouble as the weak man does by quietly slipping around it.
Control by Power of Example.—It is the leader's function to be calm in emergency; unruffled, even sardonic if he has it in him, in the face of hardships; unperturbed and even casual in the face of danger. The psychological power of mental suggestion is now well understood, and accepted as one of the sure means for controlling men. If you are a real leader your men will take their mental attitude from what yours appears to be. In danger they will watch your movements, even facial expression, for reassurance. It is then that you drop some casual remark, "borrow the makings" and roll a cigarette, do any simple thing naturally, showing that you are at ease and confident in these abnormal circumstances; and your men regain their wavering confidence, feeling that you are not afraid. So, in time of unavoidable hardship, you must avoid showing annoyance or impatience. Your sardonic acceptance of necessary conditions will unconsciously lead to theirs, and save the nerve strain and damage to esprit which result from grumbling, and bucking, and cursing out everything in general. And in emergency you must show perfect self-control. Remember that your conduct will determine that of your men. If you are excited, they will be more so. The emergency will call for perhaps the most accurate, determined, self-controlled work, and if your heart has jumped into your throat and made your voice quaver and your ideas confused (and this will happen to the best of men), nothing but disaster can result if you communicate this to your men. You will gain time and success in the end, if you take time now to swallow your heart, and regain perfect self-control, before you say one word to betray your perturbation. Then with calm self-assured demeanor give your directions as becomes a real leader. Directions so given are a great comfort to the men, and assure steady intelligent execution. To begin shouting excited ill-advised instructions in an emergency is one of the most characteristic failures of inexperienced leadership. Try to train yourself so that you will be one of the exceptions, by acquiring the habit in any given situation of being first sure of yourself, and then calmly giving directions to your men.
You have opportunity to train for this in the ordinary affairs of life, and may thus acquire a facility for knowing what to do in an emergency and doing it with calm assurance. In any public accident or emergency there is generally some "admirable bystander" whose mind has acted instantaneously, who has jumped in and done the right thing. Question your mental processes to learn why you were not the man, and try to qualify next time.
Decision.—It is characteristic of a successful leader to make good decisions that do not have to be changed and to stick to them, and it is characteristic of the valor of ignorance to make quick ones that are generally wrong. Of course quick decisions are preferable if they are right. They are necessary in the army, though not so as a rule in civil life, where the leader may generally take time to weigh his subject before deciding. In many cases it is even best that he first take time to consult his subordinates. But in every case he must come ultimately to a definite decision as to his course, announce it clearly as his decision, and have the force of character to carry it out without showing hesitation or vacillation. The impossible man as a leader is one who cannot make up his mind; the next better is he who is influenced by the last man who talks to him; and still too poor for his job is he who having come to a decision allows himself to waver and change in the face of each new thought or development which the future presents. If you have any of those tendencies, eliminate them by watching yourself in making decisions. By practice in the small affairs of your daily life cultivate your power to grasp the essential facts of a situation, to arrive promptly at a decision, and to stick to it in spite of unessentials which may come along to make a change seem better.
Value of Thinking.—The more you think about the details and possibilities of your job, the more you keep your mind on your work, the better you will be prepared to make good decisions quickly. "Because I am always thinking about it" was Napoleon's answer when asked how he was able to make such prompt accurate decisions in the art of war. We teach the advance guard commander as he marches to be thinking constantly what he will do if the enemy appears in any of the various situations he meets, and thus to keep his mind prepared to make his decision quickly. So in civil affairs that leader will do best who is a thinker, who thinks of the business in hand and is mentally prepared to meet its demands for direction. It is the unexpected thing catching a man off his guard which causes his uncertainty and indecision. It is the element of surprise in an ambuscade which makes it so advantageous.
A leader should be found so resourceful and sure of his judgment that he can successfully meet these occasions for quick decision. He can get a reputation for this ability by carefully planning ahead of time for certain tasks and thus being able to make quick decisions during their execution. But to maintain this reputation he must acquire the habit of giving thought to his work, not only in anticipation of certain jobs, but continually as the work progresses. The mind which does not have to be recalled from a fishing excursion will grasp the essential details of a new situation more quickly and accurately than one that was far afield when the unexpected happened.
Personal Pride.—Pride is another quality of human nature that is very useful to the leader in controlling his men. Just as he guards each individual's self-respect and cherishes it as the necessary basis of that manly and intelligent response he expects them to give to the demands of service, so he builds up their personal pride—in themselves, in what they are doing, and in the organization. This pride is largely established through seeking out cases of superior accomplishment and commending them. Once fairly developed, pride becomes an influence to which the leader may appeal successfully for better conduct, better results, and for patient endurance of hardship. He will not get it in a day, any more than he will get discipline or morale. It comes from the performance of good work that has been recognized as such, and rests in a justified feeling of ability and worth. So do not expect to get it by simply announcing to your men that they are the finest. Bring them to an honest belief in their worth through your recognition of it by praising their good work, and by making suitable remarks to outsiders which some of them may overhear. Find something in which they excel, and brag about it moderately. If possible make an occasion to show their ability publicly. If your outfit can once get a reputation for excellence, it matters little for what, it will become more excellent—good men will seek to join it, its personnel will thus improve, and it will continue to grow better.