What makes a great Army Officer?

[Stealth]

After reading Educateme's post titled "AROTC or USMA" I felt like posting a separate thread opposed to a reply.

I am curious to hear the responses to this title: What makes a great Army Officer? As an enlisted Soldier with a desire to attend West Point and be a career Army Officer, this question has always been on my mind. Nowadays the "good ol' boy" system has been dying off and Officers are no longer at a disadvantage for not attending USMA, everyone is on the same playing field. So what makes an Officer successful in his military career? What factors and variables will lead him/her from a young Lieutenant to a seasoned General? Hopefully this will stir up some constructive comments that will help all those aspiring to be Officers, civilians and Soldiers alike!

 

[TheKnight]

Honesty, a willingness to learn, adaptability, communication effectiveness, sound moral values, and confidence are, in my opinion, some of the necessary foundations for making good officers.

Ultimately, there are no set characteristics that make a good Army officer, the Army needs different types of officers. A good officer would be one who has a good work ethic, and gets the job done with minimal losses.

 

[freedomtruck]

I talked with a military lawyer, and asked him the same question: what makes a good officer?

He replied: "Do your job, and do it well..."

 

[AKH]

From what I've seen, being a great officer goes hand in hand with being a good person overall, and being an exemplary citizen and leader. To be a great officer, I think it requires attaining competence in those three areas.

The officers that I've met and admire the most lead by example, doing the right thing no matter what. They don't justify a greater evil with a lesser one, and they don't only get the job done - they get it right while protecting their team.

These officers also look out for the welfare of those they are leading. They act professionally but make sure that their soldiers always know they are there for them to talk to or communicate anything. They forge a bond of trust with their soldiers and superiors, but don't allow it to extend into overt friendship, which can be construed as being unprofessional and can complicate things.

Some people's negative traits are balanced out by their positive ones. Types of leaders/officers and their strengths are obviously varied, but I believe what I said above goes a long way. The skills that made someone a good officer can carry over into the public arena and allow them to still stand out among their civilian counterparts and be successful.