Do you embrace challenge?

That is not a question you may have been posed before. Undoubtedly, as an officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer or even a soldier, you have encountered a plethora of leadership tips, command strategies, personal reflection, or other guides for good leadership. Leadership theory and doctrine has evolved over the years, as civilian and military organisation's understanding of effective leadership has changed.

Embracing challenge for better leadership

It is safe to say that authoritarian or autocratic leadership is way out, even amongst military leaders. A major theme of Good Soldiering refers to ensuring our people are "self-aware, comfortable with feedback and self-correcting". This guidance about being comfortable with feedback may be hard to reconcile with certain preconceptions of military leadership. Ultimately, a commander must be responsible for their decisions and the associated risks. Even more, the performance of a team of people for which you are responsible reflects on your leadership, for better or worse. With so much at stake, it can be tempting to 'take the reins' and slide back into directive control, or authoritarian leadership.

Another real risk in teaming is groupthink. This phenomenon can occur at all levels. The UK Government's review of their performance in Iraq, as reported in the 2016 Iraq Inquiry (Chilcot) Report, found that the then-UK Government had a "propensity for groupthink"; and suggested this contributed to long-term inability to achieve strategic success. Unlike the immediately negative connotations of an autocratic leader, groupthink can arise from cohesive teams with strong leaders. In such situations, the natural desire for group cohesion overrules the ability to consider alternatives.

So, how does a leader create strong teams, avoid groupthink, and employ Good Soldiering, whilst ensuring they remain ultimately responsible for decisions, team outcomes, and risk? By embracing challenge.

'Embracing challenge' – in a leadership context – means being comfortable with dissenting opinions being voiced within the team, with having the group consensus put to the test with another viewpoint, even with having your decision challenged by a subordinate who may have a point you had not considered. This can be fraught in a military context, particularly challenging a superior's decision. However, challenge does not need to be disorderly, nor disrespectful, if the tenets of 'reasonable challenge' are followed.

Reasonable challenge

The concept of reasonable challenge was raised in the 2016 Iraq Inquiry (Chilcot) Report, as an 'antidote' to the groupthink the inquiry found at high decision-making echelons. In an environment where challenge is anticipated and accepted, people should be encouraged to put forth alternate and differing viewpoints. Leaders should be receptive to different views, and assume they are provided with the intention of improving decision-making and group outcomes.

This concept was laid out in the UK Ministry of Defence Good Operations Guide in 2018. In this guide, the steps to reasonable challenge for both those presenting a challenge, and those receiving a challenge, were laid out. These steps can be read in the link, but in summary are:

Receiving challenge

  • Not take it personally
  • Make it known you welcome reasonable challenge
  • Seek real diversity of thought
  • Give subordinates the chance to fully articulate their views
  • Don't dismiss a challenge out of hand
  • Response respectfully
  • Explain your reasoning if the challenge is not accepted
  • Encourage the use of evidence
  • Support more junior personnel in presenting a reasonable challenge to a senior member

Offering challenge

  • Make the challenge respectfully
  • Explain your challenge with logic, evidence, conciseness, and ensure it is relevant to the issue at hand
  • Keep it professional
  • Choose the appropriate moment and the right medium
  • Raise issues in a timely manner
  • Accept if the eventual decision remains unchanged

Following these points will aid teams in implementing reasonable challenge effectively.

MAJGEN Hocking on embracing challenge

Want more thoughts on embracing challenge? MAJGEN Andrew Hocking, CSC, discusses why leaders should be comfortable with tensions and offering challenge in this brief Cove Clip.

Conclusion

Embracing challenge may seem incongruous in a military context at first glance. But to ensure a positive leadership climate is maintained and groupthink is avoided, creating an environment where differing views can be raised in a respectful manner is essential. Taking on reasonable challenge can aid leaders and commander at all levels to create inclusive teams with true diversity of thought.