The Australian Defence Force (ADF) prides itself on the professionalism of its people and how they are perceived in global society. Our professionalism and character have righteously earnt an exemplary reputation across our multi-national partners. Within the ADF, the Army, Navy, and Air-Force subscribe to a common set of values inextricably linked to our history of service – domestically and abroad. Since 2020, the ADF has articulated five values to provide the building blocks for the conduct of its people. These five values are Service, Courage, Respect, Integrity and Excellence. This article will discuss why junior officers should strive to epitomise these values in their leadership and command, to provide lethality and capability to Defence and their soldiers.

Service

In an article about the pros and cons of servant leadership, Aída Lopez Gomez (2021) states that, 'Employees learn more effectively and have greater opportunities to develop their strengths when the leader makes it a priority to develop and empower the team.'(3) This demonstrates that a junior officer in the ADF should seek to encourage the development of their subordinates, either directly or vicariously through the chain of command. This is further supported by the  Army website,(1) which explains that service is defined as, 'the selflessness of character to place the security and interests of our nation and its people ahead of their own.' This selfless mindset encouraged through example improves the effectiveness and cohesion of the team dramatically as members of the team seek continuous opportunities for servant leadership at every level. Service means that if you, as a leader, identify that one of your subordinates is struggling in a particular area, you are the one that focuses on building that skill and enhancing their ability to succeed.

Courage

The next crucial step for junior officers is to master the art of courage. Courage is defined by the ADF as, 'the strength of character to say and do the right thing, always, especially in the face of adversity.'(1) In Bill Treasurer’s article, he wrote about courage being key to great leadership. He stated, 'The most important lesson my clients have taught me is that the entire workforce wins when everyone shows up to work each day with more courage. With less fear and more courage, workers take on harder projects, deal better with change and speak up more willingly about important issues.'(5) This explains how courageous members are willing to work for the team and put in more effort towards achieving individual and organisational goals. Courageous workers will not take short cuts when faced with adversity and will instead strive to go above and beyond. Courage is contagious. A courageous Platoon Commander who demonstrates their commitment to choosing the 'hard right' over the 'easy wrong' and sets the expected standard of cultural norms, encourages their soldiers to replicate their example. Courageous leaders draw authority from trust and example – not relying on command.

Respect

Thirdly, and arguably the most important service value for the ADF, is respect. On the Army’s website(1), respect is defined as, 'the humanity of character to value others and treat them with dignity.' In an article about improving your leadership with respect, Kathy Caprino (2019) discusses that, 'being treated with respect was more important to employees than recognition and appreciation, communicating an inspiring vision, providing useful feedback—or even opportunities for learning, growth, and development.'(2) Utilising this approach can have major positive impacts into the culture and efficiency of the workplace. As such, demonstrating respect as a junior officer in the ADF will have a significant impact on improving leadership ability. You will be able to elicit a dramatic improvement in commitment and engagement from the soldiers working, both for you and with you, gaining willing consent in the ethical pursuit of missions. Encouraging and demonstrating respect will also reduce the degree of conflict in the platoon and improve the positive culture.

Integrity

Integrity is defined as, 'the consistency of character to align your thoughts, words, and actions to do what is right.(1) Always showing integrity regardless of the situation will build credibility amongst your subordinates and shape their perception of you as a leader. This will encourage your subordinates to feel supported in their ethical decision making. An understanding of integrity as an officer is valued by our subordinates where we should strive to always do the right thing over the popular thing. In an article called the Importance of Integrity in the Workplace, Shonna Waters (2021) wrote, 'Workplace integrity is vital to decision-making, serving customers, and managing employees. It’s also crucial to reducing costly errors, avoiding illegal activity, and keeping the organisation’s core values in their top of mind.'(6) If you display integrity as a junior platoon commander, you will positively gain credibility. Positive credibility, in turn, will enhance your reputation and despite potential social ramifications, enhance your soldiers and the lethality of Defence. Your peers will look to you in times of adversity because you can be trusted to make decisions with integrity.

Excellence

Finally, every junior officer should wake up each morning with a focus on pursuit of excellence. Excellence is defined by the Army   as, 'the willingness of character to strive each day to be the best one can be, both professionally and personally.'(1) Ron Kurtus (2017) is a teacher with the School for Champions and, in an article outlying the importance of striving for excellence, explains that, 'Striving for excellence is trying to do your best. In your role as a student, it is important that you do your best and produce excellent work. This will increase your confidence and esteem, as well as result in praise, good grades, and other benefits.'(4) Striving for excellence applied practically, sees the junior officer fight for opportunities to grow and empower their soldiers to do the same with the constant aim to get better every single day. If a junior officer is capable to wake up every morning and set goals every day to strive for excellence in everything they do, their platoon will very quickly see the benefits.

What Next?

A tip from Kathy Caprino (2019), ask yourself, 'How am I showing up today, and do I like who I am and what I’m modelling as my core values and behaviours? If not, do something this week to change how you’re operating.' Every junior officer should take the time to step back from the workload or task at hand and think about how they can incorporate these five service values into how they act as leaders. It is through integrating service, courage, respect, integrity, and excellence, that they will have the opportunity to strive towards their full potential as leaders in the ADF.