From the Regimental Command Sergeant Major
CSM Oscar Lee Crumity

We are fortunate to have the opportunity to serve in the greatest Army in the world today because of quality leadership consistently exhibited by our leaders. FM 22-100, Army Leadership, defines leadership as, "the art of accomplishing the assigned task by providing purpose, direction and motivation."

Our Army’s rich history provides us many examples of great leaders: George Washington, Ulysses A. Grant, Robert E. Lee, George S. Patton, Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf to name a few. Those leaders exhibited traits that consistently motivated subordinates to render honorable and distinguished service earning the respect and support of American citizens.

Although there are many leadership requisites we consider as foundations of good leaders, I consider these three most important: duty, ethics and decision-making.

Duty is the personal obligation and commitment one takes to accomplish all tasks professionally and to the required standard. Through the leader’s personal commitment to duty, all subordinates receive the required training and resources to complete the assigned tasks. They follow the leader’s example to commitment to duty and strive for excellence.

To be effective and committed, leaders must understand Army ethics. Leaders must always do the "right thing," and demand the same of those under their supervision. The Army has a vast cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, and as such, it is incumbent upon all leaders to ensure all soldiers and Army civilians receive ethics training and understand the Army’s definition. As the leaders develop the training, they should consider what part self-interest or the interests of others play in the contributions to moral decisions or judgment.

Basic decision-making training, as outlined in FM 101-5, Staff Organization and Operations, is an effective tool for leaders to use to alleviate the anxiety that deters subordinates from making the right decisions. Good leaders assess their subordinates’ skills, knowledge and experience to delegate the decision-making authority at the appropriate level. It can be an effective vote of confidence in the subordinates’ ability to make sound, decisive and timely decisions.

As we proceed into the 21^st century, we rely upon our leaders to demonstrate the highest standard of duty to fulfill our obligation to our great nation. We expect our leaders to model Army ethics in caring for all resources. And finally, we count on our leaders to strive to make the right decisions that will meet the Army’s needs.

I challenge all chaplains and chaplain assistants to demonstrate effective leadership in every sense of the word, wherever and whenever they serve.