The copper era and Morenci leader. [volume] (Clifton, Ariz.) 1911-1929, 1920-01-30
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COMMAND

maintained without resorting to hard !
boiled" measures to maintain it. 1t
believes that there are "a few regu-
lar army officers, who, while well
trained and able, no doubt, seem to
believe somewhat in the ME und
Gott theory. And it would seem that
the attitude of some volunteer Off
GERS is patterned a bit after this style
of command What the army needs
is leaders, not disciplinarians. A
leader will have discipline when the
hard boiled" officers organization
/ has entirely broken down. The iron
hand will work alright when the hand
is there and is endowed with the
strength to exert the pressure, but,
alas, even the best disciplinarians are
sometimes absent or their hands are
stayed by one of a million weakness
es to which flesh is heir. There is al
ways a leader in the ranks when
! body of men have been trained by a
real commander. His system dis
tributes the responsibilities of COM
mand and mechanism functions on
when he is absent or dead.
1t has been observed how easily
some officers get the best out of their
men without "bawling them OUT Men
will think and act on their own mi
tiative when not too dependent on one
man and it has been observed how
quickly they will react to cover up the
mistakes of their commander by do
ing what he has trained them to do in
an emergency. In other words they
are well-trained men, not well-adjust-
ed machines. The best machines will
stop when pivot drops out. but the
best men replace what is missing in
the great human machine just by TAX
ing thought, and the machinery never
stops. Well-trained men, too, know
that their commander has weaknesses
that he will make errors-and they
respect him no less because of his hui
man failings. Anyway. the command
er that is trying to make his men be-
lieve that he is infallible is only fool
ing himself, is riding to fall. While
the commander may chide for errors
of judgment he will take thought not
to disturb the basis of mutual affec-
ton and cooperation.
The judgment Of 2}0 men on, their
captain is a better estimate of his real
ability than report on him by the
! general staff. There is nothing too
! small for the men to observe-every
4 act, word, expression, almost his very
] thoughts are under their scrutiny. And
/ there is plenty and enough intelligence
among $50 American youths to put any
| commander to the severest test. If he
qualities he has received the highest
award that could be given him and he
! can sleep well and soundly with the
! knowledge that his men are at their
| posts and that his will expressed, i'm
! piled or apparent is being carried out
! to the letter They know, almost as
well as he does what he wants done,
and for pure love of him, often against
! their own judgment, they execute his
will because they find pleasure in
| pleasing him. 1t takes the edge off
the sharp duties of a soldier to know
that, however hard the task is, it is
for the best interests of all concerned
| to see it well done and that every man
will win approval for his best efforts
and only just disapproval and punish
ment for duties disregarded.
1t is curious thing that men will
bear the severest reprimand or punish
ment without complaining when they
know that the fault lies with them and
that none guilty will escape the wrath
of the just commander. A unit or
ganized on these lines furnishes its
own disciplinarians and discipline. The
slothful. the ill-intentioned find no
comfort among their ''buddies" who
are not slow to take the punishment of
such in their own hands. They make
it very uncomfortable for disorganiz-
ers who are always active in every
body of men.
1t would seem that young officers
should be instructed along psychology
cal lines and made to see that only by
understanding men can they hope to
get the best out of them. 1t is poor
unit whose commander cannot find a
man better qualified to do anything
that is to be done than he can do it
himself. Certainly it is the easiest
way, and so absurdly simple.
HE Sol WE'D THE DIFFICULTY