To be a proud member of the U. S. army’s Delta Force team, one must pass an extremely rigid assessment process. First the recruit must be able to do 42 push-ups and 53 sit-ups, each in two minutes, run two miles in less than 16 minutes, and swim 50 meters unassisted in battle dress uniform.
He must be a U. S. citizen, and a high-school graduate. He must also be qualified for airborne training, and must meet the criteria needed to possess “Secret” clearance.
The painstaking selection procedure lasts for 21 days, and is separated into three sections.The first is intended to swiftly eliminate applicants who are unable to meet the physical, or psychological strain that is required to be a soldier of Delta Force. The second phase is designed to see how the recruit handles themselves mentally, while under an extreme amount of physical stress. And last but not least, the third stage is designed to distinguish how the volunteer works with others in a team capacity. So what attracts recruits to the rigors of becoming a member of Special Forces? Well it certainly cannot be for the pay; the average wage for a new recruit is approximately $887.
70 a month.So what’s the real reason behind a soldier wanting to be a part of the elite Delta Force Team? The best way to sum up this query doesn’t come from a Delta Force soldier, but from a young and would be, future Canadian soldier. His mother articulates, “My son says he wants to make a difference in the world, and experience humanity firsthand. He says he wants ‘to help victims, keep civilians safe, help set up an education system. ’ That’s huge.
” (Time Canada 2006) In my personal opinion, I would think that the mind-set that motivates an aspiring recruit would have to be the deliberation of belonging to something larger than yourself.In other words, being part of a team. It’s in the same line of thought as to why a youth would join a baseball, or football team; the pride of belonging to something precious, a humility that one experiences in sharing a common goal. As the Article, Leading America’s Team: Delta Force, states, “Like business teams, Special Forces teams have a mission statement. Both businesses and the military provide services and need good people to carry out the mission.
” (Casing The Web) Which brings us to the question, “Would such people be less attracted to other organizations? Why or why not?It’s my belief that such individuals are cut from a different cloth; it’s something innate in their psyche, a calling if you will. I would have to say as far as bureaucratic professions go: firemen, police men, soldiers and the like; one doesn’t do it for the pay, but for the passion and thrill that comes with “doing the job”. Another consideration that falls in line with this manner of thinking, is the fact that, “Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are important to all organizations. How do they apply to a charity? Charities are like any other business enterprise, they require the same basic structure from the ground up.
As the article Leading America’s Team: Delta Force, declares, “Management is defined as the process used to accomplish organizational resources. Students who plan to enter the government, the military, charities, or associations need to understand these principles as much as those who enter businesses. ” (Casing The Web) Another focal point that a charity or industry need to hone in on is putting themselves in a positive light, that is, in regards to the manner in which the charity or business is viewed by the consumer. Van Yoder articulates: “Embracing a cause makes good business sense too.Nothing builds brand loyalty among today’s increasingly hard-to-please consumers like a company’s proven commitment to a worthy cause. Other things being equal, many consumers would rather do business with a company that stands for something beyond profits.
” (Van Yoder, Successful Meetings, February, 2004) To sum things up we come to the essay’s last question, “As one advances in the military, do the skills needed at various levels of management change from emphasis on technical to human relations to conceptual as they do in business firms? Why? or why not?The answer would be yes. To back up this premise, I’ve created a fictional character; let’s call him Jim. To keep this paper in line with a military frame of mind, let’s say Jim has just entered Annapolis Naval Academy. New recruits are looked at as being the bottom of the barrel, and are called plebes, a Latin word for inferior.
Through the years, and as Jim or midshipmen as they are referred to, progresses through the ranks of the academy , he is being educated and skilled in his chosen field; the exact same way as an undergrad at any other university would be.Once Jim graduates he enters the navy as an ensign. As Jim evolves through the grades, he is given more responsibilities, and is accountable for being in charge of more sailors. Jim retains his skills, and uses them on a daily basis, but now he must also be able to use his human relation skills, proficiencies that he has picked up from observing and being in one to one contact with his superiors, mentors if you will.To add, and back up this ideology, As the article Leading America’s Team: Delta Force, verbalizes, “Leaders can adopt several different managerial styles. In battle, a military leader may have to be autocratic and demand the unquestioning obedience of followers.
At other times, a military leader may be quite democratic and rely heavily on teams to provide input and suggestions. A good leader has to be a good listener. ”
