“All these Soldiers have their eyes on you. If they see you are discouraged they will all be cowards; but if you show that you are making preparations against the enemy, and if you call on them, you may be sure they will follow you and try to imitate you. Perhaps it is fair to expect you to be a bit better than they are. You are captain, you see, and you are in command of troops and companies, and while there was peace, you had more wealth and honour; then now when war has come, we must ask you to be better than the mob, and to plan and labour for their behalf, if necessary.” Xenophon, Athenium Historian, mercenary Soldier, and Disciple of Socrates.

“I will not send troops to danger which I will not myself encounter.” The Duke of Marlborough

FM 22-100, Army Leadership, tells us that “BE, KNOW, DO (emphasis in the original) clearly and concisely states the characteristics of an Army leader.” Army Chief of Staff General Eric K. Shinseki stated in his foreword to the FM, “Whether supporting, training, or fighting, America looks to you to BE, KNOW, and DO what is right.” (emphasis in the original)

When we were being trained and prepared for leadership, setting the example was always stressed. Command Sergeant Major Greg Birch, the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM), 75th Ranger Regiment, wrote in his RSM Note #3, “Leaders must live the standard every day.” The Regimental Commander, Colonel Craig Nixon, emphasized the RSM’s words: “All Rangers are expected to know, live and enforce the standards – everyday.”

Innumerable commanders, historians, and others have proclaimed the importance of leading the way. Although setting the example applies to all circumstances, we most often use combat examples when we want to illustrate this principle. There is no question that a leader’s example is most important when the situation is deteriorating. Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall wrote that “spectacular intervention” might be required “in extreme emergencies, when the stakes are high and the failure of others to act has made the need imperative.” However, he added, some leaders may “practice self-exposure to danger in hope of having a good moral effect on men.”

Setting the example is not limited to combat. It applies to everything that we do. Some of my best role models, teachers, and mentors were Noncommissioned Officers with whom I served or came in contact after I retired. Most of that mentoring came about by the way they performed or by what they said in informal conversations with me. Regardless, I was astute enough to give credence to what I was observing. If it can be said about anyone that they have “been there done that” it applies to our senior Noncommissioned Officers.

One of the best Noncommissioned Officers I was privileged to know was Command Sergeant Major Jimmy Pickering. One day when I was visiting him, I posed a theoretical question. “Suppose the Chief of Staff of the Army asked you what he could do to improve the combat effectiveness of the Army that did not require more money or more Soldiers, what would you say?” The Sergeant Major replied quickly as a flash, “Know the Standard. Enforce the Standard. Be the Standard.” He gave me a copy of a letter that he distributed to his NCOs whenever he was assigned to a different unit. The letter expanded on this theme while maintaining its brevity.

“The Army has established standards for all activities. Standards are formal, detailed instructions that can be stated, measured, and achieved. They provide a baseline to evaluate how well a specific task has been achieved. You must know, communicate and enforce standards.”

“Set the example” – “Be the standard” in Command Sergeant Major Pickering’s words — is the most important leadership principle. According to him, “If you know the standard and enforce the standard, you will be the standard by which other Soldiers are judged. You will (the Sergeant Major’s emphasis) change the Army every time you interact with a Soldier; change it for the better.” I agree with Command Sergeant Major Pickering that nothing would improve our Army more. We would do well to follow his advice.