Leadership  Most officers lead a complex, technical life, with many highly specialized duties to perform. These duties are his responsibilities as an individual, and as a highly- trained,  responsible  member  of  an  exacting  profession.  In addition, he has to lead his men. An officer does not exist for his individual, personal value, but for his ability to show the way and make his men want to follow. This is indeed the core of the officer's existence and, without it no hope exists of grappling with the tasks of command. It is seen at its simplest in warlike operations, but the power to lead smoothes the way of every task in every branch of a military organization, whether in war or peace. It breathes that vitality into an organization that will take a collection of men,buildings and machines, and waken them to purposeful,  effective  life.  How is it  done?  First,  by force  of character. Clearly, people are not all born with the same characteristics, and some from their earliest years have felt the power to show others the way, and to influence their minds. We call them born leaders, and they are just that; born with strong, independent, assertive minds just as some are born with a good natural physique. But this is not to say that the characteristics of effective leadership cannot be acquired, just as a good physique can be cultivated with suitable effort. In all of the words spoken and written about leadership, one fundamental point continually emerges; namely that, for most, the skills of leadership are not normally acquired instantly. The training of a leader, whether it be formal or through experiences, takes many years. Appropriate experiences are necessary, both to build and develop the leader's own  force  of  character,  and  also  to  increase  his  ability  to influence others.