In All Things, Moderation: A Philosophy for Leaders
In All Things, Moderation: A Philosophy for Leaders
Today’s military leaders can access more books, articles, podcasts, and theories on leadership than any generation in history. Terms like “servant-leader” and “extreme ownership” dominate conversations and professional development. Leaders who read voraciously, are in peak physical condition, and burn the candle at both ends to ensure their organization is always “winning” are held in the utmost regard by their superiors and peers. These leaders seem to have perfect home lives, mind what they say, and are never caught unprepared. Extreme solutions will solve any problem, provided you are committed enough – or so some would have you believe. While this may be possible for a select few, replicating this approach can lead to both personal and professional imbalance that is unhealthy, unsustainable, and unrealistic. Exercising the virtue of moderation is a remedy to both the high demands of leadership and the excesses encouraged by modern society.
Moderation from the Ancients
The virtue of moderation was highly esteemed by ancient thinkers. The quintessential definition of this comes from Aristotle in his theory of the Golden Mean. This theory places virtue at the center of a line, with both extremes representing undesirable characteristics of either excess or deficiency. When speaking of bravery in The Nicomachean Ethics, he writes “So, self-discipline and bravery are destroyed by excess and deficiency, while taking a middle course preserves them.” This is followed by other examples, some of which are depicted in Table 1.
The idea of moderation precedes Aristotle and has been embraced by many cultures. The second Delphic Maxim “Nothing in Excess” adorned the Temple of Apollo. The Buddha teaches a “Middle Way”, and The Analects of Confucius states, “The Master said, ‘Perfect is the virtue which is according to the Constant Mean! Rare for a long time has been its practice among the people..” The Bible teaches in Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 “Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.” A more practical example comes from Marcus Aurelius Meditations, where he writes in admiration of his father: “His care of his body within bounds and measure, not as one that desired to live long, or over-studious of neatness, and elegancy; and yet not as one that did not regard it: so that through his own care and providence, he seldom needed any inward physic, or outward applications.” In this passage, we can see how finding a middle ground between all-consuming physical fitness and sloth is best.
Circumstances Matter
What this means for each person will depend on circumstance. Moderation in fitness for a 20-year-old ranger, a 40-year-old logistician, or a 60-year-old civilian will look very different. Identifying where the moderate ideal lies, in both professional and personal challenges, will always depend on the individual and the situation. For a junior officer, one professional example is patrolling. All Army leaders should understand the principles of patrolling, but a light infantry officer must develop greater proficiency in this field than an aviator. While the infantryman may spend several hours per week studying, training, and refining their patrolling skills, the aviator may not train this for months at a time. Each has found the appropriate ideal for their position, but their proficiency looks very different.
Your personal circumstances matter as well. A newly minted West-Point lieutenant may have plenty of time to develop through reading after work, compared to a recent OCS graduate balancing a spouse, children, and a mortgage, who will find their time limited. Even if both officers occupy the same job, their personal situations are unique. Identifying and achieving the Golden Mean for these two individuals will look different, but both must start with personal reflection. Before military leaders can practice moderation professionally, they must begin by finding it in their own lives.
How Do I Find My Golden Mean?
True virtue comes through the daily humdrum: the father budgeting to pay for groceries while saving for family theme park tickets; the mother balancing a career with the requirements of child-rearing; the child finding out that one piece of cake is ok to eat while a whole cake makes them sick. For leaders, moderation is deciding when you will miss your workout, family dinner, or your child’s recital for your profession. The easy answers are “never” or “always,” one of which will lead to unemployment while the other leads to loneliness. When we find ourselves in trouble is typically when we have strayed from the Golden Mean for our situation. Fortunately, there are several ways we can begin to practice moderation in our own lives and decision making.
Signing up to volunteer at a charitable organization on post (and keeping it to yourself!) can counteract the excess pride that you feel after receiving an award or distinguishing yourself at a training event. To develop the virtue of wit in conversation, you can read the news more regularly and practice active listening. To develop the virtue of temperance, you can allow yourself only one unhealthy purchase per week and ration it.
Developing virtues through individual decisions with these methods carries over to military leadership. When rewarding or punishing Soldiers, taking deliberate time to reflect, soliciting input when appropriate from peers, subordinates, and superiors, and researching options and past instances of similar conduct will yield a better result than a unilateral decision. This applies to junior leaders responsible for a fire-team as much as to those leading platoons, companies, or higher! As the Army focuses on large scale combat, leaders will be forced to make hard decisions between casualties and mission accomplishment. Assessing how to ration care between the wounded, seize the objective, and preserve combat power for the follow-on mission will require a leader who is well versed in moderation and will not rashly commit their forces and energy in only one direction.
It is important to note that most people have a natural tendency towards one extreme. For instance, a leader who tends towards unoriginality can begin writing at home or join a writing club if they require some more motivation. This helps develop the virtue of creativity, which can pay dividends the next time a commander asks for an “out of the box” solution. Another example common in the military comes from physical fitness. Many leaders gravitate towards one area, such as running, lifting, or ruck marching. Soldiers will quickly identify what type of physical training their leaders prefer and associate them with it. Good leaders make themselves uncomfortable by developing their weaknesses. This makes them more well-rounded and provides a role model for Soldiers who feel as though they cannot develop their own weaknesses. Planning for moderation involves identifying the extremes, deciding where you belong on that spectrum, and working to get there. Often, this can be even harder than taking an absolute position!
Implementing Moderation
The first step for any self-improvement is reflection. For a junior officer, this can begin with soliciting feedback from mentors, peers, and subordinates on what areas you could benefit from moderation. Combining this with self-analysis through journaling, meditation, or reflective prayer will lead to a set of behaviors to focus on. Decide on one or two and develop a gradual plan of growth that involves actions, reflection, reading, and listening. Remember, setting realistic goals will drive long-term change; running a marathon is not the best way to improve your two-mile run. Once you have a plan, establish an accountability system. Whether it is checkups with a friend, a checklist you must update each day, or a set time for reflection, establishing a system to keep yourself on track is important. A few examples are a book club with like-minded lieutenants in your organization, a whiteboard with fitness records, or a quiet time during the day. However you track it, accountability is key. These steps will help you temper your extremes, be more content, and become a better leader. As modern society pulls us towards extremes, remembering that virtue in thought and deed lies somewhere in the middle is a lesson military leaders must keep at the front, or should I say, in the middle, of their minds.
Author Biography
Captain Jay Carmody is the commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 19th Engineer Battalion stationed at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. His previous assignments include being a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, a Project Engineer at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, Future Readiness Officer and Company Commander of the 502nd Multi-Role Bridge Company, at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University and a Master of Business Administration from University of Maryland, Global Campus.
