it is always very interesting to see the regular pattern of the topics in this site. generally all the postings i found here are about managing people who are generally high educated. but managing soldiers who are generally high school passed, is somewhat different. this half educated people have a different look towards their life. the way an educated person accepts his job, we dont find that within soldiers generally. educated persons are self motivated and soldiers needs to be motivated by their leaders.
can any of my friends of this site make a psychological analysis of a soldiers life?
From Bangladesh, Dhaka
can any of my friends of this site make a psychological analysis of a soldiers life?
From Bangladesh, Dhaka
Hi Borhan,
I wouldn't necessarily agree that educated people are self-motivated. If that was the case, we wouldn't see so many motivational lectures and workshops being conducted for the employees in the organisation.
When it comes to soldiers, I highly respect them for their courage, will power and discipline. I recollect a story told by one of my Professors who taught a management course in a certain B School. A guy undergoing training in the Navy used to attend his lectures regularly. I'll quote my Prof's words:
" The lectures were scheduled to start at 6:30 pm. Everyday I saw this chap coming to class at dot 6:30 and sitting straight with an erect posture without being bothered at all about the empty classroom around him. While the rest of his class mates, who worked in the various companies, joined the classroom, it was 7:00pm and they were lethargic, bored and lacked attention throughout the lecture. But this chap, despite his heavy training and a day much more busier than the rest of the class, was attentive throughout. He never took notes, just listened attentive and the same erect posture throughout the lecture. At the end, he even retained more knowledge than his classmates though they had written much more! He refused to work in a group because despite his numerous efforts, none of the crowd would ever do a work on time and it was in his nature to respect time and understand its value."
I remember the tone with which my prof spoke of him. It was a proud tone... not a proud tone as proud to have him as a student, but proud to actually teach someone so well disciplined and respectful. I know for sure there are not many people about whom this Prof. feels this way! My point is, even though soldiers, navy and air force personnel may not be well paid or highly educated, they have seen life and have learnt the basic lessons in life the practical way while we struggle to learn them the book way!
A soldier's life is full of tension. You obviously know that better than me. I always wonder... Did a soldier become a soldier at his own will? It could be possible that he didn't and struggling in an area where his interests do not lie, is the number one reason for lacking motivation.
Also, when a person becomes too used to obeying authority figures, he/she will tend to obey him/her and stop using his/her judgement. Similar thing may happen with soldiers. When one is expectd to obey an authority figure so much so that he/she is not allowed to take the daily routine decisions on his own, it's quite possible he may not use them in daily routines at all. In a war/crisis, the situation becomes different. I believe soldiers are required to take on the spot decisions without depending on the person in authority primarily because he may not be around and there is no way to reach him. Under stress upto a certain level, we humans have a certain quality of making good judgements and decisions, regardless of how risky the situation may be. Experience, of course, plays a major role in this. I would suggest reading the book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. He has an entire chapter dedicated to soldiers and a particulay military genius. I am sure you would love it!
In my daily college life also, there are not many who volunteer to do a certain thing. Why does a person, a soldier or any one else, refrain from volunteering even though he/she may want to? Lack of motivation is the most obvious answer. But rather than the question of who lacks motivation, its important to ask why a person lacks motivation.
Reasons for lack of motivation
1. Do not have a written list of important goals that define success for you personally.
2. Believe that present goals or activities are wrong for you.
3. Feelings/emotions about present activities are generally negative.
4. Don't have (or believe you don't have) the ability to do present activities or obtain future goals.
5. Satisfaction of achieving goals seems in distant future.
6. Present activities not seen as related to important goals.
7. Important goals conflict with present activities.
8. Extrinsic incentives are low.
9. Personal problems interfere with present activities.
The following link would give you a brief idea on how to motivate a person, typically an employee.
http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/
I am sure browsing around the site would give you even more matter and perspective on the topic of motivation.
Regards,
Vinisha. :)
From India,
1I wouldn't necessarily agree that educated people are self-motivated. If that was the case, we wouldn't see so many motivational lectures and workshops being conducted for the employees in the organisation.
When it comes to soldiers, I highly respect them for their courage, will power and discipline. I recollect a story told by one of my Professors who taught a management course in a certain B School. A guy undergoing training in the Navy used to attend his lectures regularly. I'll quote my Prof's words:
" The lectures were scheduled to start at 6:30 pm. Everyday I saw this chap coming to class at dot 6:30 and sitting straight with an erect posture without being bothered at all about the empty classroom around him. While the rest of his class mates, who worked in the various companies, joined the classroom, it was 7:00pm and they were lethargic, bored and lacked attention throughout the lecture. But this chap, despite his heavy training and a day much more busier than the rest of the class, was attentive throughout. He never took notes, just listened attentive and the same erect posture throughout the lecture. At the end, he even retained more knowledge than his classmates though they had written much more! He refused to work in a group because despite his numerous efforts, none of the crowd would ever do a work on time and it was in his nature to respect time and understand its value."
I remember the tone with which my prof spoke of him. It was a proud tone... not a proud tone as proud to have him as a student, but proud to actually teach someone so well disciplined and respectful. I know for sure there are not many people about whom this Prof. feels this way! My point is, even though soldiers, navy and air force personnel may not be well paid or highly educated, they have seen life and have learnt the basic lessons in life the practical way while we struggle to learn them the book way!
A soldier's life is full of tension. You obviously know that better than me. I always wonder... Did a soldier become a soldier at his own will? It could be possible that he didn't and struggling in an area where his interests do not lie, is the number one reason for lacking motivation.
Also, when a person becomes too used to obeying authority figures, he/she will tend to obey him/her and stop using his/her judgement. Similar thing may happen with soldiers. When one is expectd to obey an authority figure so much so that he/she is not allowed to take the daily routine decisions on his own, it's quite possible he may not use them in daily routines at all. In a war/crisis, the situation becomes different. I believe soldiers are required to take on the spot decisions without depending on the person in authority primarily because he may not be around and there is no way to reach him. Under stress upto a certain level, we humans have a certain quality of making good judgements and decisions, regardless of how risky the situation may be. Experience, of course, plays a major role in this. I would suggest reading the book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. He has an entire chapter dedicated to soldiers and a particulay military genius. I am sure you would love it!
In my daily college life also, there are not many who volunteer to do a certain thing. Why does a person, a soldier or any one else, refrain from volunteering even though he/she may want to? Lack of motivation is the most obvious answer. But rather than the question of who lacks motivation, its important to ask why a person lacks motivation.
Reasons for lack of motivation
1. Do not have a written list of important goals that define success for you personally.
2. Believe that present goals or activities are wrong for you.
3. Feelings/emotions about present activities are generally negative.
4. Don't have (or believe you don't have) the ability to do present activities or obtain future goals.
5. Satisfaction of achieving goals seems in distant future.
6. Present activities not seen as related to important goals.
7. Important goals conflict with present activities.
8. Extrinsic incentives are low.
9. Personal problems interfere with present activities.
The following link would give you a brief idea on how to motivate a person, typically an employee.
http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/
I am sure browsing around the site would give you even more matter and perspective on the topic of motivation.
Regards,
Vinisha. :)
From India,
hiii Vinisha,
i am really impressed with the way you have given a realistic and profound explaination of the soldiers' psyche.
I think the issue of motivation does not revolve around whether a person is educated or not, rather its a matter of how an individual looks at his own life in the larger scheme of things i.e. life and as such the views of Major Borhan seem to be rather amplified.perhaps his 15 years of stint with the armed forces has made him to think of the psyche of the soldiers as somewhat prenotioned and as he himself acknowledges in his post that he cant think beyond the horizons.
A more objective view will be to bring the soldiers in the mainstream of living and enjoying life.I feel sometimes the long stays at the borders deprives them of the basic human necesstiy of affectionate belonging and this takes its toll on their overall functioning as a normal human being.
Therefore i completely disagree with what Mr Borhan believes of the human motivation.his views are shortsighted and biased.
Although i m not a hardcore HR professional but out of a genuine interest in this field i have put my views and hope that the friends here find something of use in them .
regards
rajesh
From India
i am really impressed with the way you have given a realistic and profound explaination of the soldiers' psyche.
I think the issue of motivation does not revolve around whether a person is educated or not, rather its a matter of how an individual looks at his own life in the larger scheme of things i.e. life and as such the views of Major Borhan seem to be rather amplified.perhaps his 15 years of stint with the armed forces has made him to think of the psyche of the soldiers as somewhat prenotioned and as he himself acknowledges in his post that he cant think beyond the horizons.
A more objective view will be to bring the soldiers in the mainstream of living and enjoying life.I feel sometimes the long stays at the borders deprives them of the basic human necesstiy of affectionate belonging and this takes its toll on their overall functioning as a normal human being.
Therefore i completely disagree with what Mr Borhan believes of the human motivation.his views are shortsighted and biased.
Although i m not a hardcore HR professional but out of a genuine interest in this field i have put my views and hope that the friends here find something of use in them .
regards
rajesh
From India
Hi Rajesh,
A soldier who has got into the army at his own will loves his job the same way you and me would love to live! When you speak of affectionate belonging, yes they do miss their families, but they love their jobs. Besides this, the bond that a soldier creates with his colleagues should be highly appreciated. He would die for them. So isn't this togetherness an affection altogether? They do have fun during times of peace.
When one tries to psychological analyse a person, it is absolutely essential that he/she is able to do so by keeping his/her already formed views/opinions at one side. The pre-notioned views of Major Borhan, is likely to be present in us too, if we try to psychologically analyse another person in our profession or another student.
I completely agree with your view that
"the issue of motivation does not revolve around whether a person is educated or not, rather its a matter of how an individual looks at his own life in the larger scheme of things "
Hi Borhan,
I am awaiting your response. Would like to know what you think.
Regards,
Vinisha.
From India,
A soldier who has got into the army at his own will loves his job the same way you and me would love to live! When you speak of affectionate belonging, yes they do miss their families, but they love their jobs. Besides this, the bond that a soldier creates with his colleagues should be highly appreciated. He would die for them. So isn't this togetherness an affection altogether? They do have fun during times of peace.
When one tries to psychological analyse a person, it is absolutely essential that he/she is able to do so by keeping his/her already formed views/opinions at one side. The pre-notioned views of Major Borhan, is likely to be present in us too, if we try to psychologically analyse another person in our profession or another student.
I completely agree with your view that
"the issue of motivation does not revolve around whether a person is educated or not, rather its a matter of how an individual looks at his own life in the larger scheme of things "
Hi Borhan,
I am awaiting your response. Would like to know what you think.
Regards,
Vinisha.
From India,
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