Page 11 - Signal Summer 2019

What Makes a Good Leader?
In terms of what makes a good military leader, and the fundamental role that effective and transformational leadership plays in the organisation, Mark is drawn to his own journey as an Officer, where, through experience, he learned to depend not just on his rank, but also on his own style of command and leadership. “I served with many great people throughout my career in the Defence Forces, which shaped my view of leadership and what makes a good leader. I think it’s also very important to say that many of those who I would consider to be great leaders are NCO’s, who add a great layer of corporate knowledge and stability throughout so many aspects of the organisation, it’s something I remember particularly from my time as a young officer in Dundalk during the years of the last hard border.”
In the early years of an officer’s career, Mark explains, rank is what you draw on as you learn the elementary aspects of command. “In the early years of your career, rank is what you rely on, it gives you a platform to develop and learn. Troops under your command will follow you because of your rank when you are a young Lieutenant. But as you progress that changes. From the rank of Captain onward, in my opinion, they won’t follow you because of rank, they’ll follow you because of your experience, your values and how you do your work.” This is what Mark refers to as a style of leadership, which he learned through constantly challenging himself to develop as a leader. He believes that while
someone’s personal style is adaptable to various situations, their behaviour is something far more immutable and is the defining trait of a leader. “When it comes to leadership, behaviour is the most important means of communication.How you deliver your work is far more important than what you say about it. As Officers we are supposed to hold dear values like integrity, physical courage and moral courage. How we behave as leaders is how we act on delivering within this framework of values.”
Although readily acknowledging the world-class leadership development programmes which the Defence Forces implement for their leaders, he believes that nothing beats actual operational command in terms of honing one’s leadership skills. But to hone those skills, there needs to be considerable learning, which comes via learning from mistakes and constantly re-evaluating how to deliver best as a leader. “My father, who served 40 years in the Defence Forces, said to me when I was starting out that I should never be afraid of making a mistake, but to always learn from it. That is an element that I try to bring into my private- sector business. Creating an environment where people are comfortable to challenge themselves and if necessary make mistakes, allows learning and growth as a leader,” he adds.
Delivering on Deployment
As Officer Commanding the 48th Infantry Group on the Golan Heights in 2015, an operational deployment that SIGNAL had the privilege of reporting from, Mark had the opportunity to lead troops in as challenging an environment as is currently faced by the Defence Forces. The deployment came after two months of pre-deployment training, where the 48th Infantry Group was effectively forged through the management of senior Officers and the delivery of junior Officers. “When you deploy to an environment such as the Golan, particularly bearing in mind the current turmoil in the region, there is no room for errors. There is no time for micro-management. I needed to trust my Officers, and prior to this deployment I had never worked with many of them before. Inherently there is a trust-gap until you learn how to work with someone, and that was definitely the case with me. Also, bear in mind that I spent seven years in command at The Cadet School, so I tend to set a high and hard bar for junior
| LEADERSHIP: MARK PRENDERGAST |
Mark with his two sons while on duty with UNTSO.
How you deliver your work is far more important than what you say about it. As Officers we are supposed to hold dear values like integrity, physical courage and moral courage. How we behave as leaders is how we act on delivering within this framework of values.”
| SUMMER ‘19 | | 15