ECMLG'15: Opening Keynote

The 11th European Conference on Management, Leadership and Governance (ECMLG) got underway this morning, at the Military Academy in Lisbon, Portugal. Nearly 90 researchers, from 28 countries have assembled to present their research and debate emergent ideas and models.

The overall theme of the conference was set by Colonel Nuno Lemos Pires when he delivered the opening keynote address ​From Leaders to Commanders. His talk provided some interesting contrasts between leadership in a civilian context and a military context:

• Whereas many leaders choose their team and mission, commanders do not chose their team nor do they chose the mission to be accomplished.
• Whereas the natural human condition is towards nepotism, the military context is one of renouncing individual freedoms and preferences in favour of the greater good.
• Military leadership (commandership) needs to embrace—almost by definition—multi-national, multi-cultural and multi-dimensional elements, whereas this is not necessarily the case in civilian leadership.

Notwithstanding these contrasts and tensions, Pires then described several attributes of effective military leadership that appear to be applicable in the civilian context:

• Critical thinking, to ask 'why' and understand motivation (cf. blind followership)
• Individuality and initiative (in effect, ownership)
• A habit of searching for and discussing contradictory options, to find 'better ways' (continuous improvement).

Leadership is a complex topic. In drawing both contrasts and parallels, including a direct challenge of the 'command and control' perception of military leadership, Pires set the scene well set for an interesting two days ahead.