548: The Importance of Morale and How to Develop It.
Jocko and Echo discuss two 1960 Military Review articles on morale and leadership, examining how commanders establish rapport with troops through visibility, personal presence, and authentic leadership while maintaining discipline, and how morale is fundamentally an emotional and personal phenomenon that transcends different types of warfare.
Summary
Jocko and Echo explore two articles from the November 1960 U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Military Review publication that examine morale in military contexts. The first article, 'The View from the Bottom' by Elihu Rose, argues that morale is a unique weapon that commanders must create through their personal projection and authentic self-presentation to troops. Rose distinguishes between strategic/tactical ability (which is paramount) and what Jocko relates to T.E. Lawrence's 'irrational tenth'—an intangible quality of leadership that cannot be taught in schools. The article emphasizes that the image a commander projects to the masses is more important than personal impressions given to a few subordinates, but this image must be authentic; troops quickly recognize and reject inauthentic attempts. Rose discusses how Field Marshal Montgomery and other leaders used distinctive symbols (like Montgomery's beret with two insignias) to become recognizable mascots while maintaining genuine character. The article cautions against the pitfalls of ostentatious displays like Patton's ivory-handled pistols, which could breed resentment among troops in the field, yet also notes that some leaders like Grant and Stilwell cultivated authenticity through casual dress. The second article, 'The Morale of the Soldier in War' by Brigadier Sir John Smith, takes a psychological approach, arguing that courage is expendable—soldiers have varying reserves of courage that can be depleted under sustained stress, and leaders must prevent complete exhaustion by rotating troops and providing breaks. Smith explains that all men have natural fears (death, mutilation, the unknown) but that modern weapons don't fundamentally change morale dynamics because courage transcends technological change. He describes how small personal weaknesses (fear of heights, bayonets, or claustrophobia) can coexist with courage in other domains, and discusses various circumstances affecting morale including victory momentum, adequate supplies, leadership quality, and training. The article stresses that discipline—both individual and unit-level—is crucial to morale and that soldiers need ennobling ideas (love of country, religion, tradition, pride of regiment) to sustain their efforts in difficult circumstances. Both articles conclude that morale is fundamentally about the human element: leaders must understand and develop their people, remain visible and authentic, establish discipline and tradition, and recognize that courage is a finite resource requiring management. Jocko and Echo also discuss tangential topics including the importance of winning and momentum in motivation, how we overindex on particular 'ecosystems' (whether military hierarchies, jiu-jitsu belts, or professional advancement) that mean little to outsiders, and how diminishing returns apply to many pursuits after a certain point.
About this episode
<p><a href="https://app.redcircle.com/shows/64a89f88-a245-4098-8d8d-496325ec4f74/exclusive-content" rel="nofollow"><strong>>Join Jocko Underground Full Episodes< </strong></a></p><p>The military review US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, again, November 1960Drawing from rarely discussed military journals written during the Cold War, Jocko and Echo explore the timeless principles behind morale, trust, courage, and why some leaders inspire extraordinary effort while others don't.</p><br /><br />Support this podcast at — <a href="https://redcircle.com/jocko-podcast/exclusive-content" rel="payment">https://redcircle.com/jocko-podcast/exclusive-content</a>
Key Insights
- Rose argues that morale is a unique weapon that only individual commanders can create through their personal projection and authentic self-presentation—no two leaders are alike, and their personality directly shapes troop morale.
- The image a commander creates for the masses is more important than personal impressions given to subordinates, because that image reaches everyone, but this image must be genuinely rooted in the commander's actual character or troops will recognize it as inauthentic.
- Montgomery deliberately set out to be 'not only a master, but a mascot' by wearing a distinctive beret with two insignias, showing that commanders can strategically develop authentic personal symbols to create recognition and rapport.
- Field Marshal Bradley criticized Patton's ostentatious pageantry as failing to grasp combat soldier psychology, arguing that flaunting fancy regalia can irritate soldiers who are dirty and in the field, causing resentment rather than confidence.
- Smith argues that courage is expendable like physical stamina—all soldiers have varying reserves that deplete under sustained stress, and if those reserves are completely drained without opportunity for recovery, soldiers become liabilities to their units.
- Nearly all soldiers naturally think they will survive even when surrounded by death, which is a psychological defense that allows them to function, but this doesn't mean they're prepared for the actual trauma of combat.
- Men have specific, often unpredictable weaknesses (fear of heights, bayonets, or claustrophobia) that can coexist with exceptional courage in other domains, making it impossible to predict how any individual will react to specific stressors.
- Victory and unbroken success dramatically raise morale and allow troops to endure greater ordeals, which is why Montgomery was wise to never launch major attacks unless odds favored success, as he gave the Eighth Army a 'diet of unbroken victory.'
- Troops subjected to continuous stress without breaks (like RAF pilots flying too many dangerous missions or WWI soldiers in trenches too long) eventually drain their reserves of courage and mental stamina completely, requiring long recovery periods.
- Smith contends that modern weapons (including nuclear weapons) don't fundamentally change morale dynamics because courage transcends technological variations—the unknown and unexperienced are always frightening regardless of the weapon type.
- Discipline—both individual and unit-level—becomes more important as war becomes more unpleasant and frightening, because the will must be stiffened by disciplined habit when fear and difficulty increase.
- Soldiers require ennobling ideas (love of country, religion, tradition, pride of regiment, confidence in victory) to sustain their highest efforts in conditions of difficulty and danger—these are all ideas in the mind that leadership must cultivate.
Topics
Transcript
This is Jocko podcast number 548 with Echo Charles and me Jocko Willink. Good evening Echo. Good evening. So I was reading through some Material I've been looking trying to get a sense of the leadership during the Cold War and Because everything was just so focused on nuclear war. They were so concerned about it and I I came upon some articles from the US Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They have a publication or they had a publication called Military Review. And this is from November of 1960. And so it's obviously it's post-World War II. It's post-Korea, but clearly prior to Vietnam. And this is a time when everyone thought the next…
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