Establishing Leadership and Authority Skills for Future Officers

Abstract To be, to know, to do - express clearly and concisely the features characteristic of a leader. Military leadership skills are manifested through high principles, professionalism, moral integrity, the ability to lead people, discipline and rule compliance. The quality of applied leadership is influenced by the leader’s ability to acquire the power associated with the formal position and the way he uses it in the process of influencing the behavior of subordinates. Leadership is an issue that is intensively studied, because the style of the leader determines the effectiveness of any organisation. One of the reasons why current scientific concerns are focused on the study of the leadership development methods and on the selection of leaders who have the skills and abilities to successfully perform such functions. In this article we have used reference works of the literature to carry out a study on the manifestation of leadership skills and leadership abilities amongst military students. In military organizations, authority is perceived as a right, a power to command, to issue orders or to command subordinates to obey, but also as a prestige reflected by the respect of those around the military leader, highlighting him as a person who imposes himself through knowledge and behavior. Authority is often accepted in two ways: either through coercion and the exercise of power, or on the basis of belief and influence.