The Five Pillars of Team Leadership

Abstract

The Army Leadership model of Be-Know-Do is a principle learned early in the U.S. Army early Infantry training and extending throughout the soldier’s military career.  This concept can then be extrapolated to other areas of leadership training more specifically in the educational sector.  In fact, Be-Know-Do is the focus in leadership trainings for many private sectors, including colleges, universities and in education. The Be-Know-Do principle is geared toward developing organizational goals, motivation of people, focus on thinking ‘outside the box’, and decisions that uphold the entire institution, and not just ‘siloed thinking’.  Additionally, interlocking the Be-Know-Do principle with the tenets of the ‘Five Pillars of the Army Leadership Model’. Contained in the Five Pillars are doctrines of Courage, Competence, Commitment, Conviction, and Character, all of which drive the attributes and competencies of the Be-Know-Do principle. This paper will intersect these above doctrines with the ‘Leadership Primer’ by General Colin Powell, while giving the student of leadership examples from experience as to the application of each principle.

Keywords: Leadership, Be-Know-Do, Army Leadership Model, teamwork, character, presence, intellect, attributes, competencies, courage, commitment, conviction

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-8-07

Publication date: July 31^st 2025