Exploring the Character of the Military Leader: A Comparative Analysis of the U.S. and the Hellenic Armies

Abstract

Character and leadership are inextricably linked, and this is especially true within the military. The purpose of this research is to focus on the character of the military leader. By employing a qualitative research approach and combining the content analysis and case studies methods, this study compares the U.S. and Hellenic armies with respect to character and character strengths, and explores how these strengths can be assessed and developed within the military environment. Additionally, this study juxtaposes these findings against the current academic literature on character in the domains of business and psychology. Our findings indicate that the two armies share similarities in their views on character strengths of their leaders, but they differ in their respective approaches to character assessment and development. However, the comparisons of our findings against the academic literature highlight room for improvement for both armies. For that reason, we provide specific recommendations for adoption by higher-level military leaders, including how the two armies can address disparities and other gaps in their concepts of character, how they can measure character, and what strategies they can implement for an effective character development process.