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Saturday, October 04, 2008

Morale

This is Steven Petrick posting.

Morale is something that is part of our lives, but we often do not recognize how important it can be. Most people who think about morale associate it only with wargames. The "pre-melee morale check" required in Napoleonic miniatures, or the "pre-armored vehicle assault morale check" in Squad Leader. But morale is also a factor in our daily lives. Feeling good about where you work, or simply about the work you do, helps move you forward to get your tasks accomplished, and it can make you go that extra mile to do the job well. It is not just the thing that is pushing the common infantry soldier to cross the open zone covered by enemy fire, it is often the thing that makes any of us keep doing what we are doing.

When morale fails, for whatever cause, even the simplest daily task can become insurmountable. Failed morale can literally cause people to become sick, listless, totally lacking in initiative, and unable to face their own fears.

One of the hardest tasks any leader can face is restoring the morale of those they are responsible for. Whether the leader is a military officer, the coach of a team, or simply an office manager, the task is daunting.

In a game, it is little more than a die roll or a matter of waiting a turn or two until "the rules" say the unit will recover. In real life it can sometimes be little more than a favorable pat on the back, or even a hot meal and a pep talk. Sometimes just replacing the leader who, perhaps through no fault of his or her own, has become associated with failure. Sometimes the best the leader can do to restore the morale of the followers is to remove himself/herself.

Morale is always a factor, and it should never be overlooked. Keep an eye on the people around you.

Because sometimes, when morale fails, there is no recovery, and the broken element (whether a veteran combat unit, or a business) will simply fail and be dissolved.

Morale is not just the business of the leaders, it is everyone's business. Give a favorable comment, some encouragement, sometimes just an ear to a co-worker's complaints, it can work wonders.