A Personal Leadership Philosophy

The foundation of my leadership philosophy is anchored by a few key influences. The two I will address here are polar opposites. ETCM Joe Rowe was the Chief of the Mess in Valdez, AK as well as the ESD supervisor. Joe taught me about empowering your workforce. He understood that he was no longer the technical expert within his rating.

Leadership is not a simple, static concept. It does not form overnight. Instead, it develops alongside experiences which form a person’s character. It is as dynamic as the events that shape our lives. My life experiences equip me with the knowledge to form my own leadership philosophy. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I ensure my subordinates understand my philosophy. I ensure they understand what I expect of them. The basis of my leadership philosophy is promoting self-development, serving others, being proactive, and being an example of effective leadership.

The very basis for my leadership philosophy starts and ends with the Army Values. I ensure each and every decision I make aligns with these core values. In 2007, after first pinning on Sergeant, I was in a position of limited leadership experience and charged with the health and welfare of three Soldiers. By utilizing past experiences and understanding the young Soldiers point of view, I developed the foundation of my Leadership Philosophy, the

According to dictionary.com leadership is defined as, the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group: Its synonyms include guidance, influence, control, direction and supervision. These are all qualifications that are needed to be an effective leader. All characteristics are not necessarily needed at the same time and do no need to be used for each subordinate. This paper will identify my personal leadership philosophy along with theories to support my leadership style.

Phase 1 of the Personal Leadership Philosophy Paper presented the opinion and supporting information establishing that; leaders are products of opportunity, birth and environment, but of these; opportunity influences great leadership the most. Furthermore, it was discussed that assigned leadership is a cancer to corporate America and this point is illustrated in the following example. While employed at Deloitte and Touché Consulting Group (DNT) we engaged ARCO, a major oil and gas company, to develop and implement an email migration strategy that consisted of 1200 Arco users at their subsidiary company, Vaster Resources Inc. In the initial meeting we were introduced to a gentleman, we will call John Smith for the purposes of this paper,

My leadership philosophy stems from my experience in the Army. As a leader, I believe in honesty, commitment, and respect for others. All responsibilities should be carried out in a timely manner. My main priority is the well-being of my Soldiers. My Soldiers can expect me a leader that is caring, dedicated, and upholds the standards.

Philosophy is "the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge or conduct."(Stuart Berg Flexner and Lenore Crary Hauck, 1993). Leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction, and motivation. Command is the authority a person in the military service lawfully exercises over subordinates by virtue of his rank and assignment or position.(FM 6-22) My leadership philosophy has been developing thru my Army career. I have use the NCO creed as a pillar for my Leadership philosophy. The outcome of my performance is a direct reflects of my subordinates. My ideas will not always the best, that is why my Soldiers have a open door to provide any feedback.

Leadership Philosophy As leaders we must adapt and conform to an ever changing world and organization. I believe leaders must have several leadership traits in order to influence and incite and lead Soldiers to accomplish our mission. Those attributes and competencies need to be instilled and developed from the TOP DOWN! I want leaders to have Character, Presence, Intellect, and be able to Lead and Develop Soldiers so as an organization we can achieve final results.

Leadership is the ability to inspire and focus members on a common goal, whether short term or long term and have the same vision. Leadership is more than telling or ordering, but having members believe and want to follow the same path as you. It’s a commitment to your people built on trust and respect. Many leaders shaped my personal leadership philosophy, to include several negative and positive experiences. Negative experiences from poor leaders and lessons learned on my part have uniquely shaped this vision. Difficult to be a good follower when your leader lacks competency, integrity, and your trust. If a leader takes credit for work other than their own, or forces and ideology onto others, but does not follow it themselves; these negative influences damage the trust and respect required by all leaders. However, positive experiences can also have a career lasting impact. A leader who inspires through personal actions and convictions can change how an entire unit operates without ever saying a word.

In my opinion, one of the best leaders in my community is my youth group pastor. He is flexible, polite, a great role model, and always ready to help those in need. Moreover he is the picture perfect image of what he wants others to become, and is willing to help anyone reach that point with grace and compassion.

Throughout my life, I have never really been a follower in the typical sense. While I have looked to people older than me for help and advice. In addition, I never really saw myself as a typical leader. What I mean by that is I felt that I was a leader by doing my own thing and not worrying about everyone else or being a part of a particular clique. What I realized by just going about my business is that my attitude attracted others in the sense that they knew I was about work and wanted to emulate my demeanor in order for to be successful in school. One time that I recall in which I had to lead a team of my peers was this past summer. I enrolled in a few summer classes in order to better prepare me for college. For one of my classes

My father once told me that, “everything we do— be it in academia, at work, social or family life—we are guided by principles, beliefs and values that collectively form our ideology of life.” I believe that every leader, to a certain extent, is shaped through her individual personal experience. Although in some cases, we may not realize to what extent our personal assumptions and beliefs shape our ability to lead or be led.

One of the most important aspects of a successful career is leadership. It plays a key role in personal development and career development when working with others. Successful people have a good grasp on their leadership skills, and that allows them to develop personally and professionally. Many could argue that the success of someone is not defined by what they own, wear, or know, but rather their ability to use leadership to impact others and be a catalyst for change and progress in what they do. It is imperative for people to believe in leadership since it is what provides direction to follow towards achieving their goals and objectives personally and professionally.

My leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in my 12 years of experiences in the Army. As a leader, I believe in being accessible and mentoring subordinates. I recognize success and work hard to assist my subordinates in overcoming their difficulties in performance. I welcome feedback sessions to remain flexible and open to change. This sets up the group to be very productive and adaptable and can be incorporated at all levels of any organization.

Confidence, communication and commitment are just three of many traits that a leader possesses. Having those traits may help you become a leader but continuous hard work and dedication makes you one. To continue to be a leader you must also be intelligent, courageous, and determined. Becoming a leader is difficult but continuing to be one is even more difficult.