Definition Of Leadership

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.

Leadership can be defined in many different facets. To me the definition of leadership is, “Displaying the ability to inspire and empower others through the example of one’s own self actions”. Too many times we hear, “Do what I say”, instead of, “Do what I do.” A successful leader’s actions speak louder than words ever will. My first day in the Coast Guard following boot camp graduation, I experienced firsthand on how a leader should not act nor conduct themselves. Though alcohol was the main contributing factor on what occurred that evening, looking back, it was more of the lack of maintaining our core values that ultimately resulted in that Chief losing the title as Chief of the boat and being forced to retire.. That moment

According to Webster’s Dictionary, leadership is the power or ability to lead other people, the act or instance of leading. I believe that Leadership is an art, the art to get others to follow and accomplish a common goal or task in a harmonic manner. A leader can be shown in all kinds of shapes and forms. To be a great leader many people believe it consists of modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. Over the course of me learning how to become a better leader and being in leadership roles, I’ve learned that all these are very necessary to be a great leader.

My definition of Leadership is similar to the Coast Guard’s definition of Leadership, which is to influence others to achieve the same goal. The Coast Guard’s definition of leadership from the Leadership Development Framework COMDTINST M5351.3 is Leadership is the ability to influence others to obtain their obedience, respect, confidence, and loyal cooperation. My previous leadership influences during my career were able to lead myself and my shipmates by influencing us to accomplish many missions. The BMC Rick Barones and the MKCM Darcy Collins of the Coast Guard influence their people with compassion and respect. They also lead with confidence and knowledge of their rates and craft, which made them worth listening to.

Leadership is inspiring others to WANT to accomplish YOUR goals. Throughout my career, I’ve had some interesting influences that led to my leadership philosophy. Looking specifically at my Chiefs we’ll start when I was a non-rate. My Senior Chief OIC was mostly a good guy and as a non-rate I didn’t have too much interaction with him. I do remember that he had difficulty saying “no” even when it was needed. If it was asked of him, he would have his crew take care of it, regardless of safety or fatigue. As an E-4, my Chief was a lot of fun and loved to interact with the crew. But he had a habit of getting drunk with his subordinates and exposing himself. As an E-5 my Chief was a bit corrupt. He had a history of awarding contracts

Leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish the mission by providing guidance, purpose and motivation. This idea of the leadership has been shaped and molded throughout my career, being exposed to the transition of the post 9/11 Coast Guard, experiencing multi-national operations/exercises on forward deployed assets, fostering relationships with inter-agency partners to effectively support counter terrorism and counter narcotic missions and developing processes at one of five Geographic Combatant Commands; has set the foundation for my own personal philosophy.

My idea of leadership is being able to inspire others, motivate, set a vision, communicate, respect others, and of course, lead by example. A leader must have an honest understanding of who they are, what they know, and what they are capable of. To be a successful leader, you have to be able to convince your followers, not just yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed. In my opinion, this can build confidence in their followers to have faith in you, in order to be able to lead. I strongly believe that good leaders are made rather, and not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders are developed through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and

There is a belief that leaders are born not made. I don`t agree with this idea because I believe that leadership can be learned. Furthermore, leader is born to be made. So I can say that LeaderShape`s Institute program, which helps and supports the nation in a unique way teaches leadership knowledge and skill. By joining the training program, I tried to focus on developing my skills to be a leader.

Beginning in boot camp and continuing throughout my career, I’ve seen the Coast Guard promote the leadership model to be: “You” influencing “Others” to achieve a “Goal”. With all the different ways leadership can be defined, this simplistic model which has been permanently engrained in my thinking definition still rings true for me. As such, when defining my own personal definition of leadership, I align it to this same model. More specifically, while I support the fact that leadership involves influencing others to achieve a common end I propose that is not the whole story. Leaders must not be stagnant in their vision and must lend themselves to the possibility they may have to adjust their leadership styles depending on the goal. The best leaders are the ones that understand their own personality traits as well as those traits of the people they are trying to lead.

There is no set standard on how a person learns to be a leader. There is no set standard for a proper leadership style or how one person influences another. No one person leads the same either. Some people learn their particular style from reading books; others learn from taking leadership courses. I for one have learned my leadership style from watching and learning from others. I am an observer on how I learn. I remember every single boss I have ever had and I can recall almost everything I liked and did not like about how he/she led. I am no philosopher, so my personal definition of leadership is to do what I think is right to and for others, from what I have learned, and if that does not work, try something different.

Webster’s Dictionary defines leadership as the “ability to lead.” The Marine Corps defines leadership as “the sum of those qualities of intellect, human understanding and moral character that enables a person to inspire and control a group of people successfully.”

At some point in life, someone is required to become a leader; many organisations and specific situations require a leader (Northouse, 2014). No matter the profile of the individual, there are demands placed on the individual which require them to deal with many responsibilities and duties which can be both challenging and rewarding at the same time but this depends on how well the individual handles themselves in these situations. The important question is; “what is leadership?”. Many people question what this term means as it is a fundamental skill which is required in the workforce (Avery, 2004). Leadership definitions have been approached in various ways with many authors relating to the nature of leadership rather than distinctively

Leadership is a difficult word to define and according to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary leadership is the “office or position of a leader” (Miriam-Webster, 2010). This definition is definitely not one that I would ascribe to when discussing leadership. My definition of leadership is “the ability someone has to motivate and empower others to achieve a goal.” Some may add to this definition, others may discard it altogether and have a completely different definition. In the end, leadership takes on many different forms depending on who is doing the defining and we end up asking ourselves, what is leadership and why do we care?

What is leadership? It is defined as being an action leading a group or organization. It involves being able to take control of certain situations, and leading in the correct direction. Being a leader takes great knowledge and skill. It involves one being able to make smart decisions in order for his/her congregation to come out as successful. A leader must also know, that it is wise to have people in his/her corner to advise them of good or bad decisions. President Barack Obama has his Vice-President, Joe Biden, along with his elite White House staff, including the Secretary of State, to help with major decisions that could affect the nation. Pastors have deacons who help them lead their congregation, or church, in the right path of reaching others, who are seeking for help and prayer in time of need. A leader must know that it is wise to have the correct people in his/her corner to keep them on track, in order to not falter. If failing becomes even possible for a leader, it can cause a catastrophic outcome for his/her followers. In Shakespeare’s play Richard II, we learn of a great king who chooses not to listen to the wise people in his corner, and see the outcome of his choices.

Leadership is a very broad topic that encompasses many aspects. Throughout my time in the Coast Guard I have had many good and bad leaders and have learned from both of their styles. My first unit, CGC ELDERBERRY, had eight members with an Officer in Charge, then BMCS Woody Woodell, who literally led from the front. I knew it was not normal for an E8 to wash dishes at the time but I didn’t fully appreciate that fact until much later. When at PACTACLET as an E5 the Commanding Officer, then LCDR Pat DeQuattro, allowed for any member to hold any qualification regardless of rank or title. On the challenging side of Leadership, I worked for an Officer in Charge who I felt took my disagreement with him behind closed doors in the open and was too entrenched in rank to listen to the messenger rather than the message. Those snapshots in time and others experiences have led me to believe that Leadership is a way of doing things that encourages others to not only want to accomplish a mission but have the freedom to make decisions as the most efficient way to accomplish that mission.