Leadership At The United States Naval Academy

For as long as I can remember, I feel as though I have been raised in a military environment. At a very young age my parents taught me to value discipline, manners, and to show and treat people with respect. In addition to these ‘staples’ of my upbringing, excelling in academics and on the athletic fields was where I further grew as a leader and learned to work with others to further distinguish myself from my peers. I knew based on my priorities and values that I was different from others by not only the way I carried myself but how I spoke to my peers and elders and the respect that I commanded. Perhaps those values were aided by both my grandfather’s serving in the military and my uncle attending West Point, a graduate of the class of

The privilege to command units afloat and ashore provided me with intimate exposure to the challenges experienced by our workforce and their families. Often accompanied by a myriad of ethical dilemmas, these challenges provided a wealth of experience and a better understanding of the impact a leader has on the workforce and their families. Similarly, my experience as the Boatswain’s Mate “A” School Assistant School Chief afforded me vital insight into the Coast Guard’s formal training system, Human Performance Technology and the development of future enlisted leaders. These experiences provided invaluable opportunities for me to interact with our workforce and understand their views, perform thorough assessments of complex situations, and provide accurate, sound, and practical counsel in order to achieve the best outcome for the unit and our Coast

In September, I had the opportunity to visit the Naval Academy for a “Candidate Visit Weekend.” During my two-night visit, I was paired with a current midshipman, whom I accompanied to classes, meals, and a sports practice. Personally experiencing daily life at the Academy and meeting current midshipmen has reinforced my desire to join their ranks. The most inspiring thing about the midshipmen I met was the effort that they put into succeeding. Being a part of this culture, even for two days, has shown me that I can work just a little harder, and that I can push myself just a little further. Since returning home, I have done just that in numerous ways.

Leadership is being able to guide other students into being the best they can be. I am a leader who is always positive and cheering others on to achieve their goals. At my school, I have a position as the Vice President of Academics in National Honors Society. Since I have obtained this position, I encourage other students in this group to participate in service projects which is where one volunteers to help out the community in some aspect. These volunteering opportunities are good thing to do because it builds character and it is always fun helping others out. As a leader, I bring new ideas to the table on where we should help out in the community and anything that we could do in school that would fun and helpful. Along with participating in National Honors Society at my school, I am also involved in our Student Government Association. Although I do not have a leadership position in this club, I still engage in the activities that we do. For the past two years, I have gone to an annual meeting for leadership where multiple schools attend. At this meeting there are fun activities where you learn more about leadership and how to be a good leader. As a leader, these meetings help because it is always good to learn new

Leadership development in the military is critical to its mission and objectives. Understanding and embracing leadership will foster an agile culture and facilitate attainment of strategic goals. People desire quality leadership to assist with achieving their goals, albeit personal or professional development. Having a clear vision and the motivation to perform at high-levels influences others to work synergistically together to achieve organizational goals. Insomuch, employees value being treated respectfully, fairly, and ethically. Leaders serve people best when they help them develop their own initiative and good judgment, enable them to grow, and help them become better contributors.

As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several

As the bus entered the heavily guarded military instillation, I gazed upon the sign that read, "Be All that You Can Be." When the bus stopped, several angry Drill Instructors boarded and began introducing us to a very colorful vocabulary, usually reserved for drunken Sailors. They instructed us to gather our belongings, get off the bus and assemble in a circular formation. As I searched for the strength to get up, I found myself moving, while several Drill Instructors yelled at us for our clumsy attempt to dismount the bus and fall into formation. I wondered if I had made the right choice. However, I have come to realize that my military experiences have tremendously enhanced my self-worth. From those first eight

This was the author, Wes’ mother’s last attempt, when she sent him to Valley Forge, a military school, where she hoped Wes would be surrounded by people who could help him to succeed. At first, this was a very difficult process because it attempts to undo years of learned behavior, but one day on the way back from lunch, he stopped and noticed the way nineteen-year-old Cadet Captain Ty Hill was leading his cadets and he realized, “This was real respect, the kind you can’t beat or scare out of people. That’s when I started to understand that I was in a different environment…where leadership was honored” (Moore 96). After this he understood what he had to do to succeed, writing about his commanding officers and teachers saying, “They made it clear that they cared if I succeeded and eventually so did I” (Moore 115).

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind himself in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.” – Walter Lippmann

Selfishness, overblown sense of worth, and indecisiveness are certain traits that seem to appear more frequently in today’s leadership due to an ineffectual advancement process. The Navy’s advancement process consist of a standardized test, Navy wide rating quotas, and evaluations which may or may not accurately reflect the person’s being. Certain aspects of these rolls and processes need to be changed to more accurately reflect those qualities that are required to be an effective leader in today’s Navy.

The presentation by Captain Richard Stratton of the US Navy and his wife Mrs. Alice Stratton, former First Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Force Support and Families provided concrete examples of leadership. Obviously, the most prominent example of leadership comes from Captain and Mrs. Stratton themselves. However, their presentation also served to highlight the leadership of those around them. Notably, that of the president Lyndon Banes Johnson, and that of two men that were imprisoned with him; the senior officer Jim and his cell mate Doug. From these examples, the character traits of both effective and ineffective leaders can be analyzed.

Throughout history our country has had many leaders. Whether you’re the leader of a business, military platoon, or the leader of our great nation you were withheld with the honor and trust to govern the actions and best interests of fellow Americans. But just because you have achieved the title of a leader does not by default make you a good leader. A good leader is a person who has risen above and beyond to show cooperation, perseverance, and respect to decisions made by those still above you at one point in time. “As a seasoned member of the military, you’ve risen through the ranks because you understood your mission and performed your duties with distinction. At this stage of your career, your most important contribution may be how well you take care of the service members and

My first visit to the Naval Academy was on family trip while in grammar school. On this and subsequent visits, the young men and women who chose to devote their lives to country and service greatly impressed me. As a high school student, I had the good fortune to experience Academy life via my acceptance to the competitive Summer STEM program, my invitation to Candidate Visit Weekend, and my participation in the Elite Throws Sports Camp. Through these first-hand experiences, I grew in awareness and commitment to an Academy education as an opportunity to enable me to serve my country. Moreover, I am honored to be a member of a gold star family, via my uncle Senior Master Sergeant Peter Bondi, recently deceased on active duty, and to have had a grandfather who served in the National Guard. Eulogies delivered for my Uncle Peter reflected a life of service and were a source of inspiration that fueled my resolve to serve.

The book “Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders” by L. David Marquet, Captain, US Navy (Retired) is the book we selected to review. Our group selected this manuscript because of the inspiring story behind the captivating title. A combination of intrigue and necessity inspired our group to examine this manuscript for its valuable motivating material about leadership and the art of delegation.

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.