Led By Example Of A Nco Report

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” John C. Maxwell

The military is comprised of leaders and followers: this concept of leadership is the foundation of the military, leaders are the decision makers, and followers carry out their decisions. These decision makers are the role models the followers have a great deal of respect for and should admire. A good leader is decisive, has integrity, and leads by example. Being entrusted to lead, to mold the individuals around you into a cohesive unit is a special opportunity and only a few in respects to the total population are commissioned. General Colin L. Powell stated, “The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will

I define leadership as providing a team with vision and guidance in the execution of a mission or task. Serving as the Officer in Charge of a Coast Guard Station I have developed a Command Philosophy to communicate my intent and methodology to my crew. My hope is that my philosophy allows the team to better understand the priorities and direction that will govern my tenure as Officer in Charge. I have stated the core of my command philosophy is, “Build the Team, Meet the Mission.” An examination of this philosophy and my leadership in practice will identify strengths and weaknesses and lead to a better unit both in terms of effectiveness and morale.

I was brought up in the Marine Corps with this philosophy and have adopted it as my own. Leading from the front is often times one of the leadership principles that is easier said by some than actually done. Those so called leaders that would tell their Marines to do something that ‘they’ would never really do themselves. Coming in font of your Marines

Robert E. Lee once said of leadership, “I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself” (Jones, 1875). This is an instance where I believe that even though this idea or thought was mentioned many years ago, it still has relevance today. I do not have an exact date of that quote, but with General Lee fighting in the Civil War, I would imagine it came somewhere in the mid-1800’s (The book it is found in was published after his death). Our current military leaders need to listen to advice like this quote, get out and know the people they put in charge so they are better able to make decisions on who should and should not actually be leading.

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 left a negative impression on me and it took a horrific car accident that landed me in the office of whom I consider as my most influential leader I have had in my career. Master Chief Richard Wolfe was someone that led by example. He helped broaden my vision and let me see my own potential. He always inspired me to not only better myself, but ensured that I challenged myself to learn something new each day. He would often say, “Challenges are just opportunities in disguise”, and it wasn’t until I advanced to Chief Petty Officer to truly understand what he meant. Far too often we get caught up in the present instead of focusing what is on the horizon and that is how complacency becomes the new norm.

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it - by Dwight Eisenhower

Analogous to my previous definition as to guide someone to a destination you usually have to go with them, instead of telling them where to go. There are many types of leaders. Leaders can be someone that is viewed as the best in a certain area or field. This derives the phrase, “in the lead.” It is also used to denote that someone is in charge of something, ie: political or military leader. The difference between these two types of leaders is that a | political leaders adhere to that of an advisor and he fits the “boss” definition of leader. | He represents his brand and though he does work it is probably different from what those under him do. A military leader goes with the “person who guides” definition as regardless of how high you are, you are expected to be on the front lines at one point or another so your decisions directly impact the group you are with. An example of such a leader would be Odysseus from the

I treat all of my Soldiers with the respect they deserve, in hopes that it will be reciprocated and that they will feel part of a close knit team. Leading by example will further build trust, and I would never expect one of my Soldiers to do anything that I would not do. Ensuring that I backward plan all suspense’s, ensures that I have a plan in place to accomplish my tasks. This includes all tasks that are delegated to my Soldiers, along with a plan on how to train them prior to tasking. It’s also important to give a background of your tasking’s and ensure Soldiers understand the “whys”.

For my Soldiers to be successful, if it is not already instilled, I need to instill in them the value of hard work and dedication. I believe that when you make a commitment to serve, you should give it your full attention and effort. What you do and how you work is a direct reflection of your leadership skills and who you are as a person. Being able to get results demonstrates your effectiveness as a leader. Dedication and hard work will show that you take pride in what you do and who you are. By instilling this into my Soldiers, it will develop the functional work area, they will grow and eventually operate with few errors, and the ability to accomplish any mission given to the Soldier and/or

This is my personal presentation of my leadership philosophy that spans my 22 plus years of Coast Guard service. I’ve never precisely thought of who my leadership influences would be, I never felt like I could live up to the transformational leadership figures like George Washington and other notable history figures. I’ve had allot of disappointments in my life, maybe someone I did look up to in a leadership capacity that turned into a disappointment. Then again, no one is perfect so maybe my rationalization of no perfection has caused me not to have a specific leadership influence. As allot of experienced Coast Guard members know, we learn valuable lessons about raw leadership over time, with certain experiences, trials, tribulations, and the like. We all form assumptions and generic wisdom which we believe works well with those below us in the chain of command, and those above us. My opinion is that leadership encompasses everyone around us from CO-workers, to family, to people we interact with in public. I believe that true influence is a 24-hour, 7 days per week life undertaking that people that are thrust into certain positions in the Coast Guard start to assume over a long period of time. A vast number of leaders throughout military and U.S. History have inwardly reflected the subject of leadership, many have written extensively regarding their personal style, or the style of other historical figures they have looked to for an example. I feel like I am a simple person

Field Manual (FM) 6-22 defines leadership as “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization”. The objective of this paper is to communicate my leadership philosophy of how I hope to lead the Soldiers within this organization. To fully understand my leadership, I will provide you some background on who I am and how my leadership styles have developed:

In my first junior leadership role, I am tasked to lead a team of young Paratrooper on door to door search and rescue missions. Sadly, most of the homes and facilities did not have survivors. Months after returning to Fort Bragg from Hurricane Katrina, I am back on a plane now heading to war. I lead eight Soldiers in Iraq threw 15 months of nightmarish war. My Platoon Leader, Lieutenant John Johnson, records in my performance evaluation “outstanding mental and physical conditioning enabled him to lead from the front during 15 months of continuous combat operations… Unquestionably top 2% of NCO’s [Non-Commissioned Officer] I have worked with in 7 years”. With the conclusion of my tour with the 82nd Airborne Division, I am now enlightened of the devastating destructive power of nature and a witness the evils of what war really is. I am now determined more than ever to live my life to the fullest potential and to give 100% at all I do.

Throughout the ten years of my Army career I have aspired to be a consummate professional and set the example for my peers and subordinates. I have always demonstrated my ability to lead by consistently filling in for positions above my pay grade without dereliction. I have proved to be resilient throughout my career by overcoming all of my obstacles set before me. Failure has never been an option for me as the accomplishments of all of my missions and the welfare of my Soldiers have always come first. In all of my assignments, I have made a name for myself to be a person of integrity, knowledge and reliability.

Let me begin by saying I am not your typical hard charging noncommissioned officer (NCO). The sergeant you normally see barking orders with that strong command presence is not me. I tread lightly and lead with the “opposite” of an iron fist; those words help to explain my personal philosophy and vision on leadership as an NCO.