Marc Brydges Influence On My Military Career

An Army Leader is able and willing to act decisively, within the intent and purpose of his superior leaders, and in the best interest of the organization. Army leaders recognize that organizations built on mutual trust and confidence, successfully accomplish peacetime and wartime missions.” (2006, P. Viii). Balance molds a leader and in turn, an effective leader is a proactive person who works a whole lot smarter. President George Bush (1997) states, “Leadership to me means duty, honor, and country; It means character and it means listening from time to time.” (Adrain, p. 35).

At the end of the day, a true leader “in the army will do these three things live by the army core values, know the warrior ethos, and lead by example”-MSI textbook. Leaders both in and out of the army are held to a higher standard holding themselves in a professional manner at all times. The success of the group is attributed to the leadership styles and core values instilled in the solider to do his job effectively. General Eisenhower once

My leadership philosophy revolves entirely around the Army Values. In every action I take as a leader, I assess whether or not it lines up with the Army Values and the potential impacts. I have had a variety of leadership assignments during my career, all requiring a different leadership approach, spanning from team leader through platoon sergeant. My conflict resolution skills have greatly evolved through my twelve years in the Army, from rudimentary conversations to in depth problem solving. My professional development has had a profound effect on my leadership abilities, from NCOPD’s to mentorship from senior non-commissioned officers (NCO’s).

Leaders are look upon as role models as they guide us with their motivating, influence to accomplish tasks. There are a lot of leadership styles; when leading, it is based on the situation. When I was in the military, I encountered with many different styles of leadership. A leadership that I considered meaningful is a Transformational Leader. The transformational Leader in the military with their inspiring charisma of motivating, influence creates a visualized path that produces energetic characteristics that inhere to new changes, developments, and possibilities.; by demonstrating authority, the Transformational Leader in the military utilizes their power to inspire and motivate people into trusting and following their example; this as

My legacy leader is COL Michael J. Mahoney, USA, Ret. because he demonstrated and continues to demonstrate the Army Values in every facet of his military career and life. COL Mahoney has positively inspired many people through his lead-by-example attitude. He is a great mentor to me and I hope to give you a glimpse of what I see in this American patriarch.

Cadets that have been trusted with positions in leadership have more responsibilities and are expected to be guiding the actions of their followers. Followers look up to and learn from their leaders and good leaders do not command their followers in a disrespectful manner, nor do they flaunt their authority over others. Leaders should possess the skills to motivate within their positions, this is how they prove that they have earned the right to have the responsibilities of a leader. These qualities will encourage followers to be loyal to, and respect their

meet the mission is only the beginning. Compassion and dedication is a part of the

There are a number of qualities that quantify good leaderships and good leaders. According to Kouzes and Posner in their book The Leadership Challenge, all successful leaders have (5) practices in common. They “Model the Way”, “Inspire a shared vision”, “Challenge the process”, “enable others to act” and “encourage the heart”(15). Never is there a more important time to have exemplary leadership, than in a time of war. Both the American Civil War and World War II showed what was possible through good leadership. From abolishing slavery and preserving the Union, to fighting tyranny and oppression abroad, both events in American history had a profound impact on all those involved. The impact would most certainly be different if not for the leadership of Colonel Lawrence Chamberlain of the Union Army during the Civil War and General George S. Patton during World War II. Both leaders possessed the 5 practices essential for god leadership, yet both leaders to different approaches to accomplish their goals.

This is especially true for members of the military. They begin learning leadership skills from their first day of basic training and continues until the day they exit the service. The job of the drill sergeants in basic is to break a civilian down and train them in the mentality and the lifestyle that is necessary to be an effective service member on the battlefield. Transitioning from the service can be a daunting task for many members, especially the ones who started their career at a young age and retire after 20 years of service. This is due to the lack of leadership opportunities for many growing up, so all they know is the way they were trained during their military careers.

Numerous books and articles happen to be discussed leaders, who made choices that performed significant effects on the country and also the world. Leaders in the military, business community and sports have performed crucial impacts in route we live our way of life. Their legacy’s survive in giving others the inspiring and inspirational drive to get great leaders.

It is hard to identify a particular “Legacy Leader.” It is especially difficult when I cannot definitively state who I am as a leader. Everyone knows what qualities a Soldier should hold. Most have the desire to be of sound mind and judgment. I always put the troops and the mission first, no matter what the consequences. Primarily, those qualities came from one of the best platoon sergeants I have worked with as a Soldier and a Noncommissioned Officer (NCO). Sergeant First Class (SFC) Michael Habel always did what needed to be done for his Soldiers and to get the mission done. He is unquestionably the driving force behind who I am as a noncommissioned officer.

There are leaders and there are followers in life, a great example of a leader would be my Fire Chief Kenneth Everett. To be a leader you have to have many skills that set you apart from being someone that follows. You have to be able to talk to anyone on the department and know how they react to certain ways you talk to them. A Chief should be able to motivate anyone to want to continue doing something whether you just walked out of the roughest call you have ever been on or you have just lost interest in the Fire Department all together. You also have to be able to handle a large group or even a small group in some of the toughest environments.

Over the course of my career I have had the opportunity to work for dozens of leaders that aided me in the development of my leadership style. As one would easily recognize not all leaders had a constructive impact on my career but rather provided leadership traits to avoid. One person that I have learned a considerable amount from is my father. My father instilled in me the fact that I need to work hard, complete the task at hand, dedicate time to the betterment of my people, and myself and have fun while doing all of this. Another person that introduced considerable leadership influence on me are my grandfathers. My grandfathers lived very different lives; one was a businessman, while the other was a US Army post-WWII veteran, yet they had a uniformed message. That message was continuously grow, be aggressive in studies and work, stay active, and finish what you started. Two additional influencers of leadership are CDR Michael Fredie and MCPO Darrick Dewitt. CDR Fredie is a natural leader, and lives the quote made famous by Theodore Roosevelt, “Speak Softly and carry a big stick; you will go far”. He has the uncanny ability to influence others to work harder through passion and inspiration. Whereas MCPO Dewitt is an authoritative figure that demands respect and continuously inspires his workforce to better themselves in pursuit of bettering the unit, rating, and service.

Many people this day and age will argue what it takes to be a good leader. Some like to look towards politics at the Presidents because they have good backgrounds, plus they lead people, but it is always wise and good to look at the leadership of people in the military. Lots and lots of people have come through the United States militaries, some of those men and women left a bigger mark than others. Military leaders and the leadership shown in the military is always respected too. Although Michael P. Murphy was an outstanding leader before he joined the military, one instance of his leadership while in the Navy will forever leave the Murphy name marked in history.

I’m a prior enlisted officer with many years in the service. My long Air Force career and current leadership characteristics have been molded by incidents in my life and career. These incidents include my grandfather’s influence, significant events in my Air Force career, and my contributions to Air Force and national intelligence objectives in my current job. These three things are the leading factors that have made me the leader I am today. Each of these things contributed to different traits like; dedication to hard work, honesty, goal setting, initiative, persistence, and many more.