Marine Corps Leadership Principles

From the time I was a little boy I was always taught to never lie and to always do my best. I learned at a very young age that you possess virtues and personal attributes that make you who you are. Fast forward 15 years and now I am a Sergeant of Marines in the United States Marine Corps. Leading and mentoring young men in their earlier adulthood. My influence on these Marines can change them for the rest of their life. As a sergeant you must possess integrity, dependability and courage to be a successful leader of Marines. Tell the truth all the time no one bats an eye, tell one lie and your reputation is in question for a lifetime.

Whether we like it or not, conflict is a part of everyday lives. It can happen to anyone, from your friends to your family.

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).

1. Influential Soldiers that embody The Soldier’s Creed, Warrior Ethos, and their experiences are more apt to achieving organizational and operational excellence. Soldiers, leaders, and teams must seek individual and organizational improvement throughout their daily lives. Based on my experiences, I believe the elements listed below create and sustain a solid foundation that Soldiers, leaders, and teams should strive to incorporate.

Effective leaders interact with their followers in a positive manner to learn about them on a personal and professional level (Colorado State University – Global Campus, 2016). The United States Coast Guard (USCG) refers to this type of communication as deck plate leadership. Deck plate leadership blends an interest in junior personnel’s professional development and well-being (Smith, 2010). Often, before one becomes an effective leader they participate in a follower role. The level of follower engagement may be a precursor to the type of leader they later will become. Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) C. MacInnes is the Executive Officer (XO) of Enlisted Personnel working directly for the commanding officer (CO) at the USCG Academy in New London, Connecticut (http://www.uscga.edu). LCDR MacInnes oversees several divisions at the Academy, meaning he has numerous direct reports. He is an example of a person in a leadership and followership role.

The majority of my experience dealing with leadership in the Marine Corps had been both positive and negative. It always seemed like the great leaders that I did have the pleasure of following never had the chance to survive due to their power hungry superiors. We are all able to learn from the mistakes and success from all styles of leadership. What I am learning from this course is that each style of leadership can work depending on the type of organization. I try to imagine and embrace the thought of a world lead by transformational leadership. Leadership that would sets the standard for all organizations and leaders. Leaders should understand how significant their influences are and how they are in the positions to empower followers to invoke positive and ethical change that could create a ripple effect in today’s business world. In this paper I will be analyzing Martin Shkreli’s leadership style, focusing on how his values, ethics and abuse of power ultimately plummeted him into a pool of corruption and failure. Martin is currently one of the most disliked individuals in Wall Street, social media and by the consumers that rely on the life saving drug, Daraprim. Not only am I appalled by Martine Shkreli’s leadership style, I am also very disappointed with how long his followers encouraged his behavior. It is very important to understand that all of the responsibility does not fall all on the leadership. The boards of directors, stakeholders and the followers have as much

The story of Invictus is based upon the life of Nelson Mandela during the time he held his Presidency of South Africa. Specifically, the movie focuses on his ideas of managing the Springboks and how the opportunity of using the country’s Rugby team unfolds as a way to bring the country together. Since The World Cup is being held in South Africa during the first year of his term, he sees The World Cup as an attempt to bring the whites and blacks together by finding pride in their home team’s victory. Mandela is successful at transforming the beliefs of South Africa through his styles of democratic leadership, transformational leadership, and interpersonal orientation leadership.

Throughout my life and my military career I have experienced various leadership styles, from civilian employers to military Officers and Non-Commissioned officers alike. Each had their own approach to leadership, some I found to be effective and others I did not. I have attempted to create a leadership philosophy based on a fusion of the leaders I have encountered and my own personal experiences.

Summary: In this article the authors are addressing future leaders, and they immediately inform the reader that because there is more complexity considerably more complex issues and technologies than a century ago in the operational military environment, there is a great need for military leaders to achieve autonomy in terms of adapting to and learning about the evolving environment. In short, leaders must be smarter and better prepared for a changing world.

When an organization wants to better and improve itself the leadership is the most important resource available. They are the rock of the organization and the engine that pulls the weight of the cars. In order for the organization to help grow a comprehensive leadership development plan must be established and used. A leader can make or break the organization as they are the ones that make things happen or let things fail. This paper will discuss how the Mississippi Army National Guard (MSARNG) can grow their leadership by creating a new leadership development plan using new strategies and objective.

Setting the example is lacking in the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps has been in the spotlight since its existence. The Marine Corps used to be the best fighting force, but lately the Marine Corps has been lacking maturity. Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO’S) have been committing murder, dehumanizing, and violating laws.

“You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do

Discipline is the instant and willing obedience to all orders, respect for authority, self-reliance, and teamwork.” When Marines are in formation they are subject to all commands given by the Unit Leader. By executing the commands they are showing obedience to their superiors. Colonel von Spohn of the German Army said: “Every order places the subordinate to whom it is given in a position of constraint, to which he willingly submits without any question if he recognizes the necessity for it; in such a case obedience is not a servile submission.” It is not that Marines are considered slaves if they do what they are told, they are obedient out of their own free will. This obedience will benefit them in all aspects of their military career. While standing at the Position of Attention (POA) you are not allowed to move until commanded to do so. This exercise of discipline can directly correlate to how a Marine may have to hold himself were he in a camouflaged position. If he moves to brush a fly off of his nose, his camouflage will be compromised giving away his position. A well-disciplined Marine will accomplish assigned tasks without question as it becomes second nature to obey all orders from superiors. At the same time, the superiors must be confident in their ability to give orders by developing a “command presence” towards their

When approaching an organization with a new idea or concept it is vital to go in with all your data and facts organized and concise. One of the first things they want to know when they are considering revising or upgrading a leadership development plan is proof that a new plan would work. Therefore, the plan must have proof that is reliable, relatable and valid before introducing the plan. Always remember to treat others as you would want to be treated (Luke, 6: 31, KJV). This literature review paper will give provide proof to the Mississippi Army National Guard (MSARNG) that the new leadership development plan that is being proposed is credible.

The most positive experience i had with wiriting was when I would do monthly and quarterly counseling for my junior Marines when I was on active duty with the Marine Corps. It was the only time I was able to express my cocern to them. This was also another way to connect with my Marines on a more intimate and intellectual level with them.