My Leadership Philosophy Of The Coast Guard

There are numerous definitions of the word “leadership” and it can mean many things to many people. For the purpose of this assignment I feel the best definition of leadership is “…the art and science of motivating, influencing, and directing airmen to understand and accomplish the Air Force mission in joint warfare."1 When taking over a new command it

Leadership can be viewed in many different ways and possess many different qualities. There are courageous leaders, respectful leaders, terrible leaders, and seemingly insignificant leaders but leaders nonetheless. But what is it that differentiates between a strong leader and a weak leader, or a powerful leader and an insignificant one? Is it the qualities in the leader or the decisions they make in key situations that define good leadership qualities? Some would define a good leader by their ability to do the right thing even if it is not the easiest choice. Others might define a good leader as one that possesses great integrity and leads by example. The military possesses many great leaders through a process of development and molding individuals to meet expected leadership qualities like honor, courage, commitment and integrity to accomplish any mission or goal. However, this process doesn’t always create the desired effect. So, let’s examine some good and bad examples of leadership qualities and break down what and how we can emulate them.

The Marine Corps has 11 Leadership Principles. Of the eleven, there is one that states, “Seek Responsibility and Take Responsibility.” This is instilled in every Marine from Private (Enlisted-1) to General (Officer-10). Throughout the Bible, God placed responsibility upon His people and expected them to act accordingly. However, He did not punish the son for the father’s sin and vice-versa. There were times in the Old Testament that this occurred. For example, with Achan (Jos. 7:14-15) when he stole spoils from battle, did not confess it, and he along with his family was killed. Another instance happened when the accusers of Daniel and their families were thrown in the Lion’s Den (Dan. 6:24). Sande states, “Another way to avoid responsibility for our sins is to shift the blame to others or to say that they made us act the way we did.”

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.

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.

I learned quickly that if I am going to enforce rules on my soldiers I have to make sure that I am following all the rules myself before I can get on a soldier who is not. It was the little things in Basic that mattered, talking was not allowed so I had to make sure I did not get wrapped up in conversations in order to be able to tell my platoon to not talk. It is the lead by example style that I like. I set a

Leadership influences can be placed into two categories, those to model and those to avoid. Every member in the Coast Guard can categorically place his or her leadership experiences within these categories. In some cases one particular leader can provide examples from both categories, in some cases a leader has only those traits and characteristics that should be avoided. Regardless of the case, junior members, senior members, and peers alike are watching and adapting their leadership style based on things that they perceive as helpful. I realized that in every instance throughout my career where I was in troubled waters, I had either isolated myself or surrounded myself by people that have no vision of moving the organization forward.

Leadership can be defined in many different ways. In the military leadership is one of the most important traits used by noncommissioned officers, officers, warrant officers and enlisted personnel. The Army relies on Non-Commission Officers to be able to prepare, and perform no matter what the situation is. NCOs are the backbone of the army and in order to be able to lead we must be able to gain trust, loyalty, communication, and personal courage.

My leadership philosophy encompasses all of the Army Values along with some of my own beliefs and work priorities. We, as Senior HR Professionals should provide the highest quality customer service to our Soldiers along with giving them guidance and knowledge to help them grow as leaders.

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 showing loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity,and personal courage. For example Dr. Martin Luther king jr is all of these things. He had a direction for the people he wanted to make a change with. Honor could be an important factor in leadership. Showing honor to the people ahead of you or ranks above you. You also need to have respect for the ranks above or below you. When you're a leader respect is what you expect to get out of your troops. You also need to realize that you need to show respect as well. More cadets will appreciate you giving them the same respect they give you. Loyalty as well is important, your team depends on you to lead them. If your loyalty is not with them then chances are they will

Leadership is the ability to influence others to work together to achieve a common goal. That goal would otherwise be unattainable without leader-organized teamwork. Continued growth in leadership skills and abilities is a necessary character trait for Coast Guard senior enlisted. Leaders are honorable, competent, determined and forward looking individuals that lead the way while inspiring others to follow and eventually become leaders themselves. I am reminded of the finest chief I ever worked for. He gave me great evaluations yet he didn’t think I was ready for advancement to Chief Petty Officer. Initially this caused some awkward moments between us. I had always looked up to him because he lead by example in every way and was well respected by the entire command. I know he had a difficult time telling me of my shortcomings but it was just what I needed. I appreciate the inspiration he gave me to grow. He and I are still close friends and keep in touch even though he has been retired for eight years now. The moral of this story is; how you react to negative feedback is a testament to your character. Do not let it take the wind from your sails. Rather, let it light the fire of ambitious determination. There is always room for improvement and expansion of skills and abilities. This is called

Throughout my first ten years in the Coast Guard I had the opportunity to serve at several different units. I learned a tremendous amount during that period of my career. I had several mentors that taught me many great traits. However, some of the leaders I served with also taught things not to do. I believe that examples of poor leadership teach you just as much as good leadership does. It wasn’t until my tour as the Executive Petty Officer on an 87’ WPB when I served with a Master Chief that showed me true leadership. This Master Chief showed me that compassion and respect is contagious. His persona within the crew built an atmosphere of trust and dedication. Our crew was driven to be successful, enjoyed everything

Leadership in the Coast Guard is the process of guiding and inspiring others toward closer adherence to the core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty. Leadership is a set of behaviors rather than just a set of ideals. Ideals are good, but ideals without the corresponding behaviors are useless. The best way to guide others is to show by example; a true leader not only speaks out in favor of the core values, but also exhibits them in their daily life.

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.