My Mission Of A Leader

The importance of furthering education doesn’t stop there. Leaders should be enrolling in college, and counseling their subordinates to enroll in college as well. In order to become competitive within the Army’s ranks, education plays a huge role. As Major Tim Martin stated “A formal education is an important contributor to the development of leadership qualities and attributes that are crucial in the growth of a military professional (Martin, 2001).”

Leadership goals should always contain methods of a continuous process of learning through education, training, and individual experiences that help ensure that the message will be communicated in a confident and competent manner when leading troops. Soldiers tend to follow leaders that demonstrate and live the Army values, while displaying their confidence in every decision that affects change. Leaders are not born as organizational or tactical leaders; but grown by their genetic determinism, which is inside and the characteristics they work toward; that mold is which type leader they will become. Not just anyone can lead; you must have the desire to lead, be willing to make the commitment to being a leader, and prepare yourself properly, then you have the desire to become a leader. (Fulton, 1995).

I’m predisposed to this leadership theory or style because of its consideration for awareness of the element(s) of reality, that is, life experiences and some other factors, and the adaptability to each environment one finds self. This leadership theory presents itself with the understanding that organizations are different from one to another, and as a result of the differences in structures and the kinds of people that can be found around organizations; the most important leadership capability is the ability to adapt to the environment. There is no one style that fits all, but this style helps to better lead as there are times when one may need to exact authority and at some other time, one would need to show humility. Because we all come from different backgrounds, have difference life experiences and different role models, our values, preferences and priorities become shaped over the course of lifetime. Instead of trying to fit into expectations of people about what a

I have gained leadership skills from my time as an officer, along with knowledge of what it takes to be in a position of leadership.

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.

When leading troops it is essential for the leader to understand his or her command environment and how they fit in to that environment. For me, becoming an effective leader begins with this: How do I fit in to my organization and what can I offer my organization and the Soldiers that look to me for guidance. To become an effective leader I have had to address this issue first and foremost. My philosophy is simple, know the needs of the organization, know my personal strengths and weaknesses, and know my Soldiers. This is the philosophy that I try to pass to my subordinates. By knowing these three simple statements I have found that I can become a more effective team member as well as leader to both enlisted and officers alike who look to me for guidance.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how my legacy leader’s use of the Army’s leadership attributes and competencies contributed to my development and leadership philosophy. When it comes to leadership in the Army there are some who are good leaders and others that need some work. Everyone at some point in their career will be in a leadership position and it is important to understand what it takes to be a good leader in the Army. Luckily for us the Army has a guide for us to use that tells us what attributes and competencies make up a good leader (Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA, 2012). While we are provided these attributes and competencies

It is important for a leader to understand that completing essential tasks to meet mission goals, personal development, and providing future leaders the tools to procure success are all equally important and should be balanced. Times may call for one responsibility to be a higher priority that the other, so it is imperative that leaders are able to differentiate what skills apply to certain situations. “Strategic leaders, for example, must control personnel development, evaluation and certification, and assignment and utilization processes in ways that motivate aspiring professionals as they progress through a career of service,” (TRADOC, 2010). The cycle of learning, training, and accomplishing goals creates a culture of duty-oriented Soldiers with dedicated character and leadership

My Mission Statement as a leader: Develop my Soldiers to have trust in me, as well as

Leadership is dynamic, charismatic and fragile all rolled up into one. There are many words that describe leadership and leadership is defined differently by all. As I sit and type this paper I realized the date, 28 Aug. On this date 10 years ago, I was thrust into a roll that would define my leadership style. Hurricane Katrina made land fall over the city of New Orleans (NOLA) on 28 Aug 2005, this storm created havoc and destruction never before seen in the United States. I was in charge of 12 Coast Guardsman and 3 Coast Guard Airboats in which we would crew. Upon arrival in NOLA we were joined up with the 82nd Airborne Division and assigned 12 Scouts from the 2/505 platoon. These men were on the heels of returning from battle overseas and had been home for less than 30 days. Again these soldiers were thrust into action, but now they had a completely different mission. Joining forces with the Coast Guard and conducting door to door urban search and rescue was now the priority. Over the next 27 days we all grew to trust and count on one another and from the deplorable conditions in which we all suffered it lead to my leadership philosophy.

In order to maintain the highest level of proficiency and lethality, our leaders are responsible for balancing the role of the profession’s leaders. While the Army seems to be a rigid hierarchy of rules, regulations, and policies, there is a delicate balance between the “…culture and climate and its institutional practices” (pg. 9). Moreover, with the ever changing dynamic of the culture, we are dependent on current leaders to develop the younger generation and “…place a high priority on and invest themselves and resources…” into the future leaders of our organization (pg. 5). With the upbringing of these younger Soldiers, strategic leaders are tasked with determining what motivates them in order to make them feel that their work is valued. Why waste all the time and effort to develop future leaders if they do not feel valued or passionate about their profession or that their work is their true

General George S. Patton, known for his command of the Third Army during World War II and for his unyielding toughness and blunt demeanor, said, " I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom." Using this principle as a guide, in my vision statement I will be discussing where I am now as a leader, how I want to improve over the next 5 years, how I wish to be perceived, and how that change will affect my subordinates, peers, and supervisors. I will be utilizing the Four I's, Reflective Thinking, Dr. Toners Six Tests, Diagnosing Organizational Needs, and the trust, information, power, and options (TIPO) model from Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) distance learning course material to facilitate

My leadership style is problem solver; this leadership style offers me the opportunity to utilize the knowledge and experience of my followers. I believe that I am more of this leadership style because I tend to accept input from group members when making decisions and solving problems. I do this because I feel that everyone in the group have something tangible to contribute to the group, and sometimes they might have access to key information that can help in my decision making. I take the information and put them together to use in reaching a decision, because I know that I will have the final say as the leader of the group. I believe that the group is put together

Artisans all have tools they proudly weld in the pursuit of their craft. Musicians have their instruments of wood, brass, string and voice. Sculptors and painters have their materials of metals, clays, pigments and canvas while dancers use their bodies and costumes. These items are all used as tools of personal expression for the artist. Many artists appear to be born with natural talents for their art or are drawn to one medium of expression over another, but none excel at their craft without dedication and deliberate practice.

What is your personal vision for leadership? How are you going to lead Others? Why?