Personal Experience On Leadership Styles in the Military

I was able to pull many leadership ideas that are applicable in both my military and civilian careers as a National Guardsman. The easiest thing to boil down in the book are the traits people wish to see in leaders, the Be. In research reported by The Leadership Challenge surveying thousands of people in business and government, four results are remarkably consistent- honest, competent, forward-looking, and Inspiring (Hesselbein 48). These are attributes that have become instrumental in identifying successful leadership and should be used as my basis. Within these traits lay four skills that every leader must acquire knowledge and mastery of; Interpersonal, Conceptual, Technical and Tactical skills. The Know. What is profoundly interesting is the authors description of civilian tactical skills "involving negotiating, human relations, and the like are often necessary to achieve objectives" (Hesselbein 52). Being able to effectively and strategically utilize key units (both in and out of the military) to achieve success falls under such tactical skills. The last portion of effective leadership I'll take with me is, Do. The biggest thing to takeaway here is that successful leaders act in three ways: "they pull together in teams…with a unified purpose, they execute to achieve results, and they lead change to leave the organization stronger than they found it" (Hesselbein 55). With emphasis on the latter part, a successful leader leaves the organization in greater health than originally

Throughout my career as a Non-commissioned officer (NCO), I have heard the Army definition of leadership as the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. Even though this definition seems like a simple statement, it is actually a very complicated subject, and it is often underestimated. Leadership is the most essential aspect of the Army, and the single defining characteristic that allows the Army to accomplish its mission.

Leadership development in the military is critical to its mission and objectives. Understanding and embracing leadership will foster an agile culture and facilitate attainment of strategic goals. People desire quality leadership to assist with achieving their goals, albeit personal or professional development. Having a clear vision and the motivation to perform at high-levels influences others to work synergistically together to achieve organizational goals. Insomuch, employees value being treated respectfully, fairly, and ethically. Leaders serve people best when they help them develop their own initiative and good judgment, enable them to grow, and help them become better contributors.

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.

As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several

There are a variety of ways to define both leader and leadership. There is not, however, a clear definition of how to become one. There is no set list of mandatory traits, either innate or learned, that a person must embody to be considered successful or proved a failure. What I feel it takes is the right mix of strengths and weaknesses in a given situation to demonstrate effectiveness. No one person has abilities without accompanying deficiencies. It’s all in the way they are balanced. The balance in the way one uses his or hers’ abilities will ultimately determine the type of leadership one has throughout time. To support these claims I will examine a well-known leader throughout the military, General James “Mad Dog” Mattis. This essay

Leadership is defined by Peter G. Northouse as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal”. One’s leadership style can shape a subordinate’s approach and place emphasis to the task or mission at hand as well as accomplishing long term objectives. The role of any leader is to provide direction and guidance to those who may fall under his/her command. The manner in which leadership is applied, especially in today’s society and ever-changing geopolitical situations can vary significantly and be markedly effective or undermine the leader’s ability to lead. In the readings from the Canadian Military Journal (CMJ) several examples are provided to support each author’s viewpoint of leadership style and I will use these along with my own opinions and experiences to substantiate the importance of differing leadership styles as they pertain to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Profession of Arms in the 21st century.

There are several leaders that I have admired in my career over the years. One in particular that stood out was a Chief Master Sergeant in the Air Force who I served under. He was a very intelligent and vibrant leader who placed importance in military customs and core values. He was one whom I emulated in the military because of his task –motivated leadership style. He focused on the goals of the organization with the emphasis on service before self. The implications of his style of leadership lead me to believe that there was little to no relationships formed with lower ranking airmen. He was always able to get the job done because of the driven culture he represented. I learned a wealth of knowledge and information from this particular leader; I was able to create a balance by embracing his style of leadership and relating it with my style, transformational leadership. I believe it was successful, because of my efforts to focus in on the mission and create a balance in inspiring, influencing, and motivating Airmen across the globe.

During my college experience, I decided to enlist in the United States Coast Guard Reserves. I left for basic training the summer after my sophomore year and took on a completely different kind of challenge. In this environment, I was surrounded by many leadership styles, some of which I had never seen before. There were leaders that were outspoken, driven, hardworking, and motivated to

Becoming a strong, influential leader is determined by an array of factors, as well as who we are as people. Our most inner being holds the key to whether or not we are destined to become successful leaders. Culture and society also play a powerful role in our leadership style. It is thought that various styles of leadership have varied effects on leadership practice and results. Regardless of our natural abilities, there will always be room for change, growth, and overall becoming a more effective leader.

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

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

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.

Participating in numerous sports and time spent serving in the military, I have experienced a few different types of leaders and leadership styles. The best leader I have worked for would be April Merriman a female Chief in the Navy who was just all out inspiring, honest, focus, engaged, empowering, fearless, self-aware, genuine, and most of all supportive. She always cared for every team member, but did not tolerate laziness, dishonesty, or unfair teamwork/treatment. Chief Merriman always was on time, properly prepared, and knowledge every time I worked with or around her. She was very dedicated to my personal growth and future

The United States military has provided an integration of power to advance and defend the country’s values, objectives, and interest throughout history. Some values include training foreign military to strengthen their security forces to support their independence, responding and providing humanitarian aid such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and protecting the globe through sustained operations in war on terrorism. The U. S. military currently has 1,341,441 service members from all five branches—Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard according to the Department of Defense (DoD). With over a million of people in the military, there is a high demand for strong leadership to manage their personnel and meet the mission requirements. Although there has been a long history of great leadership in the military, toxic leadership exist and this behavior is negatively related to mission, command, and personnel readiness.