Coast Guard Leadership Philosophy Examples

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.

The definition of "leadership" as defined in Wikipedia means "the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others."

Leadership can be hard to define and it means different things to different people. To me it means being able to create an inspiring vision of the future and help people achieve that vision. It also means being able to help people acquire that vision either directly or indirectly and help them grow.

Leadership is “the fusion of heart and mind, selfless action, encourage betterment of others, and to make a difference. It is the process of influencing

Leadership, which is defined as “…The action of leading a group of people or an organization” is used in many different ways. Most people think being a leader is mostly about being the boss, having people work under you and just becoming successful, but it boils down to more than that. Leaders are those individuals that actually utilize their many abilities in leadership and administration to help make a better change for themselves, the people around them and the goal that needs to be achieved. Leadership is not an expertise that can essentially be grabbed from a book or article based on leadership but instead it is one of those initiative abilities that are increased through experience and understanding those real life situations.

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).

In conclusion, my past leaders positively affected, guided, and influenced my current leadership style. Those leaders have shown me how to be a leader with equal treatment, an open mind, and giving my Soldiers the upmost respect they deserve. I only hope, one day they will learn from me as I did from mine. “No one is more professional than I.” (NCO

According to Business Dictionary.com, leadership is defined as the individuals who are the leaders in an organization, regarded collectively. It also can be define as the activity of leading a group of people or an organization or the ability to do this. Leadership involves the establishing of a clear vision, sharing the vision with other so that they will follow willingly, providing the needed information, knowledge, and methods to realize the vision and coordinating and balancing the conflicts interests of all members and stakeholders.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, leadership is the power or ability to lead other people, the act or instance of leading. I believe that Leadership is an art, the art to get others to follow and accomplish a common goal or task in a harmonic manner. A leader can be shown in all kinds of shapes and forms. To be a great leader many people believe it consists of modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. Over the course of me learning how to become a better leader and being in leadership roles, I’ve learned that all these are very necessary to be a great leader.

I define leadership as the ability to provide strength and coverage to support a Sailor, regardless of rank. The ability to instill Core Values, provide training and the tools a Sailor will need to excel in both their professional and personal life. A true leader will support a Sailor, any Sailor, during the high times of a career, but to be a solid force if there are any lows.

The Webster Dictionary defines leadership as an office or position, the capacity to lead, the act or an instance of leading (Merriam-Webster, 2011). Leader is defined as; a person who directs a military force or unit, a person who has commanding authority or influence (Merriam-Webster, 2011). The Army defines leadership as the process of influencing people by

Leadership is a difficult word to define and according to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary leadership is the “office or position of a leader” (Miriam-Webster, 2010). This definition is definitely not one that I would ascribe to when discussing leadership. My definition of leadership is “the ability someone has to motivate and empower others to achieve a goal.” Some may add to this definition, others may discard it altogether and have a completely different definition. In the end, leadership takes on many different forms depending on who is doing the defining and we end up asking ourselves, what is leadership and why do we care?

Leadership is a term that cannot easily be defined. According to Ben Silverstein, author of “Managing People: Secrets to Leading for New Managers” being a leader is not a right, it is a privilege, bestowed by those you lead. (Silverstein 2009, pg. 115) In order to lead there must be people willing to follow. The privilege of being a leader is earned based upon choices and actions. Leadership truly is a way of life for the leader and to those that choose to follow.

Leadership is technically defined as the ability to create rules and to set goals. It also entails the capacity and capability to follow through in order to ensure that rules are followed and that pertinent goals have been accomplished.

Leadership is a very broad topic that encompasses many aspects. Throughout my time in the Coast Guard I have had many good and bad leaders and have learned from both of their styles. My first unit, CGC ELDERBERRY, had eight members with an Officer in Charge, then BMCS Woody Woodell, who literally led from the front. I knew it was not normal for an E8 to wash dishes at the time but I didn’t fully appreciate that fact until much later. When at PACTACLET as an E5 the Commanding Officer, then LCDR Pat DeQuattro, allowed for any member to hold any qualification regardless of rank or title. On the challenging side of Leadership, I worked for an Officer in Charge who I felt took my disagreement with him behind closed doors in the open and was too entrenched in rank to listen to the messenger rather than the message. Those snapshots in time and others experiences have led me to believe that Leadership is a way of doing things that encourages others to not only want to accomplish a mission but have the freedom to make decisions as the most efficient way to accomplish that mission.