Leadership : My Personal Leadership Philosophy

There are three leadership behaviors I intend to improve on based upon the Leadership Practices Inventory and self-reflection. As a senior leader I admittedly lack in praising people for a job well done. My shortfalls come from my personal views that self-gratification is more important than any other type of praise or recognition. A person has to be satisfied with themselves before accepting praise. However, I can attest that we can be more critical on

Philosophy is "the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge or conduct."(Stuart Berg Flexner and Lenore Crary Hauck, 1993). Leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction, and motivation. Command is the authority a person in the military service lawfully exercises over subordinates by virtue of his rank and assignment or position.(FM 6-22) My leadership philosophy has been developing thru my Army career. I have use the NCO creed as a pillar for my Leadership philosophy. The outcome of my performance is a direct reflects of my subordinates. My ideas will not always the best, that is why my Soldiers have a open door to provide any feedback.

The path to a personal leadership philosophy is made up of three parts. Each individual aspect is a facet of a complete whole. Much like a timeline that includes a past, present and future, my personal philosophy consists of a foundation, action, and growth. If you do not understand where your foundation of leadership came from, you will have problems acting in a leadership capacity. Also if don’t pay attention to how you are acting as a leader you cannot know in what ways you need to grow. Why should I spend the time and effort in developing myself as a leader? The Gunner’s Mate rating has a strength of just over 600 members. Maritime Force Protection Unit Kings Bay has 31 Gunner’s Mates assigned to it. I have a full five percent of the Gunner’s Mates in the Coast Guard that I lead. During my four year assignment at MFPU Kings Bay, approximately 55 Gunner’s mates (9.2 percent) will have been under my leadership. I see that as an enormous responsibility. As a young Gunner’s Mate I saw my senior leadership as people capable of effecting great change on the rating. Now today I am in the position to have that same impact.

I base my leadership philosophy on four pillars, I will show how I incorporate all four as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). I am patient with myself, and my Soldiers. I am a doer who leads by example. I am a teacher who gives feedback through constant and consistent communication. I am flexible with the ability to change and adapt.

A good leader leads from the middle and not the front. Leadership is working with people in order to complete a task, instead of telling others what to do. Delegating and helping others realize their potential and work to their strengths is what leadership is all about. Leadership is the ability to listen to others and show them the right path. I strive to be a leader in all I do. As a pharmacist, I will be the leader in the community and be able to help patients with their medical needs. While I have had times in my academic classes that I am able to step up and be the leader, I often use my leadership skills most in extracurricular activities. I have served as President of my cooperative house, where I learned so much from the constant leadership.

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.

Leadership on many occasions has been misinterpreted by many individuals. Many assume that leadership is an easy skill people can develop, however, it isn't. Leadership comes with significant responsibilities such as establishing an influence, guidance, or encouragement on others. While there are some people who seek leadership with the purpose to obtain the power and abusing it for self-interest. I can proudly identify myself as a person who has been titled a leader because I have portrayed an influence. Around my last two years of high school, I became a youth leader at church. Being a youth leader was not only a major learning experience for those who I supported but also for myself. For instance, I had to go through a discipleship class

There have been many things in my life that have molded me into the leader I am today. Various people and groups along the way have taught me so much about what it means to be a leader. There were so many things that impacted my life and leadership.

Throughout my life, I have never really been a follower in the typical sense. While I have looked to people older than me for help and advice. In addition, I never really saw myself as a typical leader. What I mean by that is I felt that I was a leader by doing my own thing and not worrying about everyone else or being a part of a particular clique. What I realized by just going about my business is that my attitude attracted others in the sense that they knew I was about work and wanted to emulate my demeanor in order for to be successful in school. One time that I recall in which I had to lead a team of my peers was this past summer. I enrolled in a few summer classes in order to better prepare me for college. For one of my classes

Throughout my short life, I have come to realize that a leader does not necessarily, although they may, maintain a defined position of leadership. A leader is one who will rise to the challenge even when the odds in opposition. A leader will tackle any barrier that stands in the way of the goal. A leader is willing to be hated and face criticism for doing what is right. Leaders come in all different forms, but a leader is the one who is always willing to make the difficult decisions.

Trust among team members is crucial when building a team. As your leader, I want

The basic premise for leadership is the process of influencing other people to follow your lead in order to accomplish a goal. It is about the relationship between the leader and the followers. A good leader tries to motivate people to bring about positive changes revealing a common objective without using coercion or manipulation. Leadership is not about control, but permitting interaction and communication between the leader and the individual followers. With empowering others, leaders build a foundation of collaborative thinking and encourage an atmosphere of personal involvement; a leader can strengthen the respect and loyalty of his or her followers. Leaders can affect this process by applying their own personal characteristics, such

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.

Over the years, a great deal of time, and research has been dedicate to the study of leadership. Even with extensive data on the topic, many still disagree on what leadership really means. Hence, leadership is a word that has many different meanings and different researched theories associated with it. On a basic level, leadership involves having and establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with followers, respecting followers, and leading an organization with excellence while ensuring that everyone is part of the team. Leadership is also a method by which a leader uses his or her influence towards getting a group of followers to take ownership or buy into a vision.

As I reviewed my Leadership Practices Inventory Individual Feedback Report there were a couple of leadership behaviors that surprised me based on the results that I would like to refocus my effort into. They belong to the following leadership practices: Enable Others to Act, Inspire a Shared Vision, and Model the Way. The behaviors are: involve people in the decisions that directly impact their