Leadership Philosophy 101: Who Are You?

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.

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

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 Army’s definition of leadership is influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization (Army, 2012). As a young Sergeant in the United States Army, I thought I was being a good leader by being an effective manager. I was determined to lead Soldiers and accomplish my organizations’ mission. As I gained more experience and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant, I realized that I was managing instead of leading. Leadership is not synonymous with management. Leadership goes beyond the allocation of personnel and resources to accomplish the organization’s goals. Leadership involves change, from being an individual performer to being an influencer. An effective leader has the ability to unite personnel behind the organization’s mission by examining individual motivations to promote success. Providing purpose and direction instills ownership in the success of the organization. A leader is also effective in building team culture. Yet, a leader cannot accomplish the above with establishing her/her own leadership philosophy grounded their individual values,

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.

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

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.

1. I believe a true leader, leads from the front. A leader is the first in all, showing the way, sets an example to all. A leader is trustworthy, loyal and approachable. A leader will support policy and always do what is right. A leader is looked up to and promotes motivation. A leader will take care of his crew, from his most subordinate to his commander. A leader knows when to allow others help and looks for innovative ways to improve. I would follow this leader and I wish to be this leader.

Leadership is a privilege that carries with it many responsibilities to inspire others, and to direct individuals to attain the vision and goals of an organization. As an effective leader it is my job to be flexible, be an excellent communicator, be a person who leads by example, and is an individual who is committed, resourceful, and reflective. Achieving the characteristics above, I have developed a definite purpose in mind; one that is shared and modeled in and outside of my school environment. With such growth mindset, I teach, present workshops and empowers others to make decisions that will develop future leaders. To lead by example, I became a mentor for first-year teachers. Furthermore, I orchestrate educational committees, encouraging

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.

A good leader is someone who puts others before him or her, someone who cares about people and someone who does not give up easily. This is what being a leader means to me and I believe that I have all of these characteristics. When I am at school, I tend to help my friends and peers more than I help myself and I take pride in knowing that they are getting the help they need to succeed. I care about how well people do in school and I really want them to be happy and satisfied with their hard work. If I see someone struggling I know that it is my duty to assist them. When I do assist people, some of them do not grasp the lesson immediately and it takes time to get the to understand but I do not want to give up on them because it is taking too

Being a leader means having the ability to compromise, the ability to listen well and to empathize. I have demonstrated leadership at work with my coworkers who are interns and are new to the job. I always show them what to do and how to do it right. I also encourage them that with time and practice they will get used to the job. At school, I always try to correct my classmates whenever I see them do something wrong. I show them how to do it right. It just never feels right to me seeing someone do something wrong and not correcting them or showing them the right thing. Some of my classes like art I have with students who are in a lower grade than me, students who are just learning to draw and paint. Most times I show them some drawing and painting techniques that would them. We also work in groups most times at school and I’ve learnt never to criticize anyones ideas. I respect people’s ideas and people themselves. The first and most important area of leadership is to show others respect and gain respect and I believe it is important to show respect whether the person deserves it or not.

Among society, there is a common longing for success. Success, however it is defined, is only achieved through leadership in some form. Whether a person becomes a public leader in his church, in his country, or simply a leader in his own life, it takes a leader to put in the effort to achieve one's hopes and dreams of success. Leadership allows a person to acquire the means necessary to meet a personal goal and ultimately reach this idea of success. Utilizing leadership skills is how I will achieve my goal of becoming a surgeon.

Imagine you’re going on a hike through the woods, and after an hour or two you’re ready to head back, but as you look around at all your friends you realize no one knows how to get back. Being a leader means coming forward and taking charge, and figuring out the safest and fastest way to get you and your friends back home to safety. Many leaders have many different behaviors and ways that they lead. Many times my friends turn to me to make decisions about what we will do, where we will go, or simply where we will eat. My actions toward the situation define my leadership skills.