20140610

Leadership 101 Philosophy, Capability, Traits, Principles.

John;

Im still working on this piece-meal. It's been a while since I have known a mature young adult as yourself. For the most part the below is simply a black & white version of what you already know instinctively. You are more than ready to solidify abstract leadership concepts.  As a leader, ready or not, you will be a magnet to the like gifted.  Chronological age is not an issue. You will have 'younger' students mentally who are older chronologically & vice versa. You wont have to search them out they will find you.

Likewise you will find mentors as you and I crossed each others path. I believe it is Gods will laid out. It seems to me that you are stepping into the world as the Lord is calling home a Leader. His time was done, He was tired, broken & worn out. He was just & faithful as most all the Biblical leaders of God we study (as leaders) are.  His reward is at hand. It is this leader's baton that you are handed. One falls, one steps up. I believe this with all my heart & soul that you are one of these men, as is your earthly father, open to Gods Will, Plan & Purpose for your life. In other words; The reason why you are here.

It is a wonderful adventure but it is an adventure that requires the exercise of integrity & loyalty to Gods Word and sacrifice of self.  All I have known who have erred &/or fallen did so outside of Gods Will/Word.  You father has this innate gift too. Why I respect him so. It is he who passed this gift to you through your adolescent nurture.  Sometimes it is a lonely walk. Sometimes you are isolated, away from home, sleeping in a strange place or even on the ground. I have never felt alone as God has always comforted me just as he does now. I do not mind the silence at zero dark thirty or the outside stillness. Just look up at the blanket of stars, be still & know that He is God, breath deep & relax. All will be renewed and well as you continue your walk:

Seek Justice, have mercy & walk humbly with God.  

The most difficult aspect of leadership is management of the human component/resource.  The effective leader is sufficiently experienced, and lives by impeccable and impeachable standards. Nowadays it is the appearance of impeccability for which those who are merely filling a leadership position are were on borrowed time the moment they assumed that position.  Those fakers of the funk can hide their true colors only for so long.  Do not spend a great deal of time concerned with them. Only to the extent you give them as wide a birth as possible once your radar starts pinging. Do not get wrapped up in their illusions. You will be the 1st to be thrown into the furnace and if that doesnt work they will take you down with them. I simply recommend you; Walk your walk, talk your talk. As you clearly demonstrated yesterday concerning the UNCC issue.

The real Leader invests his time heavily in both internal & external issues, gives the group a sense of identity, purpose, lifts, motivates, encourages and treats everyone with dignity & compassion.  He knows that it is human nature for the body major to contribute to and be part of the company's success.  Likewise there will always be a minor few who sell their loyalty &/or integrity to steal company property, intellectual or physical. These have to be dealt with as they happen, one on one, but just enough publicly to keep everyone in the company abreast of current events.  The largest leadership fail is the inability to counsel. A Leader does not forsake one on one counseling...either for positive or negative reasons.

Immature leaders fear praising for a good job as well as especially shying away from negative counsel for both minor & major discrepancies. I simply recommend them doing as necessary in a timely manner.  Ensure negative counselling is done privately one on one. This type of moral, ethical Leadership and the decisions based on these traits earn respect, trust and openness.  You are their Boss not their friend or social acquaintance nor are you the company cheer leader.  That is a responsibility you assign (aka morale builder).

These observations, traits & principles form the most effective foundation for information flow (up & down).  As my leader and mentor once quipped, "Bad news is not like good wine. It doesnt get better with age." General John Love, USMC.  Good guidance which applies to info passage up & down.

You simply have to be able to look another in the eye, as their boss and tell them what you believe they did, why it was wrong or right, give them an opportunity to mitigate, rebutte if necessary then finish with a reward (or corrective action/remediation) In a Timely Manner.   

Your Leaders Notebook. Is simply a composition ledger filled in daily with all aspects of your leadership life.  Things unchecked from yesterday get moved to today. Simple as that. I rewrite mine every morning & have done so for over 20 years. It's all I need for self reflection.

I highly recommend you keep a chronological/historical record of your counseling.  No need to keep it a secret from your charges either. It is perfectly fine for them to see writing praise or accountability remarks after you have spelled their name out loud and in writing.

Just ensure you keep the journal locked up safely for obvious reasons nor keep one sole record on one hard drive. Just saying...

The effective leader is a critical thinker who puts all related information on the table, seeks opinion, thought, furthers debate, closes debate, and issues guidance that will benefit all shareholders. This should include environmental sustainable/renewable concerns and a series of transitional events gradually increasing investment ratios.

Leadership capability gives one superhero powers. Use them for good. To often greed and selfishness corrupt.

An effective, successful leader has to balance compassion, with cold calculating decision making capacity. At the end of the day if the books don't balance there wont be a future company. We are not the federal government we cannot borrow our way out of trouble. That is a bubble, like the 2008 Housing bubble that will burst one day.  Efficiency is a mandatory ingredient to the success equation. bb  No? Do your own research on why so many companies & new business's fail, small or large.

Attire. You have attire nailed down. No need other to recommend Ms Oretha D. Swartz's "Service Etiquette" 4th edition (if memory serves). It's reference value will be obvious when you read the table of contents.  Moving on...

I remember a conversation in 1998 with my financial adviser at First Command, Chip Strattman. We were, as often the case either talking golf, current events or the future. In this case both current events & the future. RE: Housing bubble. This was 1998. They/we knew then that the housing bubble was going to blow. It was only a matter of when. That was the millionaire making question. We are still recovering today. Winners & losers? You betcha. Just look at who became rich & who became poorer is all I'm asking. In each category there were "leaders' guiding a few who lead more and so on. Some were right, more were wrong. But those leaders are still wealthy. Why? Because of their capability, their success trends over all. They make money & have a capacity to make more. As I have said there is a certain exponential involved when the right formula ratios have been hit. Everyone in the game knows there will losses & casualties. When the math is done the successful and their ranking is directly correlated to where they are in the black. Those in the red our out of the game until the next round. If they still want to play.

[ ] Leadership Traits and Principles

Enabling Learning Objective 1. (ELO 1) In any environment, identify the leadership traits and principles of the Marine Corps, per the reference.

Terminal Learning Objectives 1. (TLO 1) Without the aid of references, given a definition, identify the leadership traits.

2. Without the aid of references, given a description, identify the leadership
principles.

[ ] 14 Leadership Traits                                        “JJ DID TIE BUCKLE”

JUSTICE  Giving reward and punishment according to the merits of the case in question. The ability to administer a system of rewards and punishments impartially and consistently.

1  JUDGMENT  The ability to weigh facts and possible courses of action in order to make sound decisions.

2  DECISIVENESS  Ability to make decisions promptly and to announce them in a clear, forceful manner.

3  INITIATIVE  Taking action in the absence of orders.

5  DEPENDABILITY  The certainty of proper performance of duty.

6  TACT  The ability to deal with others without creating hostility.

7  INTEGRITY  Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principles. The quality of truthfulness and honesty.

8  ENTHUSIASM  The display of sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of duty.

9  BEARING  Creating a favorable impression in carriage, appearance, and personal conduct at all times.

10 UNSELFISHNESS  Avoidance of providing for one's own comfort and personal advancement at the expense of others.

11 COURAGE  A mental quality that recognizes fear of danger or criticism, but enables a Marine to proceed in the face of it with calmness and firmness.

12 KNOWLEGDE  Understanding of a science or an art. The range of one's information, including professional knowledge and an understanding of your Marines.

13 LOYALTY  The quality of faithfulness to country, the Corps, and unit, and to one's seniors, subordinates, and peers.

14 ENDURANCE. The mental and physical stamina measured by the ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship.

[ ] Eleven (11) Leadership Principles 

1. Know yourself and seek self improvement.  
Evaluate yourself by using the leadership traits and determine your strengths and weaknesses.

2. Be technically and tactically proficient.   A person who knows their job thoroughly and possesses a wide field of knowledge. Before you can lead, you must be able to do the job. Tactical and technical competence can be learned from books and from on the job training.

3. Know Your People And Look Out For Their Welfare.   They are the reason for your success.  They are the shoulders on which you are standing. This is one of the most important of the leadership principles. A leader must make a conscientious effort to observe his Marines and how they react to different situations. A Marine
who is nervous and lacks self-confidence should never be put in a situation where an important decision must be made. This knowledge will enable you as the leader to determine when close supervision is required.

4. Keep Your Personnel Informed.  To promote efficiency and morale, a leader should inform the Marines in his unit of all happenings and give reasons why things are to be done. Informing your Marines of the situation makes them feel that they are a part of the team and not just a cog in a wheel. The key to giving
out information is to be sure that the Marines have enough information to do their job intelligently and to inspire their initiative, enthusiasm, loyalty, and convictions.


 5. Set The Example.  Not the appearance of an example nor a public relations facade of an example. Live an example beyond reproach. A leader who shows professional competence, courage and integrity sets high personal standards for himself before he can rightfully demand it from others. Your appearance, attitude, physical fitness and personal example are all on display daily for the Marines and Sailors in your unit. Remember, your Marines and Sailors reflect your image!

6. Ensure That The Task Is Understood, Supervised, And Accomplished.
Leaders must give clear, concise orders that cannot be misunderstood, and then by close supervision, ensure that these orders are properly executed. Before you can expect your men to perform, they must know what is expected of them.
The most important part of this principle is the accomplishment of the mission.

7. Train Your Marines As A Team. Teamwork is the key to successful operations. Teamwork is essential from the smallest unit to the entire Marine Corps. As a leader, you must insist on teamwork from your Marines. Train,
play and operate as a team. Be sure that each Marine knows his/her position and responsibilities within the team framework.

8. Make Sound And Timely Decisions. The leader must be able to rapidly estimate a situation and make a sound decision based on that estimation. Hesitation or a reluctance to make a decision leads subordinates to lose confidence in your abilities as a leader. Loss of confidence in turn creates confusion and hesitation within the unit.

9. Develop A Sense Of Responsibility Among Your Subordinates.  Give them the opportunity for professional development. Assigning tasks and delegating  authority promotes mutual confidence and respect between leader and subordinates. When you properly delegate authority, you demonstrate faith in your Marines and increase authority, and increase their desire for greater responsibilities.

10. Employ Your Command Within its Capabilities.  A leader must have a thorough knowledge of the tactical and technical capabilities of the
command. Successful completion of a task depends upon how well you know your unit’s capabilities. If the task assigned is one that your unit has not been trained to do, failure is very likely to occur. Failures lower your unit’s morale and self esteem. Seek out challenging tasks for your unit, but be sure that your unit is prepared for and has the ability to successfully complete the mission.

11. Seek Responsibilities And Take Responsibility.  For professional development, you must actively seek out challenging assignments. You must
use initiative and sound judgment when trying to accomplish jobs that are required by your grade. Seeking responsibilities also means that you take responsibility for your actions. Regardless of the actions of your subordinates, the responsibility for decisions and their application falls on you.



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