The development of my leadership philosophy is a work in progress. This work requires more than simply putting words on paper. A good leadership philosophy requires reflective thought and soul-searching analysis. The role of this philosophy is to clarify what I expect from myself and the Soldiers and leaders that follow me. Completing this process in a few months is a foolish thought. I am only at the beginning of this journey, but I have been able to identify a few things that I feel are important. My leadership philosophy is comprised of the following six elements: personal vision, values, caring for Soldiers, developing leaders, embracing change, and keeping a sense of humor.
The first element of my leadership philosophy is my personal vision. I believe in working hard and playing hard. This belief is entwined into my vision. When I am at work, I work hard and demand that from members of my organization and team. I demand this standard of myself and expect leaders and Soldiers to do the same. I believe in keeping a fast pace and maintaining a Soldier focused environment. I believe in quickly determining, analyzing, and solving Soldier and leader problems. Every problem has a solution. The key is determining what can be done to solve it, not what cannot be done. Every team member must contribute one hundred percent to help resolve problems and develop the organization. This will ensure that the team shares duties and no one-team member is overburdened. Additionally, maintaining a sense of humor can keep moral high under stressful conditions and should always is part of the work environment. Humor should be in good taste and appropriate for the time and place. Using the right kind of humor can set the conditions for friendly atmosphere.
Working hard is important, but playing hard is essential to long term sustainability. I create balance in my life by playing as hard as I work. The development of relationships with family and friends is fundamental to building resilience and strong leaders. I encourage the organization to promote quality time with family and friends to play outside of the work environment (at the lake in my case). I know that ultimately there will be a time that I am done with the Army, when that time comes it is the relationships that I have developed, not the work I have done that will stand over time. I encourage everyone to find balance in life and when it is time play, play hard and responsibly.
I strongly believe that any organization can benefit from honoring the Army values. I expect Soldiers and leaders to maximize the integration of these values into everyday actions and decisions. I strive to honor all of the Army values, but there are a few that I treasure above others. These values are integrity and respect. Integrity is the foundation of everything I am as an individual. It sets the stage for trust and loyalty. Individuals that can stand up for what is right against the temptations and challenges in the world are the future leaders of the organization. Soldiers and leaders should never compromise integrity, EVER! In my mind, everybody initially has integrity. The level of an individual’s integrity is like the grade book on the first day of school. Everybody starts with an "A", but the first challenge separates those that have it from those that do not. I am a firm believer in the phrase, “I give you my word”. If I promise that I will do something then I will do it. I expect the same from those that surround me. I define an individual without integrity, as a person, who fails to do what they say, cannot admit to a mistake, or consistently fail the team. Respect is another basic value that I demand in an organization. Without respect, individuals on a team are likely to be miserable. The lack of respect will demolish an organization and inhibit teamwork. Preventing this devastation is why I strive to show respect to others at all times. I believe that personal respect is not a right; it has to be earned, not just by leaders, but also by all members of an organization and team. I have learned that a cooperative spirit and treating others like human beings can gain the respect of team members, superiors, and family members. If individuals feel respect then they will strive to help the team succeed. I will never assume that I have the respect of others. I will challenge myself daily to take advantage of any opportunity to establish a beneficial relationship and enhance existing relationships.
Leaders must ensure that they take care of the most valuable resource in the Army, the Soldier. The attitude I have had for many years is a leader I will never ask a Soldier to do anything that I would not be willing to do myself. This ideal is vital to building the respect and admiration that is required to lead and learn about Soldiers. Taking care of people requires active participation in the life of the individual. I will strive to learn about the lives of my team members, their family, and what makes them unique. However, taking care of people is more than just knowing them, but also holding them accountable and responsible for their actions. It is important to remember that everyone is human and will make mistakes. However, there is an enormous difference between mistakes and misconduct. I believe that misconduct must be dealt with quickly and fairly. I also feel team members should be held accountable for their mistakes. Understanding what caused the mistake and how to avoid are critical to future leadership development.
Leader development is the next element of my philosophy and I take personal interest in it. I have three thoughts on leader development: counseling and mentorship, education, and empowerment. I am a strong believe in counseling verbally and in writing. Providing feedback to team members provides guidance to help frame what they are doing well and what needs to be improved. I will do counseling as required and expect all leaders to do the same. Counseling will help build the organization from the foundation. However, leader development requires more than counseling, but also mentoring. Mentor’s in my past have shaped my future and as a result, I have returned to the Army as an officer. I am passionate about leaders grooming team members to become the next generation of leaders for the organization. Today, the untapped leaders of the Army require direction and guidance to develop the skills required to support an Army in persistent conflict. Schooling is also an important element in leader development. The education of the team members is required to development the operational Army. There will never be a good time to let a team member go to school, but leaders must send quality team members to school as soon as schools become available. This requirement will not be easy and will require creative and innovative techniques to minimize the impact of the absence. Additionally, I endeavor to consistently improve myself and encourage leaders and team members to take every opportunity to seek civilian education and self-improvement. Improving the quality and education of the force will benefit the entire Army and American society. My last thought on leadership development is empowerment. Today, the problems that face units and organization are unique and require individuals to discover new solutions to the problems. I believe that empowerment will release the true potential of team members and allow them to develop these new innovative and creative solutions. I strive to empower those around me to reach the goals of the organization. However, empowerment does not mean giving up responsibility. Leaders should endeavor to empower team members, but should maintain overall responsibility and ensure that products meet the standards.
The last subject I would like to discuss is change. It is important to recognize that change is inevitable. As a leader, fighting change will ultimately lead to stagnation and failure. I find the position of “this is how we have always do it” deplorable. I encourage change and expect individuals around me to challenge the status quo by initiating change and offer feasible solutions. I define feasible as the ability to reach the goal in time and space. Greater authority will require change. The ability to master change will determine the survivability of individual and the organization. Managing change will allow the team to shape how the organization will be influenced by the change and what the result will look like. Change will overtake and organization if leaders fail to initiate and manage it.
This philosophy is simply my thoughts on leadership that I have derived from my personal experiences, hardships, hard lessons learned by others, and my education. This philosophy is just one of the many incomplete answers to the question, “what is good leadership”. I continue to strive to develop and address shortfalls in this philosophy. Currently, I believe that personal vision, values, caring for Soldiers, developing leaders, and embracing change are essential building blocks to becoming and developing future leaders. Of course, key to all of this and to life in general is to enjoy what you are doing and have fun doing it.
In conclusion, these are ideas are effective at any level. However, I feel that implementing this style of leadership at the direct level may create more challenges then it resolves. This leadership philosophy is ideal in application at the organizational level and be an effective tool for indirect leadership. The centerpiece of the philosophy is teamwork and treating an environment that fosters innovation and creative thinking. These principles are the foundation in developing strong relationships and teams. That is why I feel that this philosophy will work better at the organizational level and indirect leadership as it is with little adjustment or change.