A Personal Leadership Philosophy

I define leadership as providing a team with vision and guidance in the execution of a mission or task. Serving as the Officer in Charge of a Coast Guard Station I have developed a Command Philosophy to communicate my intent and methodology to my crew. My hope is that my philosophy allows the team to better understand the priorities and direction that will govern my tenure as Officer in Charge. I have stated the core of my command philosophy is, “Build the Team, Meet the Mission.” An examination of this philosophy and my leadership in practice will identify strengths and weaknesses and lead to a better unit both in terms of effectiveness and morale.

Leadership is not a simple, static concept. It does not form overnight. Instead, it develops alongside experiences which form a person’s character. It is as dynamic as the events that shape our lives. My life experiences equip me with the knowledge to form my own leadership philosophy. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I ensure my subordinates understand my philosophy. I ensure they understand what I expect of them. The basis of my leadership philosophy is promoting self-development, serving others, being proactive, and being an example of effective leadership.

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).

According to dictionary.com leadership is defined as, the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group: Its synonyms include guidance, influence, control, direction and supervision. These are all qualifications that are needed to be an effective leader. All characteristics are not necessarily needed at the same time and do no need to be used for each subordinate. This paper will identify my personal leadership philosophy along with theories to support my leadership style.

My personal leadership philosophy reflects a desire to develop subordinates and create an efficient, purpose driven environment. A leader must create a clear vision which followers can understand in order to meet all the requirements of their unit. A leader must lead with the end in sight creating goal driven activity. I believe the way to measure the success of a leader is through the success of their subordinate leaders. Therefore, a leader must constantly develop their subordinate leaders. Passion drives success making it essential for a leader to create buy-in to their plan at every level. It is inevitable that a leader will have to make correction and in order for this to have a positive influence on the organization the correction must be clear, quick, and recoverable. My personal leadership philosophy focuses on these three main points; care for Soldiers, clear vision, development of subordinates, and positive corrective practices.

Phase 1 of the Personal Leadership Philosophy Paper presented the opinion and supporting information establishing that; leaders are products of opportunity, birth and environment, but of these; opportunity influences great leadership the most. Furthermore, it was discussed that assigned leadership is a cancer to corporate America and this point is illustrated in the following example. While employed at Deloitte and Touché Consulting Group (DNT) we engaged ARCO, a major oil and gas company, to develop and implement an email migration strategy that consisted of 1200 Arco users at their subsidiary company, Vaster Resources Inc. In the initial meeting we were introduced to a gentleman, we will call John Smith for the purposes of this paper,

My leadership philosophy stems from my experience in the Army. As a leader, I believe in honesty, commitment, and respect for others. All responsibilities should be carried out in a timely manner. My main priority is the well-being of my Soldiers. My Soldiers can expect me a leader that is caring, dedicated, and upholds the standards.

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.

When I think of a leader I look back on how many people in my life that have helped me to get where I am today. My parents are authority figures in the sense that they are the ones that showed me right from wrong. There are the administrators that helped me along my way with school and completing all of the work that I needed to in order to make my way in this long road called life. Finally there are the instructors that have shown me the ways on how to become a leader myself. When I think of the word leader I do not think of myself right away, but now that I have taken on different roles in my life I have realized that maybe just maybe that I could become my own leader.

I have been in the Army for almost six years and never considered establishing my own leadership philosophy. Perhaps I always looked up to my leaders and believed they were constantly setting a new standard in the Army. As I progress as a Noncommissioned Officer, I regularly assess my leadership skills. Through my years in as a soldier in the Army, I have compiled my own leadership philosophy.

Leadership is the ability to inspire and focus members on a common goal, whether short term or long term and have the same vision. Leadership is more than telling or ordering, but having members believe and want to follow the same path as you. It’s a commitment to your people built on trust and respect. Many leaders shaped my personal leadership philosophy, to include several negative and positive experiences. Negative experiences from poor leaders and lessons learned on my part have uniquely shaped this vision. Difficult to be a good follower when your leader lacks competency, integrity, and your trust. If a leader takes credit for work other than their own, or forces and ideology onto others, but does not follow it themselves; these negative influences damage the trust and respect required by all leaders. However, positive experiences can also have a career lasting impact. A leader who inspires through personal actions and convictions can change how an entire unit operates without ever saying a word.

There are several characteristics a person in a leadership role should portray. My philosophy of leadership encompasses characteristics such as compassion, collaboration, innovation, perseverance, and competence. I believe to be a competent leader one must be authentic to one’s self and beliefs. One must know where he or she stands concerning ethics and innovations surrounding the education field. A leader must convey understanding, be on the forefront of research, advocate for colleagues and students, and collaborate with other professionals.

The text will cover a number of different aspects of leadership. We will consider my personal understanding of leadership and it relates to certain leadership theories. In my philosophy of leadership, I will address what role I believe a health care leader should play, what leadership theory they should follow, and why leaders should follow that theory. It will describe my current sphere of influence and how it has shaped my understanding of leadership. I will explain how I am a leader in my current position and how I apply my leadership philosophy within my position. Then I will provide how I see the use of informal, formal, positive and negative power as it applies to my personal philosophy of leadership.

My father once told me that, “everything we do— be it in academia, at work, social or family life—we are guided by principles, beliefs and values that collectively form our ideology of life.” I believe that every leader, to a certain extent, is shaped through her individual personal experience. Although in some cases, we may not realize to what extent our personal assumptions and beliefs shape our ability to lead or be led.

Confidence, communication and commitment are just three of many traits that a leader possesses. Having those traits may help you become a leader but continuous hard work and dedication makes you one. To continue to be a leader you must also be intelligent, courageous, and determined. Becoming a leader is difficult but continuing to be one is even more difficult.