1. Introduction. Leadership is the ability to influence and motivate individuals and groups. Effective leadership can be utilized to encourage others to work in an organized manner to reach common goals. My experiences have led me to recognize initiative, integrity, and inclusion as three of the most impactful qualities necessary for successful leadership. Although each has significant impact individually, these tenets work together to foster leadership and followership, creating a unified working environment.
a. Organizations thrive when they create an environment that fosters initiative at all levels. Initiative is the intrinsic desire to do more than what is expected through resourcefulness and innovation. This is encouraged when leaders are clear with their objectives and ensure that the mission is understood. People who know the reason behind their work are motivated to exceed
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Integrity is leading by example through honesty and consistency. Effective leaders guide others through their words and actions and are willing to listen to suggestions of others. This means taking ownership of your mistakes and those made by your team and maintaining a consistent effort to learn from your experiences and from those around you.
c. The Coast Guard’s workforce is made up of a very diverse group of individuals, each with different educations, life experiences, and beliefs. Encouraging our members to utilize their unique backgrounds fosters innovation, which is highly valuable to our organization. It is important to not only recognize our members as individuals, but to celebrate our differences and ensure that the Coast Guard provides a safe working environment that is welcoming and inclusive to everyone who wants to serve.
2. Personal Experiences. There have been a variety of individuals and events throughout my life and Coast Guard career that have contributed to my personal view on leadership. Of these experiences there are two that stand out to me