Leadership Philosophy: My Time At The CGC Cypress

Leadership Philosophy I define leadership as “the art of influencing a person or team’s actions or thoughts toward an actionable goal”. The word “art” is crucial. It describes leadership as a combination of natural and learned abilities. To be effective, a leader must continue to learn new skills and apply them in varying situations and conditions. The term “person or teams” illustrates that fact that a leader only needs one follower, but can be assigned to one or more teams. Lastly, the phrase “actionable goal” describes the vision a leader needs. Leadership cannot be blinded. It must have intent, direction. Having an actionable goal will create a clear direction for the leader to inspire or influence their followers. Influences: I have always

In my definition of leadership, I do not specifically mention a type of person or team, I just mention “person or team”, meaning all types. It wasn’t until a couple of key influences that I started learning other skills that helped me understand what true leadership was. My time at the CGC Cypress had the biggest impact on my leadership style and skills. I was the Navigation Petty Officer, without a Chief in my department, and was responsible for training everyone on the bridge from Ensigns to E-3s. Additionally, I was part of a First-Class mess that was not very close when I reported. I instantly became the de facto leader and struggled to develop team cohesion. This position required me to lead not only my subordinates, but peers and superiors as well. I was forced to change my hard-charging leadership style into a strategic, pointed, and steady approach. I failed several times, but had a CO that supported me, a Chief’s Mess that mentored me, and my biggest influence, the Engineer Officer. The relationship was initially based on common interest, but quickly became one of mentor to

I would have followed him anywhere and often did, and we worked together to help improve the boat, often working together to accomplish goals. I valued him as a leader, and he was the first to give me feedback that would allow me to develop. I passed my OIC board while I was there, and I am confident to say, that without his influence I wouldn’t have even started the process. Values The top qualities are Honesty, Authenticity, and Trust. I think these are all related, but it revolves around a visceral need to care about people and their success. When people know you have their best interest in mind (or at least a common goal in mind), they will follow you. The opposite is also true. It is very difficult to get someone to follow you if they do not trust you. Reflection: The three leadership behaviors I want to work on from my LPI are: 1. Get personally involved in recognizing people and celebrating their accomplishments. Encourage a re-entry of the re-entry. Involve people in the decisions that directly impact their job performance. 3. Enable the Enable> option. Ensure that people grow in their jobs by learning new skills and developing themselves. Enable. My plan for all three is the