As you read this paper, my goal is to give you a clear understanding of my philosophy leadership. I will talk about what I expect from my Soldiers, what can be expected of me, and things that are most important to me as a leader. Things like having good communication and listening skills, developing young leaders, and being able to adapt to different situations.
I learned very early in my military career that there are many different types of leadership styles and none are the same, similar but not the same. As a young noncommissioned officer, I began taking good and bad leadership traits to start forming my own style of leadership. I believe that the bad traits are as important if not more important as the good traits, for the simple fact that you know that is not how you would like to be perceived as a leader. I am a firm believer in the saying respect goes both ways, but there are a lot of leaders throughout the military that it is their way or the highway. In our NCO creed, it talks about earning respect and confidence from not only the officers but more importantly our Soldiers. I have seen it to be mostly true that if you are always honest and upfront with your Soldiers, they in return will do the same for you.
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A good leader must hold everyone to the same standard. A noncommissioned officer should be held to a higher standard than a Private. I remember a time when NCOs would send Soldiers to the promotion board, not because that Soldier was ready to become a leader, but to make that NCOs evaluation look better. Developing leadership takes time. There is nothing that says a Specialist cannot oversee a Private, that is why we have a rank structure. I take that time to teach the Soldier the importance of counseling, accountability, and mentorship. Let the Soldier know why I say the things I say and do the things I do as a