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My Leadership Philosophy Essay

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My leadership philosophy is a work in progress and always evolving. This evolution is part of my learning process as a leader. With over 11 years of military service it is important to learn from experiences, peers, subordinates and superiors. Below are the key points of my leadership philosophy. The first key of my leadership philosophy is to understand people who I am interacting with points of view. It is important as a leader to understand how ones actions might be viewed by subordinates as well as superiors. By understanding other individual’s viewpoints, a leader can understand how Soldiers react to certain directions and guidance. This does not mean that I craft my decisions on what makes people happy, but it helps inform my decisions …show more content…

Everyone in the Army has had a toxic leader. I believe it is an important lesson to be exposed to such leaders. These interactions help people learn how they want to be treated as a Soldier and as a person. Toxic leadership is not good for the Army and causes dissention within Units. These experiences teach leaders how to treat other people. Solders are motivated, even under difficult circumstances, when they know their leaders are treating them as valued people and how they want to be treated. The third key is to lead from the front. Almost everyone says this in the Army. To me this means that any task I assign I am willing to do myself. This also extends to how hard and how long I work. If I assign a Soldier a hard task that is going to keep them at work late I will stay with the Soldier and help or work on other mission essential tasks. Leaders that show this trait are motivating. The fourth key is to have open communication lines. This means that I am always willing to listen to, within proper military decorum, concerns brought to my attention. It also means that I will strive to be clear and concise in directions that I give. Clear communication makes Units function in a more efficient manner. It is also essential for Soldiers to bring to my attention when my guidance is not clear. I will always be open to questions about mission tasks. No one is a perfect communicator and thus corrections have to be made

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