Naval Officer Strengths And Weaknesses

As future Naval or Marine Corps officers, it’s important to reflect on our own development as leaders in order to be able to better serve those we will be entrusted to lead in the future. Throughout the arduous two and a half year journey that I have thus far embarked upon, there have been extreme highs as well as lows, however through it all the storm has been weathered and these experiences have shaped the person I am today. There are four strengths and four weaknesses I see in myself. The strengths are that I am a good listener, compassionate, charismatic, and dedicated. My weaknesses are organization, time-management, impatience, and being easily distracted. I have often been told that I am a good listener. I always try to practice

In addition, there have been a few major events that have truly helped to mold the person I have become. The first method of feedback that I have found to be extremely helpful is my Myers Briggs Personality Test. According to this, I identify as an ENFP. The E stands for extraversion, N for intuition, F for feeling, and P for perceiving. According to the MBTI, this means that I tend to be “curious, energetic, keenly perceptive of others, likely to value harmony and goodwill, and personable, perceptive, persuasive, and versatile.” Based on this analysis, it is clear that I enjoy being around others and they help to provide a lot of energy. This has helped me learn that I should seek more leadership positions where I have the opportunity to interact with people, and really develop and cultivate relationships. By understanding this about my personality, I decided to apply to be a squad leader in my company, which I am now in the middle of doing. Another method for evaluating performance would be examining the graduate attributes. The seven attributes of a Naval Academy graduate are: selfless, inspirational, proficient, innovative, articulate, adaptable, and professional. Over the summer I took part in the Naval Academy’s Off-Shore Sailing Training program where I travelled up to Bristol, RI and back down in a Navy 44-foot sailboat. When the boat returned to USNA, I was given feedback on my performance by my skipper, 2LT Kevin Williams, USMC. He ranked me on each of the graduate attributes. He gave me: 2/3 for selfless, 3/3 for inspirational, 2/3 for proficient, 2/3 for innovative, 2/3 for articulate, 3/3 for adaptable, and 2/3 for professional. I remember specifically him remarking on how my positive attitude really helped to inspire the rest of the crew, along with my good-natured sense of humor. On the other side, he pointed