Personal Code Of Conduct In The Wisdom Of The Bullfrog

As simple of a term as leadership is, the meaning behind it is quite vast and personalized to the individual whom commands the role as leader. On a personal level, leadership is built from a foundation of principles that make up a code of honor. Leadership defines the leader and as Retired Admiral William H. McRaven’s states in his book The Wisdom of the Bullfrog, “if you want to be a great leader, you must have a personal code of conduct that provides an anchor for your decisions and your actions. An anchor that tethers you to a good place of return when you go astray.” My personal code of conduct incorporates many aspects; however, 4 pillars stand out for me. They include being a person of integrity, having humility, being trustworthy, and

The personal philosophy that my experiences have helped shaped has become my foundation of which I can always rely on. As previously discussed, there are many aspects that make up a leadership philosophy. My leadership philosophy builds on integrity, humility, trustworthiness, and accountability. Integrity comes from within and can be used as a tool to guide others. McRaven in his book elaborates that we should, “never lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do and the culture of your organization starts with you.” He later goes on to explain that being fair and honorable in all business dealing, “is the only way you and your employees can leave a legacy to be proud of.” No one is perfect but it is important to own lapses in judgement, make corrections and always return to being a person of good character. The military organization is made up of many individuals above and below in rank. How you are seen can be very impactful to those delegating tasks and those being delegated to. There will be tasks that some might consider beneath them or a waste of their time. Having humility and demonstrating thoroughness in any task and completing it to the best of one’s ability creates a standard of which I hope to pass along to others. Goals are often achieved most efficiently when teams work together and trust each other. To me, trust is not given and especially not given just because of rank. McRaven explains in his book that, “to be a great leader, you must be trusted by your employees. If they do not trust you, they will not follow you. It takes time to build trust, but it is time well spent if you intend to lead effectively.” Building trust is not rushed or demanded. Engaging with your team on many levels including personal levels helps demonstrate good intention and character. Finally, I feel leadership does not come without true accountability. Accountability can be broken