Personal Philosophy Of Leadership

Leadership; Leadership can be defined in many different ways. It is what motivates us, it is what inspires us, it is what drives in our need to accomplish task to the best of our abilities. Many great people have accomplished great things by being a good leader. A good leader finds a commonality, something that leaders and their members can relate to or be passionate about. A good leader it is someone who really inspires a shared vision regardless of the situation at hand. Chesty Puller, while surrounded by enemy forces said “We are surrounded, that simplifies the problem”. His bold confidence and ability to relate to his Marines motivated them to continue the fight. I define leadership as the ability to lead and inspire through knowledge,

In our lives especially in the Coast Guard it is so easy to get caught up in our tremendous workloads; sometimes getting the job completed is all we can see. This is where we need to listen to our people. The Coast Guard is a diverse work force, sometimes members see the same problem with different outcomes. We should take a step back and listen to what our members have to say. Second we as leaders must model the way. We should not put our members in situations that we ourselves would not do. We must solidify their passion with team work, this can be accomplished by walking with them. Third, we should motivate them with inspiration, we should find a common ground or help them achieve things that are important in their lives. If our member’s feel that we are truly invested in them as a person they will more than likely reciprocate that investment. Lastly, we must have compassion, a leader should truly share their members’ feelings. This might be the most important but difficult thing to accomplish. However, it is important to have a genuine investment in our members, making them feel like they are truly

The results of my LPI opened my eyes to areas that I thought I was accomplishing. However, the community that I operate in did not. My plan moving forward is to start with actively listening to diverse points of view. I plan on taking time and hearing not just listening to what other members of the Coast Guard have to say. I plan on giving them the full attention they deserve, and to process their points prior to making a decision. I am also planning on doing a better job modeling the way, I will ask for feedback on how my actions affect others people’s performance. I will remain open minded to this feedback and hopefully create a situation that members feel that they can provide this feedback. In addition to that I plan on sharing and existing dream. I want my members to have buy in on me and I will buy into them. Lastly, is compassion, this is one of my most difficult feats. It is hard for me to show true emotion toward other members of our service. I plan on investing in my members both personally and professionally. I want them to truly understand that they are an important part of our Coast Guard