In my 16 years in the Army I have had my fair share of good and bad leaders. The leadership I had during my time in recruiting was by far some of the worst of them all. From just not knowing how to lead to being a dangerous and toxic leader. Being a leader is a heavy burden, and as a young Soldier you don’t know the decisions you must make that will impact the mission. Good bad or indifferent you are forced to live with the burden of the choice you make for the rest of your life. It can easily be related to firing a weapon. Once that round leaves the chamber there is no taking it back. Once those orders have been executed, you as a leader must live with the outcome. When I got selected for Recruiting I didn’t know what to expect. You …show more content…
What I mean by that is everyone wants to be in charge and lead until leadership rears its ugly head and you have to be the bad guy. Often, when someone needs to step up and be a leader, suddenly, “I don’t want that responsibility” slips out of their mouths. I had a First Sergeant (1SG) who would say leadership is a burden. He didn’t mean it in a negative way. He meant that as a leader you take on this burden and all the discipline and rewards that come with it. Knowing how your leadership style effects the decisions you make. Am I doing the right thing? Should we have gone this route? Leadership is not easy but we do it because it’s our job and our Solders’ lives depend on it. Recruiting does not focus on developing leaders or leadership skills. It allows weak leaders who could not get promoted in their primary MOS, to reclass and become a recruiter based off the fact they put in numbers and not how he is progressing into a better leader. AR 6-22 Defines leadership as, “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the origination”. There is a saying in the Army, “Lead from the Front”. This means you lead by example, show your soldiers what right looks like and uphold the standard. As leaders, we have to be able to stand up and say what’s right or wrong and make corrections even if it is on someone who out ranks you. By being brought up through the ranks, on the line, you learn the skills that are necessary to better your leadership skills. Through Sergeant’s Time Training and leading your team or squad during field training exercises, you are allowed the opportunity to hone your leadership skills. In recruiting, it was “here is your phone number list, start calling”. In the operational Army you have leadership schools (Ranger, Sapper, Scout Leaders) to give you the tools to become a better