How can I become a better leader and lead my guys to do a job they hate doing and are not up to the level they should be?

This is kind of a silly & simple little meme, that we've probably all seen, but it says a lot, if you give it some thought.....

Never ask your guys to do something you are not willing to do. Make that job the most important thing to you. they will then see you put 100% into any job no matter how crappy or bad that job might be. They will start to put in the same effort. Reward them if it is feasible to do so. Even if it is a pat on the back. Positive reinforcement will ensure they continue to work hard.

How do you become a better leader? Experience and education. We learn from our mistakes but it's better to learn from others mistakes. So read, read anything you can about small group leading in the military. Know your job but not only that, learn how to interact with others. Taking some intro to management or even physiology courses can pay off in the long run as well (taking an english comp class doesn't hurt either). Becoming a better leader doesn't happen over night. This is why we don't promote people to Capt/Col or CPO/SFC overnight.

How do you lead your guys to do a job they hate? Set the example. If that means you get in there with them then you do it. The military is full of jobs we all hate. If your standing the line right there with them you show that you are not only do you realize that it does suck but that it is that important that you put that fact aside and are doing it anyways. There is an old saying 'never ask anyone to do something you are not willing to do yourself'. If your guys know that you believe this then you will rarely have a problem with them doing a job they hate.

How do you get your guys to perform up to the level they should be at? Do not accept substandard work. If that means they have to redo the work then they redo the work. If that means you give them more time or resources to do the work properly then you make that happen. If they need more or new training then you give them that training or get someone that can give them that training. Now the question is are you expecting them to meet a standard or exceed a standard. There is nothing wrong with expecting your guys to exceed a standard but you have to be realistic. Expecting someone to max out a proficiency in something is kind of unrealistic, especially if you have not given them the resources to do that. But say expecting them to reach 75% of maximum proficiency and giving them the tools to do that then that is a lot more reasonable. Just remember, your branch has set what the require proficiency for a given task is. It's kind of hard to ask your guys to exceed that standard if you are having a hard time meeting that standard yourself.