What leadership traits have you exhibited that contributed to your long-term success? What traits have hindered you?

2018-12-18T09:08:21-05:00

Response by CW3 Matt Hutchason made Dec 18 at 2018 9:21 AM

2018-12-18T09:21:57-05:00

I was a Blackhawk MTP. I used to say often that “I care about 2 things: Fixing helicopters, and my boys.” That narrow focus served me well, and the guys would pay it back with their great work. Sometimes that narrow focus was also the leadership trait that got me a good talking to. It was more than worth it.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 18 at 2018 9:45 AM

2018-12-18T09:45:52-05:00

Personality goes along way. A leader is not afraid to make calculated decisions. A leader is not afraid of failure. Having the drive to produce is the trait which has helped me so far

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 18 at 2018 11:00 AM

2018-12-18T11:00:06-05:00

As an NCO you are expected to make decisions and I have found the saying "Take the hard right over the easy left" to be more in line with the 7 Army values and to be the right decision, however depending on your leadership they might chastise you for not giving in to favors or the Good 'ol boy system. I'll continue my last thought with yes you have to make decisions but you aren't omnipotent and therefore are not going to always make the most efficient decisions, take your soldier's thoughts and opinions into consideration and make the most efficient and ethical choice you can. the trait that needs the biggest improvement for me is being a more effective communicator ("painting the picture") to aid in understanding my directives or conversational points

Response by SPC David S. made Dec 18 at 2018 12:28 PM

2018-12-18T12:28:24-05:00

Effectively communicating to my target audience I would say is the one thing that sticks out that helps me to be more efficient - this is being authentic and a straight shooter.
The one thing that has hindered - expecting other to have the same motivation, standards and work ethic that I do. People half assing their work, wanting to quit or just being lazy ticks me off and I have a hard time letting go of that. You get on my bad side and you're over there until I see otherwise.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 18 at 2018 1:05 PM

2018-12-18T13:05:19-05:00

SPC Private RallyPoint Member Leadership starts with having integrity. Being a planner and goal setter with the commitment to get the job done, and done right, worked for me. As a Leader, I enjoyed mentoring others to help ensure their success. Along the way, I learned from my mistakes, and did not make the same mistake twice.

Response by SGT Joseph Gunderson made Dec 18 at 2018 2:57 PM

2018-12-18T14:57:18-05:00

SPC Jesus Robles SPC Austin Hyde SSG David Palomarez SPC Kenneth Ofosu SPC Spencer Nunn CPL Miles Mulholland Y'all tell me.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 18 at 2018 9:38 PM

2018-12-18T21:38:34-05:00

As far as success goes I would say a sense of urgency and a cool head when things get tough.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Dec 19 at 2018 3:04 AM

2018-12-19T03:04:32-05:00

I was raised with the 4 C's which seem to have fallen out of favor (Courage, Competence, Commitment, and Candor). Candor always seemed to be an unappreciated and problematic trait. But the other 3 were widely appreciated and brought me some level of success.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 21 at 2018 10:21 AM

2018-12-21T10:21:53-05:00

Working knowledge of the institutions inner workings and how to navigate the built in bureaucracy of the system has helped most of my Soldiers fix whatever issues they have been having.

What has hindered me is treating every Soldier the same. What I mean by this is knowing your audience and knowing how to address and deal with the different personalities in your formation. For example, I'm the type of person that takes a failure to accomplish something pretty hard. I do not need a verbal ass chewing to know I fucked up. Just a calm, direct talking to will entice me to fix my own deficiencies. Other people require a little extra "motivation" to accomplish something to standard. You have to be fair to everyone at all times, but you have to learn to tailor communication to how different people respond. That is something I struggle to accomplish daily.