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Following my last post regarding leadership as an ever-evolving process, I feel the second most important attribute to being an effective leader is definitely doing a gut check, picking up the pieces, and moving forward no matter the cost. I could spend the entire blog explaining the trials and turbulence that I have been through in the past five months, but in the interest of not boring you, just know that what I have been through is not easily walked away from.
We always heard the Drill Sergeants, Tis, Drill Instructors, and what have you, “Pick your sack up, move forward, get some intestinal fortitude and drive on!” Mike Rowe did it for entertainment. We do it because someone’s life is on the line, an objective needs seizing, or the simple fact being that if WE do not accomplish this task, it does not get done. How many times, and be honest here, have you just wanted to throw in the towel and come up with a laundry list of explosives as to why something can’t get done? Or an activity so minute, but suddenly “way more important” than that lousy task, comes up?
I’m throwing my jabs at the Spec 4 mafia, and making that sham shield shine. We were experts at it, and I am not going to deny that there have been times where I have been guilty of this stinking way of thinking. Attitude is everything, yet without perspective, is that attitude worth it? The simple fact of the matter is someone in your sphere of influence, whether above or below you, is counting on you to get the job done right the first time without screw ups (though they will happen).
NCOERs are a perfect example of this: it indirectly does not affect YOUR performance or evaluations, but it sure might screw that fellow E-5 out of a promotion when he could need it. I am a firm believer of paying it forward. You take care of this guy when his medical bills are stacking up, he’s three months behind on a mortgage, and his car just blew a transmission. I can promise you, it will not be forgotten, and he will go miles for you when you are in a similar situation.
Bottom line: intestinal fortitude has nothing to do with you. We all know the body is capable of surpassing limits well beyond our comprehension. It might get your ass out of the firefight, but what about Joe, who just had his leg sliced at the knee? Are you going to be able to perform? Again, intestinal fortitude isn’t all about you, but more about how you’ll show it when it counts for others: when lives and duty depend on it, when a family needs someone home, a father needs to see his son, or a wife needs her family.
We always heard the Drill Sergeants, Tis, Drill Instructors, and what have you, “Pick your sack up, move forward, get some intestinal fortitude and drive on!” Mike Rowe did it for entertainment. We do it because someone’s life is on the line, an objective needs seizing, or the simple fact being that if WE do not accomplish this task, it does not get done. How many times, and be honest here, have you just wanted to throw in the towel and come up with a laundry list of explosives as to why something can’t get done? Or an activity so minute, but suddenly “way more important” than that lousy task, comes up?
I’m throwing my jabs at the Spec 4 mafia, and making that sham shield shine. We were experts at it, and I am not going to deny that there have been times where I have been guilty of this stinking way of thinking. Attitude is everything, yet without perspective, is that attitude worth it? The simple fact of the matter is someone in your sphere of influence, whether above or below you, is counting on you to get the job done right the first time without screw ups (though they will happen).
NCOERs are a perfect example of this: it indirectly does not affect YOUR performance or evaluations, but it sure might screw that fellow E-5 out of a promotion when he could need it. I am a firm believer of paying it forward. You take care of this guy when his medical bills are stacking up, he’s three months behind on a mortgage, and his car just blew a transmission. I can promise you, it will not be forgotten, and he will go miles for you when you are in a similar situation.
Bottom line: intestinal fortitude has nothing to do with you. We all know the body is capable of surpassing limits well beyond our comprehension. It might get your ass out of the firefight, but what about Joe, who just had his leg sliced at the knee? Are you going to be able to perform? Again, intestinal fortitude isn’t all about you, but more about how you’ll show it when it counts for others: when lives and duty depend on it, when a family needs someone home, a father needs to see his son, or a wife needs her family.
Posted in these groups: 
Leadership
Attitude
Leadership Attitude
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
3
3
0
Some comments on leadership defined:
-
ADP 1 The Army (Para 4-16). Leadership is the process of influencing people
by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve
the organization.
- Army Leader Development Strategy 2013 says "Leader development is a mutually shared responsibility between the institutional Army (education or training institution), the operational force (organization or unit), and the individual" and that "Leader development is a process that aligns training, education, and experience to prepare leaders who exercise mission command to prevail in unified land operations." - Finally, LTG (R) John R. Vines said "Management is the science that undergirds leadership; Leadership is the art
". He also said that "The higher up the organization, the more time leaders should be spending with people in the organization as opposed to doing “tasks”".
-
ADP 1 The Army (Para 4-16). Leadership is the process of influencing people
by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve
the organization.
- Army Leader Development Strategy 2013 says "Leader development is a mutually shared responsibility between the institutional Army (education or training institution), the operational force (organization or unit), and the individual" and that "Leader development is a process that aligns training, education, and experience to prepare leaders who exercise mission command to prevail in unified land operations." - Finally, LTG (R) John R. Vines said "Management is the science that undergirds leadership; Leadership is the art
". He also said that "The higher up the organization, the more time leaders should be spending with people in the organization as opposed to doing “tasks”".
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COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM
SGM Brainard, I agree that the amount of institutional development spread over 20 years is minimal. The Army Leader Development Strategy, however, views leader development as a shared responsibility among the institutional, operational, and self domains. It boils down to answer being a combination of all three and not any one by itself. I agree that institutional is lagging but I am currently in a position where I can influence that in a different direction. I disagree that the tactical and operational level of leadership can only be taught in the unit. The underlying assumption of the Army Leader Developmental Model is that a Soldier (NCO, WO, O) receives the basics in AIT/PME, practices those basics within the operational domain, fills the gaps via the self domain, exhibits the potential to perform at the next higher level, gets promoted, then goes through the process again.
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1LT William Clardy
COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM, I apologize in advance for denigrating your directorate, but the quotations you shared from institutional documents read like the aftermath of somebody (more likely several somebodies) "product-improving" an elegantly simple concept of leadership into insomnia-curing pablum.
Just in terms of clarity in the official definition of leadership that you quote, what value does any of the verbage between "the process of influencing people" and "to accomplish the mission"? And isn't maintaining/improving the unit an intrinsic part of the day-to-day mission of the Army?
Likewise, the explanation of the "mutually shared responsibility" for leadership development rings would have a hard time fighting its way past a competetn grammar checker. When was the last time you heard self domain yell "Follow me!"? And, as SGM Charles Brainard points out, the Army's formal leadership training is an almost insignificant chunk of time and effort over the course of a career -- doubly so if you subtract out the course time dedicated to technical skills. All of which means that leadership is taught primarily within the unit, and it is taught (or learned) when experienced and competent leaders mentor their subordinates who show the greatest potential for becoming a leader.
Just in terms of clarity in the official definition of leadership that you quote, what value does any of the verbage between "the process of influencing people" and "to accomplish the mission"? And isn't maintaining/improving the unit an intrinsic part of the day-to-day mission of the Army?
Likewise, the explanation of the "mutually shared responsibility" for leadership development rings would have a hard time fighting its way past a competetn grammar checker. When was the last time you heard self domain yell "Follow me!"? And, as SGM Charles Brainard points out, the Army's formal leadership training is an almost insignificant chunk of time and effort over the course of a career -- doubly so if you subtract out the course time dedicated to technical skills. All of which means that leadership is taught primarily within the unit, and it is taught (or learned) when experienced and competent leaders mentor their subordinates who show the greatest potential for becoming a leader.
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SGT (Join to see)
While there are solid and very valid points in this part of the discussion, in the end the SGM is right: we become what are leadership leads us to be. If it were all about the schooling than guess what: our retention numbers would be up, PT failures would be non existent, there would be no need for suicide prevention, or the AAC, or anything like that, because we would be just like how the book tells us to. Oh wait-
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COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM
SGM Brainard, 1LT Clardy,
I appreciate your comments and to a point agree. A few points in response:
- I provided the strategic document definitions since that should be the start point on any conversation. Hard to have a discussion when terms are not defined or when we discuss opinions rather than facts or primary source material.
- I disagree that PME (professional military education) is irrelevant but agreeing to disagree is OK. On this issue I would state that:
o Much of this is focused on perception of what is currently. Some key questions that then logically follow are:
o Should we change the Army Leader Development Model?
o If so, how?
o What should the NCO leader development endstate be?
o How do we get to the NCO leader development endstate?
- Throwing our collective hands up and accepting the status quo if we do not like it is not what we as leaders should be doing. We should be asking and answering the above questions and then busting our collective butts to make it happen.
I appreciate your comments and to a point agree. A few points in response:
- I provided the strategic document definitions since that should be the start point on any conversation. Hard to have a discussion when terms are not defined or when we discuss opinions rather than facts or primary source material.
- I disagree that PME (professional military education) is irrelevant but agreeing to disagree is OK. On this issue I would state that:
o Much of this is focused on perception of what is currently. Some key questions that then logically follow are:
o Should we change the Army Leader Development Model?
o If so, how?
o What should the NCO leader development endstate be?
o How do we get to the NCO leader development endstate?
- Throwing our collective hands up and accepting the status quo if we do not like it is not what we as leaders should be doing. We should be asking and answering the above questions and then busting our collective butts to make it happen.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
Military Leadership
I believe that we Need Government Civilian (including but not limited to the President, Cabinet, Congressional Leaders, Governors, Mayors, Judges, etc.) and Industry Leaders To Sign Up to this Philosophy of Leadership!
(A Personal View)
Leadership is taking the point position when your flight or unit is expecting contact with the enemy. Leadership is flying a crippled bomber to the ground when one of your wounded crew members cannot bail out. Leadership is keeping your young soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, and coast guardsmen alive and never leaving your wounded behind. Leadership is duty, honor, and country.
Leadership is writing a dead trooper’s family a personal letter immediately after the battle.
Leadership is not glorifying war. Leadership is not doing “anything” just to get promoted. Leadership is not winning the battle at all costs, nor is it losing a war to avoid causalities. Leadership is not found in the security of a well-fortified command bunker, nor is it found in a plush officers’ field mess.
No compromise of the integrity of one’s word, deed, or signature is leadership. Setting high standards and seeing that they are met is leadership. Intelligence, dedication, creativity, and selflessness are leadership. Stamina, vigor, and commitment are leadership. Spontaneous, contagious enthusiasm is leadership. Initiative, self-improvement, and professionalism are leadership.
Leadership is rewarding a soldier, sailor, airman, marine, coast guardsman, or civilian with the appropriate recognition immediately after exceptional service. Leadership is commanding and managing. Leadership is establishing and meeting, by priority, specific objectives. Leadership is managing by exception, using job enlargement, and seeking job enrichment. Leadership knows that leading is more than just “follow me”, but also “follow my orders”.
Believing in God, family, and country, in that order is leadership. Being humanistic is leadership. Trusting well trained troops ideas and decisions is leadership. Knowing where the mission is at, when the troops and material are to be there, and how many troops and systems are needed to win is leadership. Blocking out periods of “private time” to accomplish creative work and recharge is leadership. Compromising for the good of the whole with sister services and partner leaders on budgeting, planning, and executing is leadership.
Leadership is treating men and women equally without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, or custom. Leadership is visiting your wounded and sick frequently. Leadership is knowing and living by the Constitution, the Code of Conduct, the Geneva Convention, and the basic human rights of all mankind.
A leader is assertive, but not aggressive. Leadership is neither ruthless nor mindless discipline, but it is the ability to do the right thing at the right time, by putting the whole before the parts. Leadership is not a good efficiency report, nor is it paper readiness. Leadership is not a court martial for every mistake nor is it leniency for serious violations. A leader is fair, predictable, and consistent.
Giving a superior sound professional advice, even when you know he or she does not want to hear it is leadership. After you have given your best advice, following all legal, moral, and ethical orders, even when you do not agree with them is leadership. Leading when you can; following when you should; and getting the hell out of the way when you have nothing to offer, is leadership. Learning the language, culture, and customs of a host country is leadership. Staying in top physical condition is leadership.
Leadership is a general who knows the friendly and enemy situation, knows the immediate action sequence for the M16 rifle, knows his driver’s first name and family, and can recite the Lord’s Prayer. Leadership is a private who knows that he or she is in the chain of command and may have to take over when senior in rank. Leadership knows that a water truck in the desert is worth more combat power that an extra armored cavalry regiment.
Not forgetting that the past is our heritage, the present is our challenge, and the future is our responsibility is leadership. Not being overweight, not smoking, saying no to drugs, and not drinking alcohol in excess is leadership. Delegating authority, commanding confidence and respect, and accepting full responsibility for your actions is leadership. Ingenuity, sociability, tact, and tenacity are leadership. Cross training is leadership.
Leadership is not being right all the time, and it is certainly not being wrong most of the time. Leadership fixes problems---not blame. Leadership is adaptability, appearance, cooperation, and decisiveness. Leadership displays knowledge, manages resources efficiently, and plans beyond the immediate requirements of assigned duties. Leadership creates an organization of mutual respect. Leadership is building an organization and environment where it is not necessary to tell troops what to do. Leadership knows that combat without conscience is evil.
A leader knows why there are air, land, and sea forces; why there are cavalry, infantry, armor, artillery, aviation, amphibious, special operations, propositioned, recon, and logistical forces; and why combined arms and concentration of combat power are important. A leader knows about air, land, sea, and cyberspace battle and defense in depth, civil affairs, urban operations, counter insurgency techniques, the advantages our forces have at night, and how to use them.
A wise leader knows that young soldiers spend most of their time worrying about and planning tactics, while older more experienced soldiers spend the majority of their time worrying about and planning logistics.
Leadership can be good or bad, centralized or decentralized, warm or cold, offensive or defensive, macro or micro, or expensive or free. Leadership can be Catholic or Protestant, Jewish or Moslem, Hindu or Mormon, Atheist or Agnostic. Leadership prevents over mobility of junior leaders and troops, by keeping them in their jobs long enough to really learn their jobs and common and collective tasks and to work as team members. Establishing and promoting worker and troop certification and team certification programs are leadership. Leadership provides their troops with plenty of clean water and hot food. Leadership keeps their troops as comfortable as possible, keeps them feed, keeps them clean, keeps them supplied, keeps them informed, and keeps them from becoming depressed and suicidal.
Leaders hope and pray for the best and plan for the worst. Leaders know about the need to wage “total war” to win and the special advantage the defender has in cities, mountains, and jungles. Leaders know how to “own the night” and take maximum advantage of all of the combat arms team, and is skilled in the use of snipers, attack helicopters, counter artillery, naval gun/missile fire, secure communications, and close air support. Leaders know not to keep troops weapons locked up and away from them, but rather train troops to live with a clean, safe, and serviceable weapon that they are an expert in.
Leadership is embodied in Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Pope John Paul II, Robert E. Lee, Mohammed, Irwin Rommel, Jesus, Joan of Arc, John Paul Jones, Winston Churchill, Sister Teresa, Margaret Thatcher, Mohammad, Nelson Mandela, and many other well known figures. Also leaders are Robert Lee Lightle, J.C. Dandridge, Sam Deloach, Bubba Segrest, Luther Bergen, Gene Booth, Dan Hickman, Wes Komulainen, Brian King, Frank Gordon, Dick Orrell, and thousands of other unknowns.
Commitment to the team and a participatory form of leadership that draws on every troop’s knowledge and skills, at every level is leadership. Encouraging and rewarding suggestions and complaints is leadership. Having an “open door” and “open mind” policy is leadership. Empowering troops, civil service employees, and support contractors with the tools, responsibility, authority, and “accountability” to get the tough jobs done is leadership. Making troops multi-process, multi weapon, and multi-functional experts is good leadership. Good leaders practice servant leadership.
Leaders know that “the bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price”. Leaders allow talented soldiers “long leashes” for experimenting. Leaders find ways to satisfy the essential need of troops and civil servants to be both part of a team and be recognized as individuals. Leaders know how to use “internal and external bench marking”, observations, and inspections to rate their organization’s readiness, products, services, and processes against those front runners in their specialty.
Leadership is guiding. Leadership is legendary. Leadership is foresight. Leadership is absorbent, abstinent, and, unfortunately, at times it is abominable. Leadership is baccalaureate, balanced, basic, and too frequently backward and barbaric. Leadership has saved lives, killed, stopped wars, and started wars. Leadership has walked softly and carried a big stick, but it has also been loud and nonviolent.
Saying what you do (in clear concise Standard Operating Procedures - SOPs, Plans, Processes, and Operations Orders) and doing what you say (following those processes) is leadership. Breaking down communication barriers between staffs, line units, support organizations, and sister units is leadership. Getting at least a green belt in Lean Six Sigma techniques is leadership. Asking deep probing questions (five why), finding root causes, and developing sound counter measures to mistake proof processes is leadership. Changing problems into opportunities is leadership. Knowing that you can seldom wait until you have all of the answers is leadership. Repeatedly doing simple things that demonstrate sincerity is leadership.
Leadership is honesty, enthusiasm, loyalty, courage, and wisdom. Taking care of your soldiers’, civilians, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen, and marines and their dependents is leadership. Leadership includes being a good boss, good comrade and friend, father or mother, son or daughter, sister or brother, and husband or wife. Knowing that the profession of arms is much more than just a job is leadership.
Being an unquestionable friend to the environment is leadership. Basing decisions on facts is leadership. Promoting and rewarding continuous improvement and value are leadership. Being a champion of safety and quality is leadership. Staying focused on internal customers, external customers, and the enemy is leadership. Finding and eliminating the eight types of waste (waiting, overproduction, rework, motion, transportation, processing, inventory, and intellect) is leadership.
Performing preventive maintenance, knowing what cellular techniques involve, being skilled in set up reduction, understanding mixed model methods, and understanding rocks-in-the river problem solving and inventory management is leadership. Knowing how to level and balance work load, understanding that distance (to supplies, replacements, ammunition, fuel, etc.) is usually evil, and ensuring things are at least “in-time”, if not “just in time” is leadership.
Leadership is enthusiasm, optimism, helping, training, encouraging, understanding, motivating, disciplining, crying, laughing, standing firm, giving way, counseling, correcting, giving a second chance, and trying again and again. Leaders are tall, short, thin, heavy, male, female, black, brown, white, yellow, old, young, and naturalized and un-naturalized. Leaders are from the city and from the farm. Leadership works hard to close the gap between a soldier’s potential and their performance.
Knowing how to use teams, flow charts (value streams and process maps), simple --- yet powerful statistical methods, set up reduction, simplification, continuous improvement, responsive complaint and suggestion programs, and standardization to get the tough jobs done is leadership.
Leadership makes quality easy to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear, by finding root causes and permanently fixing the problem. Leadership is clarifying processes, identifying the detailed steps of each process, eliminating all non-value added activities, and making every troop an expert at solider common tasks --- everyone should be an Infantryman first!
Leadership is caring, compassion, understanding, concentric, and leading by example. Leadership knows that treating all prisoners and detainees in accordance with the Geneva Convention and other appropriate protections is absolutely essential to having any kind of chance of getting the same humane and dignified treatment for our Prisoners of War (POWs) from our enemies.
Leaders look you in the eye, kick you in the ass, cover your flank, and take your place on the most dangerous mission. Knowing there is “a place for everything and everything in its place” is leadership. Leadership admits mistakes and learns from them. Eating last is leadership and leaving the pickup zone (PZ) last is leadership. Going up the hill first and “pulling your troops up behind you” is leadership. Sharing the pains of heat, dirt, cold, wet, insects, leaches, fleas, lice, and other harsh environmental conditions is leadership. “Packing your own roll and digging your own hole” is leadership.
Leadership comes from experience, but experience comes from making mistakes. A leader changes the odds and knows the risks. Leaders develop teamwork. The tides, the channels, the seasons, the winds, the hazards, the weather, the enemy, the terrain, and the best forecast are all known by leaders. Leadership knows that the one most important word is “we” and the least most important word is “I”. Leadership knows there is no end to change, except failure. Leadership knows that if you treat every customer (and trooper) like your last or first, you would never have to worry about repeat business.
Leaders often make good grades in school and have numerous years of formal education and many important degrees. But they also have been known to fail Math, English, and other equally important subjects. Leaders make sure the enemy gives his life for his cause. Leadership ensures his troops always have the tactical advantage, best training, best equipment, and the highest morale, plenty of water, rest, and hot food. Leaders work hard at ensuring the workload is distributed equally among all troops.
Leadership comes from family, friends, teachers, coaches, and pastors. Simple, easy-to-understand orders come from leaders. Complex tasks are changed into short and accurate plans through leadership. Leadership can be learned and taught, but it cannot be forgotten nor brought. Leadership can be seen, tasted, smelled, felt, and heard, and it can come from a blind person with no hands who cannot hear, speak, nor walk.
As Tomas Paine said, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way”. Finally, a leader is so in love with life that he or she is willing to die to ensure that others’ live and that our great nation will go on!
Note: The above Leadership article is based on an award-winning speech W. Larry Dandridge gave at the Armed Forces Staff College in 1983 and earlier, shorter versions of the article has been published in over 20 magazines, professional journals, and newspapers and two books, including BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE), in the US, England, and Germany. In some cases, it has been published twice in the same magazines.
Larry
LTC (US ARMY AVIATION Retired) W. Larry Dandridge
Editor, Writer, & Author with Tigers, Vikings, & Vipers Publishing LLC, and AUSA Charleston SC Chapter President and VP for Veterans Affairs, Fisher House Charleston Fund Raising Committee Volunteer Member; RHJ VA Medical Center Volunteer Patient & Employment Assistance Adviser, Customer Service Council Member, Volunteer High Reliability Organization (HRO) Council Member, HRO Safety Sub-Committee Member, and Patient & Family Centered Care (PFCC) Committee Member & PFCC Instructor, Director’s VSO Advisor Council, and Strategic Planning Committee Member; State of SC, VA, and American Legion Trained Volunteer Veterans Service Officer; and US Army Combat Related Service Compensation Volunteer Ambassador (in training).
Charleston, SC , Cell Phone: [login to see] ; FAX: [login to see] ; Email: [login to see]
Web Site: https://www.tvvpublishingllc.com/ and bladesofthunderbookone.com
http://www.rallypoint.com/join/ltc-wayne-dandridge
I believe that we Need Government Civilian (including but not limited to the President, Cabinet, Congressional Leaders, Governors, Mayors, Judges, etc.) and Industry Leaders To Sign Up to this Philosophy of Leadership!
(A Personal View)
Leadership is taking the point position when your flight or unit is expecting contact with the enemy. Leadership is flying a crippled bomber to the ground when one of your wounded crew members cannot bail out. Leadership is keeping your young soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, and coast guardsmen alive and never leaving your wounded behind. Leadership is duty, honor, and country.
Leadership is writing a dead trooper’s family a personal letter immediately after the battle.
Leadership is not glorifying war. Leadership is not doing “anything” just to get promoted. Leadership is not winning the battle at all costs, nor is it losing a war to avoid causalities. Leadership is not found in the security of a well-fortified command bunker, nor is it found in a plush officers’ field mess.
No compromise of the integrity of one’s word, deed, or signature is leadership. Setting high standards and seeing that they are met is leadership. Intelligence, dedication, creativity, and selflessness are leadership. Stamina, vigor, and commitment are leadership. Spontaneous, contagious enthusiasm is leadership. Initiative, self-improvement, and professionalism are leadership.
Leadership is rewarding a soldier, sailor, airman, marine, coast guardsman, or civilian with the appropriate recognition immediately after exceptional service. Leadership is commanding and managing. Leadership is establishing and meeting, by priority, specific objectives. Leadership is managing by exception, using job enlargement, and seeking job enrichment. Leadership knows that leading is more than just “follow me”, but also “follow my orders”.
Believing in God, family, and country, in that order is leadership. Being humanistic is leadership. Trusting well trained troops ideas and decisions is leadership. Knowing where the mission is at, when the troops and material are to be there, and how many troops and systems are needed to win is leadership. Blocking out periods of “private time” to accomplish creative work and recharge is leadership. Compromising for the good of the whole with sister services and partner leaders on budgeting, planning, and executing is leadership.
Leadership is treating men and women equally without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, or custom. Leadership is visiting your wounded and sick frequently. Leadership is knowing and living by the Constitution, the Code of Conduct, the Geneva Convention, and the basic human rights of all mankind.
A leader is assertive, but not aggressive. Leadership is neither ruthless nor mindless discipline, but it is the ability to do the right thing at the right time, by putting the whole before the parts. Leadership is not a good efficiency report, nor is it paper readiness. Leadership is not a court martial for every mistake nor is it leniency for serious violations. A leader is fair, predictable, and consistent.
Giving a superior sound professional advice, even when you know he or she does not want to hear it is leadership. After you have given your best advice, following all legal, moral, and ethical orders, even when you do not agree with them is leadership. Leading when you can; following when you should; and getting the hell out of the way when you have nothing to offer, is leadership. Learning the language, culture, and customs of a host country is leadership. Staying in top physical condition is leadership.
Leadership is a general who knows the friendly and enemy situation, knows the immediate action sequence for the M16 rifle, knows his driver’s first name and family, and can recite the Lord’s Prayer. Leadership is a private who knows that he or she is in the chain of command and may have to take over when senior in rank. Leadership knows that a water truck in the desert is worth more combat power that an extra armored cavalry regiment.
Not forgetting that the past is our heritage, the present is our challenge, and the future is our responsibility is leadership. Not being overweight, not smoking, saying no to drugs, and not drinking alcohol in excess is leadership. Delegating authority, commanding confidence and respect, and accepting full responsibility for your actions is leadership. Ingenuity, sociability, tact, and tenacity are leadership. Cross training is leadership.
Leadership is not being right all the time, and it is certainly not being wrong most of the time. Leadership fixes problems---not blame. Leadership is adaptability, appearance, cooperation, and decisiveness. Leadership displays knowledge, manages resources efficiently, and plans beyond the immediate requirements of assigned duties. Leadership creates an organization of mutual respect. Leadership is building an organization and environment where it is not necessary to tell troops what to do. Leadership knows that combat without conscience is evil.
A leader knows why there are air, land, and sea forces; why there are cavalry, infantry, armor, artillery, aviation, amphibious, special operations, propositioned, recon, and logistical forces; and why combined arms and concentration of combat power are important. A leader knows about air, land, sea, and cyberspace battle and defense in depth, civil affairs, urban operations, counter insurgency techniques, the advantages our forces have at night, and how to use them.
A wise leader knows that young soldiers spend most of their time worrying about and planning tactics, while older more experienced soldiers spend the majority of their time worrying about and planning logistics.
Leadership can be good or bad, centralized or decentralized, warm or cold, offensive or defensive, macro or micro, or expensive or free. Leadership can be Catholic or Protestant, Jewish or Moslem, Hindu or Mormon, Atheist or Agnostic. Leadership prevents over mobility of junior leaders and troops, by keeping them in their jobs long enough to really learn their jobs and common and collective tasks and to work as team members. Establishing and promoting worker and troop certification and team certification programs are leadership. Leadership provides their troops with plenty of clean water and hot food. Leadership keeps their troops as comfortable as possible, keeps them feed, keeps them clean, keeps them supplied, keeps them informed, and keeps them from becoming depressed and suicidal.
Leaders hope and pray for the best and plan for the worst. Leaders know about the need to wage “total war” to win and the special advantage the defender has in cities, mountains, and jungles. Leaders know how to “own the night” and take maximum advantage of all of the combat arms team, and is skilled in the use of snipers, attack helicopters, counter artillery, naval gun/missile fire, secure communications, and close air support. Leaders know not to keep troops weapons locked up and away from them, but rather train troops to live with a clean, safe, and serviceable weapon that they are an expert in.
Leadership is embodied in Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Pope John Paul II, Robert E. Lee, Mohammed, Irwin Rommel, Jesus, Joan of Arc, John Paul Jones, Winston Churchill, Sister Teresa, Margaret Thatcher, Mohammad, Nelson Mandela, and many other well known figures. Also leaders are Robert Lee Lightle, J.C. Dandridge, Sam Deloach, Bubba Segrest, Luther Bergen, Gene Booth, Dan Hickman, Wes Komulainen, Brian King, Frank Gordon, Dick Orrell, and thousands of other unknowns.
Commitment to the team and a participatory form of leadership that draws on every troop’s knowledge and skills, at every level is leadership. Encouraging and rewarding suggestions and complaints is leadership. Having an “open door” and “open mind” policy is leadership. Empowering troops, civil service employees, and support contractors with the tools, responsibility, authority, and “accountability” to get the tough jobs done is leadership. Making troops multi-process, multi weapon, and multi-functional experts is good leadership. Good leaders practice servant leadership.
Leaders know that “the bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price”. Leaders allow talented soldiers “long leashes” for experimenting. Leaders find ways to satisfy the essential need of troops and civil servants to be both part of a team and be recognized as individuals. Leaders know how to use “internal and external bench marking”, observations, and inspections to rate their organization’s readiness, products, services, and processes against those front runners in their specialty.
Leadership is guiding. Leadership is legendary. Leadership is foresight. Leadership is absorbent, abstinent, and, unfortunately, at times it is abominable. Leadership is baccalaureate, balanced, basic, and too frequently backward and barbaric. Leadership has saved lives, killed, stopped wars, and started wars. Leadership has walked softly and carried a big stick, but it has also been loud and nonviolent.
Saying what you do (in clear concise Standard Operating Procedures - SOPs, Plans, Processes, and Operations Orders) and doing what you say (following those processes) is leadership. Breaking down communication barriers between staffs, line units, support organizations, and sister units is leadership. Getting at least a green belt in Lean Six Sigma techniques is leadership. Asking deep probing questions (five why), finding root causes, and developing sound counter measures to mistake proof processes is leadership. Changing problems into opportunities is leadership. Knowing that you can seldom wait until you have all of the answers is leadership. Repeatedly doing simple things that demonstrate sincerity is leadership.
Leadership is honesty, enthusiasm, loyalty, courage, and wisdom. Taking care of your soldiers’, civilians, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen, and marines and their dependents is leadership. Leadership includes being a good boss, good comrade and friend, father or mother, son or daughter, sister or brother, and husband or wife. Knowing that the profession of arms is much more than just a job is leadership.
Being an unquestionable friend to the environment is leadership. Basing decisions on facts is leadership. Promoting and rewarding continuous improvement and value are leadership. Being a champion of safety and quality is leadership. Staying focused on internal customers, external customers, and the enemy is leadership. Finding and eliminating the eight types of waste (waiting, overproduction, rework, motion, transportation, processing, inventory, and intellect) is leadership.
Performing preventive maintenance, knowing what cellular techniques involve, being skilled in set up reduction, understanding mixed model methods, and understanding rocks-in-the river problem solving and inventory management is leadership. Knowing how to level and balance work load, understanding that distance (to supplies, replacements, ammunition, fuel, etc.) is usually evil, and ensuring things are at least “in-time”, if not “just in time” is leadership.
Leadership is enthusiasm, optimism, helping, training, encouraging, understanding, motivating, disciplining, crying, laughing, standing firm, giving way, counseling, correcting, giving a second chance, and trying again and again. Leaders are tall, short, thin, heavy, male, female, black, brown, white, yellow, old, young, and naturalized and un-naturalized. Leaders are from the city and from the farm. Leadership works hard to close the gap between a soldier’s potential and their performance.
Knowing how to use teams, flow charts (value streams and process maps), simple --- yet powerful statistical methods, set up reduction, simplification, continuous improvement, responsive complaint and suggestion programs, and standardization to get the tough jobs done is leadership.
Leadership makes quality easy to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear, by finding root causes and permanently fixing the problem. Leadership is clarifying processes, identifying the detailed steps of each process, eliminating all non-value added activities, and making every troop an expert at solider common tasks --- everyone should be an Infantryman first!
Leadership is caring, compassion, understanding, concentric, and leading by example. Leadership knows that treating all prisoners and detainees in accordance with the Geneva Convention and other appropriate protections is absolutely essential to having any kind of chance of getting the same humane and dignified treatment for our Prisoners of War (POWs) from our enemies.
Leaders look you in the eye, kick you in the ass, cover your flank, and take your place on the most dangerous mission. Knowing there is “a place for everything and everything in its place” is leadership. Leadership admits mistakes and learns from them. Eating last is leadership and leaving the pickup zone (PZ) last is leadership. Going up the hill first and “pulling your troops up behind you” is leadership. Sharing the pains of heat, dirt, cold, wet, insects, leaches, fleas, lice, and other harsh environmental conditions is leadership. “Packing your own roll and digging your own hole” is leadership.
Leadership comes from experience, but experience comes from making mistakes. A leader changes the odds and knows the risks. Leaders develop teamwork. The tides, the channels, the seasons, the winds, the hazards, the weather, the enemy, the terrain, and the best forecast are all known by leaders. Leadership knows that the one most important word is “we” and the least most important word is “I”. Leadership knows there is no end to change, except failure. Leadership knows that if you treat every customer (and trooper) like your last or first, you would never have to worry about repeat business.
Leaders often make good grades in school and have numerous years of formal education and many important degrees. But they also have been known to fail Math, English, and other equally important subjects. Leaders make sure the enemy gives his life for his cause. Leadership ensures his troops always have the tactical advantage, best training, best equipment, and the highest morale, plenty of water, rest, and hot food. Leaders work hard at ensuring the workload is distributed equally among all troops.
Leadership comes from family, friends, teachers, coaches, and pastors. Simple, easy-to-understand orders come from leaders. Complex tasks are changed into short and accurate plans through leadership. Leadership can be learned and taught, but it cannot be forgotten nor brought. Leadership can be seen, tasted, smelled, felt, and heard, and it can come from a blind person with no hands who cannot hear, speak, nor walk.
As Tomas Paine said, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way”. Finally, a leader is so in love with life that he or she is willing to die to ensure that others’ live and that our great nation will go on!
Note: The above Leadership article is based on an award-winning speech W. Larry Dandridge gave at the Armed Forces Staff College in 1983 and earlier, shorter versions of the article has been published in over 20 magazines, professional journals, and newspapers and two books, including BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE), in the US, England, and Germany. In some cases, it has been published twice in the same magazines.
Larry
LTC (US ARMY AVIATION Retired) W. Larry Dandridge
Editor, Writer, & Author with Tigers, Vikings, & Vipers Publishing LLC, and AUSA Charleston SC Chapter President and VP for Veterans Affairs, Fisher House Charleston Fund Raising Committee Volunteer Member; RHJ VA Medical Center Volunteer Patient & Employment Assistance Adviser, Customer Service Council Member, Volunteer High Reliability Organization (HRO) Council Member, HRO Safety Sub-Committee Member, and Patient & Family Centered Care (PFCC) Committee Member & PFCC Instructor, Director’s VSO Advisor Council, and Strategic Planning Committee Member; State of SC, VA, and American Legion Trained Volunteer Veterans Service Officer; and US Army Combat Related Service Compensation Volunteer Ambassador (in training).
Charleston, SC , Cell Phone: [login to see] ; FAX: [login to see] ; Email: [login to see]
Web Site: https://www.tvvpublishingllc.com/ and bladesofthunderbookone.com
http://www.rallypoint.com/join/ltc-wayne-dandridge
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Learn your role and responsibilities.
Exemplify how you need those you are charged with to perform.
Assist where you are needed.
Direct others as necessary.
Exercise situational control of all aspects within your area of responsibility.
Responsible for all actions that transpire within the facilities you are charged with.
Situational awareness: be aware, informed, and ready to respond to events within your surroundings.
Honor your commitments and obligations in life.
Instill trust, respect, cooperation, loyalty, and purpose in those that you have direct charge of.
Promote people, events, ideas, actions and results that are beneficial to achieving good in this life.
Leadership is more than a title, rank, credential, status, bank roll, or material possession; it is a state of mind and way of life. Leadership is needed at all levels in society and situations should be handled swiftly, precisely, and with a determined sense of purpose.
Exemplify how you need those you are charged with to perform.
Assist where you are needed.
Direct others as necessary.
Exercise situational control of all aspects within your area of responsibility.
Responsible for all actions that transpire within the facilities you are charged with.
Situational awareness: be aware, informed, and ready to respond to events within your surroundings.
Honor your commitments and obligations in life.
Instill trust, respect, cooperation, loyalty, and purpose in those that you have direct charge of.
Promote people, events, ideas, actions and results that are beneficial to achieving good in this life.
Leadership is more than a title, rank, credential, status, bank roll, or material possession; it is a state of mind and way of life. Leadership is needed at all levels in society and situations should be handled swiftly, precisely, and with a determined sense of purpose.
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