Posted on Oct 15, 2014
Maj Iut/Tacair
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In 1920, Marine Commandant and Major General John A. Lejeune wrote a Marine Corps Order about the proper relationship between officers and men:

"When discharged from the service they should be far better men physically, mentally, and morally than they were when they enlisted. . . .It will be necessary for officers. . . to devote their close attention to the many questions affecting the comfort, health, morals, religious guidance, military training, and discipline of the men under their command."

How can we become better leaders using the General's framework of body, mind, and spirit?
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1SG Steven Stankovich
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It may sound simple or cliché sir, but I believe the best way to become better leaders using General Legune's framework is to "know your Soldiers/Marines." Know who they are, where they came from, why they joined, ask about their family, what are their short term goals, long term goals, etc. Take interest in who they are and what motivates them. By doing that, you can better assess their strengths and weaknesses and work to build better "men and women."
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Maj Iut/Tacair
Maj (Join to see)
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Well said. Gen. Lejeune also seems to hit on one of our classic leadership principles: know your self improvement. I believe the better we know ourselves, the better we can know our men.
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CW5 Desk Officer
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Maj (Join to see), sir, I think the Army - at least on paper - is all about making better men and women, physically, mentally, and morally. The Army values are all about that, at least in part, and the Army way of life is as well.

It's hard for me to say that I was a better man when I left than when I entered, because I spent so much time in the Army. I do believe, however, that most people leave the Army in better shape - physically and mentally - than when they entered. I hope that's true of the moral aspect as well, but I'm not as sure about that one.
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Maj Iut/Tacair
Maj (Join to see)
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I'm glad you brought this up. This is really where I wanted to steer the focus of this discussion. Servicemembers do well morally when serving their command, but do their values and actions change when off duty? If so, is this a failure of our leaders, or something else?
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