[su_dropcap style=”flat”]I[/su_dropcap] HAVE NOW shared with you eleven leadership principles that I learned while serving in the Marine Corps. These principles helped me lead my Marines in difficult situations and helped me be successful in my career outside of the Marine Corps. So, let me give you my most challenging experience and see if you can come up with the same solutions I did.
I was selected to head a test project. An existing division in the Aviation Supply Department would have its mission changed to become an internal audit division working directly for the Supply Officer. This division would be the eyes and ears of the Supply Officer to ensure the Assistant Supply Officer was operating the supply department according to the established Marine Corps orders. This was a dramatic change since in the past, all divisions worked and answered to the Assistant Supply Officer with no one holding this position accountable for operational decisions.
The Assistant Supply Officer for whom I was working was very upset. He did not like the idea that in this new position, I could report problems I found directly to the Supply Officer without every discussing the problem with him. I assured him that any officer that would use this position as a “got you” against another officer would not be able to effectively do this job because of the internal strife it would cause in the supply department. He was not buying it and he made it clear he was not going to support this test.
Since higher headquarters had insisted I be the officer heading up the test, the Assistant Supply Officer had no say in my assignment. But, he would have to provide me with the Marines who would be working for me during the test period. On the morning we began the implementation of the test project, my fellow Captain called me to his office and told me that my team was being assembled and taken to the office space we would be using. With a smile that can only be described as evil, he said, “Good luck making this test work.” With a chuckle, he dismissed me.
When I went to my office area, here is the team he had provided me. A Vietnam veteran Master Sergeant with a bullet still lodged in his back who the Captain was trying desperately to have discharged for medical reasons since he could not run (the fear being the bullet might shift and paralyze him). As you can guess, the Master Sergeant was no fan of the Captain. A Gunnery Sergeant charged with molesting his step-daughter and facing a General Court Martial who would be spending a lot of time at the base legal office. A Staff Sergeant with lymphoma who spent much of his time at medical appointments and a Staff Sergeant charged with negligent homicide, also busy with his legal team. Finally, my team was rounded out with a Corporal facing a General Court Martial for raping a 16-year-old girl and two Lance Corporals facing charges for selling drugs.
As I stood there, I knew I had to come up with the right words to ensure I immediately had this team ready to go to work in spite of everything else that was going on in their lives. So, I ask you. What would you have said to ensure you could successful test this important change that everyone from Washington DC to the local command was watching and expecting a fair and accurate assessment of an internal auditing division?
Before I tell you what I said on that very challenging day, let me remind you of the leadership principles that I have been discussing that would provide the best solution to this very precarious situation.
If you are going to lead, you need to start by looking inward and assessing yourself. You need to prepare yourself for leadership by following some very specific principles that will ensure your team, no matter how diverse, will follow you in the most difficult of situations. These five principles are necessary if you expect to be a successful leader;
[message type=”custom” width=”100%” start_color=”#F0F0F0 ” end_color=”#F0F0F0 ” border=”#BBBBBB” color=”#333333″]
Know yourself and seek self-improvement
Be technically proficient
Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions
Make sound and timely decisions
Set the example [/message]
[su_spacer]Once you have worked on preparing yourself for a leadership position, then you need to remember these six principles that will help you lead a winning team; a team that works together to be successful;[su_spacer]
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Know your employees and look out for their welfare
Develop a sense of responsibility among your employees
Keep your employees informed
Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised and accomplished
Train your team
Employ your team in accordance with its capabilities[/message]
[su_spacer]So, have you thought about what you would have done when faced with the team members that the good Captain had provided me? Here is what I said and how I handled these Marines.
“Gentleman, each of you faces a time in your life where, whether you know it or not, you will be looking to me for help. See, whether you are facing a medical review board or a jury of your peers, I will be called upon to testify as to your value as a Marine and your potential in the future as a Marine or in the civilian world. I hold the keys to your discharge or punishment; I can make a difference in your future. It is my desire that I can make a positive difference in your life (principle – Know your employees and look out for their welfare).”
“But, what happens is completely up to you. If you give 100% to me as we test this vital function in the supply department (principle – Develop a sense of responsibility among your employees), I will give 100% to you when I am called to testify on your behalf and believe me, you will know exactly what to expect when I take the stand because I will have let you know if I believe you gave me your all (principle – Keep your employees informed).”
After that, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. I reviewed each inspection checklist before we went into any division (principle – Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised and accomplished), conducted training on how to investigate each inspection requirement and answered their questions so that they were prepared to conduct each audit (principle – Train your team). Finally, I assigned each task based upon my reading of their understanding of the task that we were about to undertake (principle – Employ your team in accordance with its capabilities).
What about my fellow Captain? After each division audit, I sat down with him and briefed him on our findings (principle – Know yourself and seek self-improvement). When problems were discovered, we formulated a plan of action to correct the problem and implemented the plan together (principles – Be technically proficient; Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions). Finally, we briefed the Supply Officer on what we found and how we had corrected the problem (principle – make sound and timely decisions). Together, the Captain and I formulated local training that needed to be conducted at all levels of the organization to improve our effectiveness as a combat aviation supply department (principle – Set the example). In other words, to his amazement, the Captain realized the new audit division was necessary and paid great dividends when teamwork was the end goal.
When the final brief was made to all the higher commands, the recommendation was that this would be a vital and necessary change that would improve combat readiness within the Marine aviation community.
The principles I have shared with will make you the kind of leader you have always wanted to be and will help you be the kind of leader your people have always wanted you to be. Be an exception leader – lead with these principles in mind.
Len, another profound article based on your personal experiences. Brilliant. Thanks.
I understand your success was also your ability to identify and communicate values which were critical to self-awareness and developing your leadership skills. Each one of us has values which become the principles and standards that motivate us in life. They come from our fundamental inner most convictions – our belief that tells us what is right, good, or worthy and which formulates our thinking and actions like an internal compass. These values provides us a basis on which our ‘standards’ related to any decision we make are gauged. They become part and parcel of our ‘leadership.’ This “insightfulness” gives us a comprehensive and clear understanding of ‘purpose’.
Self-awareness of these basic values helps us to reflect upon our emotions, goals, needs and motives. When we are able to identify and articulate our values, we will be able to generate meaningful insights about how we see ourselves, the circumstances we face, the behaviors we display, and our potential reactions to specific situations. Comprehending our ‘core values’ be it personal, work or organizational, will also enable us to know and accomplish what we believe is important, and just.
Jonathan – Great insight. If we establish a solid foundation of principles on which we will always stand when making decisions concerning how we will treat other people – be it family, friends, co-workers, associates, etc. – then we will approach even difficult situations with these tenets as our guide. The result will be compassionate, thoughtful, and fair interactions that hold people responsible for the decisions they make and then guide them to learn from bad decisions and praise them for good decisions. The result will be that you will be recognized as a firm but fair person who is guided by ethical principles – a trait that causes people to want to follow you and be a part of your team. Thanks for sharing you thoughts in the forum and enriching our discussion.
Len, this is an excellent article showing how you took a potentially stressful and almost impossible task, turning it into a positive experience for everyone involved. I believe you probably made a difference, in some way, in those men’s lives helping them to feel good in spite of their circumstances ( and shifted your fellow Captains attitude toward change). It also seems to have supported the training you received in leadership and validation that when the principles you listed are applied, outcomes can be favorable and successful.
Eileen – Thank you for taking the time to read a comment. You summed up the purpose of this article beautifully. If one learns the principles of leadership and applies them, they will face even a daunting situation with a sense of calm and assurance – and the results will be amazing. By the way, what solution did you come up with while reading the article?
You are welcome. I really enjoy reading your articles….very insightful and useful in a practical application way.
As I read the different backgrounds of each team member assigned to you I cringed and thought about how unfair it was for your fellow Captain to put you in such a difficult position. However, as a trained leader and being well educated in human behavior, it does not matter what is part of the equation; the key is to find a solution with the idea to shift focus from doom and gloom to success.
My approach would have been similar to yours. Something that came to mind for me, coming from a coaching background, would have been to ask each person what they believe their strengths are, take that information into consideration when assigning them their tasks. I like how you set the stage/foundation from strength and support, giving them a sense of “can do attitude” vs. “I am dead meat” attitude. I considered how I would have encouraged each one along the way and not criticize, rather use positive reinforcement keeping a team environment with each team member feeling an important piece of the whole operation. I also would have been open to suggestions from each member if they wanted to add to the process something of value.
For me, in group engagements for a project, it is important that each participant is in the best position that will use their skills and capabilities to the fullest. As the team leader, it would be my responsibility that each team member is fully engaged in his job responsibilities and I be careful not to mirco-manage, instead give room for individual autonomy trusting they know their job. Which also means they trust me in my leadership role.
From the positive results you achieved, it seems there would not be much else different that could have been done. Your protocol and principles are perfect for tough situations.
Eileen – Wow – you really do have a keen understanding of the things that motivated people to want to be valued as a team member. Once you get them thinking in these terms, they add so much to the project/process. That was the best part of this experience – the team did well because they realized they were valued and not being seen through eyes focused on their mistakes. Thank you for adding such value to this conversation.
Len, what a great outline of principles. I’ve spent many years walking into companies and finding myself in similar situations. Your article forced me to review my successes to see if I had been using similar steps and I found that I was. However, my success in these areas were based on my thinking processes and personality traits not because I had a written down formula. I just copied what I previously had done each time. If I would have had your formula written down, followed that pattern instead of my gut, my successes may have been much faster. I would definitely recommend all leaders to adopt these principles.
Trevor – Thanks for your feedback – it proves something I have believed all along. The leadership traits that I hold so dear are actually common sense practices that should come naturally to anyone who is responsible for leading others. Like you said, it will work to your advantage to have been trained in them because you will know the steps to take when faced with a challenge but deep down inside, you can also find the answer. So, pat yourself on the back because you truly are a wise leader. 🙂
Len, you are welcome. I have had a lot of experience working with teams in different capacities in leadership positions. What I have learned both in team cooperation and coaching is that a person will give their best when they feel valued, heard and understood. Emotional intelligence is important when wanting to have team members working together for an end goal. Everyone has distractions that can directly impact their performance, but a great leader will be able to discern if a person is engaged with focus or is half present. If someone is inspired through feeling good about themselves and their leader shows they care, they become motivated and sometimes a part of them will surface that has never seen the light of day! This will then pump them up to reinforce this new found energy and excitement about who they are and their capabilities. Great leaders know how to lead with gentle firmness, directing and re-directing as needed and challenging a person to step outside their comfort zone. Amazing things happen for both leaders and their teams when it is not a trickle down environment, rather a collaborative one in which everyone works as a unit – not competitive, but for individual growth within the whole, which brings the whole up to a new level.
Eileen – Again, such wonderful insights. You also hit on what is missing in the team building process of today in your final sentence: “Amazing things happen for both leaders and their teams when it is not a trickle down environment, rather a collaborative one in which everyone works as a unit – not competitive, but for individual growth within the whole, which brings the whole up to a new level.” It seems today that team building misses the fact that you must build up each individual so that they feel valued and want to do well for the sake of the team. There is too much importance on ‘the team’ and not on the people. Thanks for bringing this point out.
You are welcome! This is something I enjoy teaching and consulting as it can be a powerful shift in the direction of both individuals and companies. I agree, this is missing in the processes of leadership development and connection with those a leader leads.
Thank you, Eileen.
Eileen – If I can help you in any way as you train our future leaders, let me know. I will keep your efforts in my prayers.
Len, thank you for your offer to help and keeping my efforts in your prayers. I will definitely let you know how you can assist me in my training our future leaders. One thing that comes to mind is the possibility of co-authoring a book based on the principles and leadership skills you have used in your careers and my core thinking principles. Trevor has stressed that he wished he had been trained in your principles, so this sparked a thought about the power of our different, yet similar approaches combined can be a great asset for those in leadership positions. Just something to think about.
As I continue to develop a couple of programs I am working on, I will share them with you and perhaps there will be some ways you can help me bring them to leaders for consulting and coaching.
Again, I am very grateful for your offer and I look forward to our continued communication and connection.
Eileen – I am honored that you would like to collaborate with me. Let me give you an email address so we can continue to communicate and see where this may lead. You can contact me at:
[email protected]
Looking forward to future discussions.
It is a great pleasure to collaborate with like minded people. It is an honor for me as well for us to consider future possibilities of working together that can enhance, improve and inspire positive change and/or improvements in the world of business. Thank you for your email. Mine is [email protected].