Leadership
Basics of Becoming a Leader
Leaders
hip
Matt
ers
Story of Stan Goff Winner of the
Distinguished Service
Cross
http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=4827
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Know Yourself and Seek Self Improvement
Look at good leaders around
you and look at yourself
honestly. Ask yourself: What
could I do better? Set aside
time to watch others, to study
good leading and learn how to
turn your weaknesses into
strengths.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Be Technically and Creatively Proficient.
Learn everything you can about
how to do your job well. Study
the great masters of Film,
Painting, Literature and
Photography until you’re an
expert and people turn to you
for advice and guidance.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Seek responsibility and take responsibility
for your actions. When something needs to be
done, don’t wait until your told
to do it. Do it now! In taking
responsibility, there’s a special
way: When performance is bad,
take responsibility and hang
onto it; when performance is
good, take credit but pass it on
quickly to your team.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Make sound and timely decisions.
When you have to act in order
to get the mission accomplished, spend all
available time considering
alternatives. But when your
decision has to be made, make
it! A good decision made now is
far better then the best
decision made too late.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Set the example. “Follow me and do what I do.”
is far more effective way to
inspire good performance than
“Do as I say.” If you expect your
team to do something, be
prepared to do it yourself and
do it as well as you expect your
team to do it. There is no
technique of leadership more
powerful than this one. It is the
absolute essence of leadership,
in training and during a project.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Know your team and
look after their welfare. You should know far more about
your team than their favorite
software. You must know what
is inside them what makes
them do things, what makes
them not do things, what turns
them on and off, and what their
needs are. Show that you care
about them by meeting their
needs. Consider them as
people with problems, hopes
and feelings just like you.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Keep your team informed. Make sure your team
understands the importance of
what you expect them to do in
terms of the overall mission of
the team. If you keep them
informed whenever you have
time, they’ll trust you and not
ask “why?” in critical situations
when you clearly don’t have
time for explanations.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Develop a sense of responsibility in your
subordinates. When your soldiers have
demonstrated the skill
necessary to do a job, then let
them do it. But make sure they
understand that, along with the
authority to do the job, they
must accept the responsibility
to get the job done right. Give
responsibility in line with ability
and potential. Stretch out each
team member, a little more
each time.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Ensure that the task is
understood, supervised, and accomplished.
Consider each person’s skill
and will to perform a task
before you tell them to do it.
Explain the task to him in detail
necessary to ensure
understanding. “Task,
Conditions, and Standards” is a
clean way to do this. Check on
them, assist them when
necessary and insist on good
performance.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Train as a team. Make sure your creative people
have an opportunity to gain
confidence in their own abilities
and in the abilities of others on
their team. Most importantly,
make sure that each person
understands how their
performance affects others on
the team.
Prin
ciple
s of
Leaders
hip
Employ your team in
accordance with its capabilities.
Know what your team is
required to do as a TEAM and
know what they can do as a
TEAM. Make sure the level of
performance you expect of
them is not to far beyond their
capabilities. Likewise, make
sure that the required level of
performance is challenging to
your team. If it’s to easy your
not stretching them out!
Self E
valu
ati
on
COURAGE Taking risks during a project and
with your boss. Acting calmly and firmly in stressful
situations. Standing up for what is right,
regardless of what others think.
Accepting personal responsibility for
your mistakes. Not blaming stuff on
“they.” Making all efforts towards
completing the project, even in the
face of major obstacles.
Making on the spot corrections of
team members who need
correcting. Anywhere.
Self E
valu
ati
on BEARING Setting and maintaining high
standards of appearance.
Avoiding use of excessive profanity.
Controlling your voice and gestures
so that extremes of emotion don’t
show in your actions, except at the
times you carefully choose.
Self E
valu
ati
on DECISIVENESS
Studying your alternatives and
carefully selecting the best course
of action, when time permits.
Picking alternatives and making
decisions quickly when there is no
time for careful study.
Knowing when not to make a
decision.
Self E
valu
ati
on DEPENDABILITY
Being places on time when your
told to be there or when you say
you will. Doing those tasks that you’ve been
told to do and those tasks you’ve
promised to do, in a complete and
timely manner.
Self E
valu
ati
on ENDURANCE
Maintaining the physical and
mental stamina to perform your
duties under stress conditions and
for extended periods of time.
Ensuring your work has a
consistent quality from beginning
to end.
Self E
valu
ati
on
ENTHUSIASM Consistently communicating a
positive attitude to your team.
Emphasizing your team and their
successes. Never complaining in front of your
team about “the client” or “they.”
Explaining to your team why they
must perform the tasks expected of
them in terms they can understand
and expected of them.
Encouraging your team to take the
initiative to overcome obstacles to
performance.
Self E
valu
ati
on
HUMILITY Ensuring your team receives the
credit due them when they perform
well. Emphasizing to your team how
important they are to the team.
Describe the teams performance in
terms of “what we did,” instead of
“what I did.”
Self E
valu
ati
on
HUMOR Having fun doing your job.
Joking when the going gets tough.
Self E
valu
ati
on
INITIATIVE Taking action in situations where
something must be done, even in
the absence of direction from a
superior. Looking for and figuring out better
ways to do things. Planning ahead.
Self E
valu
ati
on
INTEGRITY Telling the truth, to both your
superiors and your team.
Using your power to work for
project accomplishment or for your
team, not for your own personal or
private gain. Encouraging open and honest
communication on your team.
Self E
valu
ati
on JUDGEMENT Closely considering a range of
alternatives before you act.
Thinking out the possible effects of
what you are about to do before
you do it.
Self E
valu
ati
on
JUSTICE Consistent application of rewards
and punishment to all team
members. Making decisions that support
project accomplishment and that
also take into account the needs of
your team. Listening to all sides of an issue
before making a decision that
affects your team.
Self E
valu
ati
on
KNOWLEDGE Making sound tactical decision.
Performing administrative and
technical duties well.
Recognizing and correcting
inadequate performance of your
team. Showing your team yourself how
they should perform their duties.
Self E
valu
ati
on TACT Speaking to others with the same
kind of respect you expect yourself.
Self E
valu
ati
on
LOYALTY Passing on and carrying out tough
orders of superiors without
expressing personal criticism.
Defending your team against unfair
treatment from outside or above.
Discussing problems in your team
and the problems of your
teammates only with those that
can help solve the problems.
Self E
valu
ati
on
SELFLESSNESS Ensuring that the needs of your
team are met before attending to
your own needs. Sharing hardship, danger, and
discomfort with your team.
Taking every action possible to
provide for the welfare of your
team.
REFE
REN
CE
Small Unit Leadership
Col. Dandridge M. Malone, USA
(Ret.) ISBN: 0-89141-173-9