Leadership

Who are you?

I think it has been said in many articles by many authors in many ways—the first rule of leadership is to lead by example. The leader is the model, the one who sets the pace. Having spent many years leading Marines, I can only agree with the comment made so well by Kouzes and Posner, “…you either lead by example or you don’t lead at all.”

As I wrote in a previous blog, anyone can lead. You have to have the willingness to learn and the desire to do so. I also noted there are traits and principles common among successful leaders. Leading by example is definitely the most important. Before you get there you must know yourself and seek self-improvement. 

Do you know how you react when you are in a tense situation? How do you react when the project you are responsible for just hit an unexpected “snag?” How well do you work with folks who don’t have the same work ethic as you or no work ethic at all? What are your biases? Do you have the technical skill to be able to lead the team? 

Leadership is contagious. A person in a leadership position that lacks knowledge of self leads the way by bluffing. Bluffing is very much like having a sickness that erodes away at the body. 

Before you can be an example to your team or organization, rule one—know yourself! Make an honest evaluation of yourself. What are your strengths?  What are your weaknesses? Solicit honest opinions from peers, superiors, subordinates. Study other leaders for both their successes and failures. Trust me; there is a lot one can learn from failure! Utilize self-assessment tools such as the Enneagram to gain an understanding of how you react in any given situation and to other people. Know who you are before you attempt to lead. If you cannot “Model the way” you will have little success in leading the way.

In our next conversation, let’s talk about knowing your workmates, peers, superiors and subordinates.

John Boggs, has provided executive leadership and strategy for large, complex organizations and operations throughout his career. He has commanded Marine units at every level of his career and served in numerous key staff positions including the positions of Senior Marine Readiness Analyst for the Secretary of Defense, Dean of Faculty and Academic Programs at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the Chief of Staff of the National Defense University, the largest Defense University System in the world.  See More...>