Personal Leadership
I’ve only seen “real” leadership displayed and lived out a few times, two or three during my stint in the military and only once or twice in the civilian world. I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “this guy must have an unrealistic expectation of leadership.”
Having served in the Marines, I was pounded with many of the ideals of leadership on a daily basis. I saw many examples of those ideals played out, and also saw those ideals corrupted and used to break the backs and spirits of men, in an effort to gain recognition and prominence.
I learned very early on in my career that leadership is about serving others. As a squad leader, the men I led were more important to me than my comfort, winning recognition, promotion or governmental trinkets. A position of leadership is a hard and lonely place, but it was the greatest thing I’ve ever done. Esprit de Corps cannot be explained, it has to be lived.
My leadership style was inspired by a story about a Marine lieutenant in Vietnam whose unit was ambushed. When they came under fire, every man went to the ground, including the lieutenant. It’s a natural reaction. All your training tells you, when ambushed, to turn and walk directly into the opposing force while firing your weapon, in an effort to gain superior firepower over your enemy and stop the assault. Your training also tells you, that if you do go to the ground, you will most assuredly die. As the lieutenant lay there on the ground, all of his training was brought to bear on the fact that if he and his men were going to live, they had to get up. It defied logic, but the lieutenant got up and walked down the line telling his men to get up and move forward. Many of the men got up, not because they were ordered to, but because the lieutenant was up. The lieutenant knew he might be killed and that many of his men might be killed, but if he did not act, all of them would die.
This is my ideal of leadership, an individual who leads by example, whose actions are driven by the uncommon care and concern they have for those they lead, rather than being obsessed with preserving their position and perks. I know, this is radical thinking and I’m a fool to hold on to the ideal, but someone has to do it.
Remnant's Edge 