Leadership Matters

I have been spending a lot of my off school time the last month working on content for my new venture consulting and providing professional development for schools, coaches, and businesses. As I’ve started reaching out to potential “customers” about needs that could be met with this work, the common theme so far has been leadership, and building that capacity in others, be it coaches, teachers, school leaders, or business leaders.

As I have been digging into this subject, I keep coming back to the work of author, speaker, and leadership guru Simon Sinek. Sinek describes leadership as a skill that is practicable and learnable like a muscle. Everyone (like being a parent) has the ability to be a leader, but without the proper skills, not everyone should be a leader. Sinek says that it is “not about being in charge but taking care of those in our charge.” Titles don’t make people leaders-personal attributes and skills make someone a great leader.

This has gotten me thinking about what are the key skills and characteristics that great leaders have? I ran across an article talking about the principles of leadership that the Marine Corps uses with their new recruits as well as to drive their purpose. These are a great place to start and are good lessons for all of us no matter what our job or role is. I feel like parents could use these as they '“lead” their families.

What would you add to these leadership principles? I would love to hear from you! Have a great week!

Coach K

From the Marine Corps website: https://www.mcjrotc.marines.mil

Know Yourself and Seek Self Improvement

- This principle of leadership should be developed by the use of leadership traits. Evaluate yourself by using the leadership traits and determine your strengths and weaknesses.

 Be Technically and Tactically Proficient

- A person who knows their job thoroughly and possesses a wide field of knowledge. Before you can lead, you must be able to do the job. 

 Know Your People and Look Out For Their Welfare

- A leader must make a conscientious effort to observe his Marines and how they react to different situations.

 Keep Your Personnel Informed

- To promote efficiency and morale, a leader should inform the Marines in his unit of all happenings and give reasons why things are to be done.

 Set The Example

- A leader who shows professional competence, courage and integrity sets high personal standards for himself before he can rightfully demand it from others.

 Ensure That the Task Is Understood, Supervised, and Accomplished

- Leaders must give clear, concise orders that cannot be misunderstood, and then by close supervision, ensure that these orders are properly executed.

 Train Your Marines and Sailors as a Team

- As a leader, you must insist on teamwork from your Marines. Train, play and operate as a team. Be sure that each Marine knows his/her position and responsibilities within the team framework.

 Make Sound and Timely Decisions

- The leader must be able to rapidly estimate a situation and make a sound decision based on that estimation. 

 Develop a Sense of Responsibility Among Your Subordinates

- Give your Marines them the opportunity for professional development. Assigning tasks and delegating authority promotes mutual confidence and respect between leader and subordinates.

 Employ Your Command within its Capabilities

- A leader must have a thorough knowledge of the tactical and technical capabilities of the command. Successful completion of a task depends upon how well you know your unit’s capabilities.

 Seek Responsibilities and Take Responsibility

- For professional development, you must actively seek out challenging assignments. You must use initiative and sound judgment when trying to accomplish jobs that are required by your grade.