When we think about Leadership, we typically think of people in High positions. Those who have achieved a high status in life. Presidents and CEO’s are popular references for the subject of leadership. Still, what about those who have not reached high status but are leaders in their own right, Community leaders, heads of family. The person cleaning up the trash in the neighborhood. Everyday people making a small difference in the lives of the people around them.
Leadership is seen on all levels. So In this series I hope to be able to show leadership from the ground up. Leadership, made simple. So you’re not going to read theories or step by step instructions. Just leadership, through the experience of a person that thinks deeply on the subject. Through those thoughts and the application of what I have learned, I hope to write something that will give you some insights and make you a better leader.
Consider Yourself a Leader
Leadership starts with a mindset. A mindset that says I am going to take charge of this situation. In the military, general order number 1 is to take charge of this post and all government property in view. Simply put, take charge and be accountable. In Marine boot camp, the eleven general orders were drilled into us and we received discipline for not having them memorized. We were frequently called on to recite a general order and needed to answer with confidence and authority.
Today, after going through all of that training, can you believe I only remember the first one! I think for me this is the only one that currently applies to what I do as a civilian. Setting a mindset, comes when you decide to be accountable for your actions. You become the example upon which others are measured. You not only excel at your job, but enthusiastically seek other opportunities to learn other jobs around your core task in order to make yourself more valuable to the organization.
The Story
Military
Since my time in the Marine Corp, I have been exposed to a variety of people with different leadership styles. They in turn entrusted me to lead other marines. One example of this came from an unexpected situation.
Trained as a Helicopter Mechanic. I trained to work on the CH-53E Super Stallion. In my biased opinion, it is the biggest and baddest helicopter in the US inventory. After finishing school, I reported to HMH- 361 The Flying Tigers. I was excited that I had the opportunity to serve with the guys I trained with. We’d become great friends during our training and knew we could depend on each other.
Shortly after settling in to our shop I was told to report in to the CO’s office. I went up and reported in. While standing at attention I was told that I would be going to another squadron. They were about to go on deployment and needed more people to fill the ranks. Internally, I was more than a little thrown back by the news. Externally, I just said “yes sir”. I was to report to HMH-466 The Wolfpack for my new assignment… immediately.
I grabbed my gear, said my good-bye’s to the folk I’d trained with. Was told how messed up it was that I had to go. After that I left. I reported in, but the only thing I remember clearly from those first meetings was the Sgt. Maj. looking out the window and saying 361’s loss is our gain.
After that I reported in to the flight line shop and before long I was at sea on the U.S.S. Tripoli. The most distinctive feature about the ship besides being a warship was that everyone on board seemed to walk like they needed a V8. You see, a couple of years earlier, the ship struck a mine in the Gulf. Since then, it seemed like it always listed slightly to port causing everyone to walk on an angle leaning starboard.
A few days into the cruise Gunny came to me and said I had to report to the ward room for mess duty. The ward room was the officer’s mess hall. For this duty the Navy required the Marines to send some men to work cleaning up after the officers once they finished their meal. We were also required to do general cleaning and maintenance of the ward room. Since I was the newest guy in the squadron, I was going to be the guy to go.
Pissed, I decided to do the best job I could. I was still proud to be a marine and I was not going to let this bring me down. Working in the mess hall was hard work. It was much like a cafeteria restaurant. Officers came and went for 3 meals a day. After the last meal it was prep for the next day. You had to go into the store rooms of the ship and create a chain of guys and pass food one to the next in order to get it to the mess kitchen.
After a week or so of this, the Petty Officer in charge calls me in one morning and says he’s putting me in charge of the marines on mess duty. Now, being in the Navy, I figured he did not know how Marine corp rank structure worked. I told him that I was a Private First Class(PFC). There were PFC’s with more time in service and time in rank as well as Lance Corporals who could do the job. The Petty Officer said that he was choosing me because of my work ethic. He knew that the mess hall was an undesirable job, but I stood out. I came in worked harder than everyone else. First in, last out helping others along the way. I remember looking at the Petty Officer for a long time (probably only a few seconds) and said OK I’d do it.
Getting Marines of a higher rank to follow you is no easy task. I had the lowest rank and the least time in service. They looked at me like I was the enemy. They did not want to follow my lead and told me so to my face. People that laughed and joked with me the day before, no longer joked… or laughed.
I took the Petty Officer’s words to heart and continued to work hard. Be the first one in and the last one out, helping others along the way. Even those who cussed my name. I wanted to be the example that they could follow. They came around. Some with no real problem, some with a lot of difficulty and extra disciplinary prompting from me. But they all came around, and we were able to perform our tasks to a high level as befitting Marines.
The Officers we served noticed this as well and told me so. Cleaning and serving Marine corp officers was a no go. They hated the policy and let us know. So it was still a surprise after my time in the mess hall was done, to receive a commendation citing my time working in the ward room aboard the U.S.S Triplolli. The theme was work ethic and providing an effective and positive example the was passed down to the team.
That trial by fire, became a part of my foundation as a leader. It became a strong place to stand during good times and hard times. Good decisions and bad decisions. I built upon that experience with the next and the next experience.
Civilian
My time in the Corp ended. I sought other opportunities to be a leader. Over the past 20 years through all of the successes and failures, I have learned a lot about simple leadership by observing those leaders over, under and around me. As well as evaluating myself on a regular basis.
This hasn’t been an easy task. When you put yourself out there, you have a lot of people looking at you. You get the praises and the darts, but as leaders you get to shape your small part of the world. You get to influence the decisions made in your space.
A long time ago in a land far far away(1999, NYC) I found a job after having been out of work for almost a year. It was a data entry job with some minor video editing. In my interview with the vice president, he asked me “what would it take for me to stay with the company for at least 5 years?” I told him that as the company grew, I wanted to grow with the company. If I was a contributor to that growth, then I wanted to see part of that growth come to me.
After a few months on the job I knew my role pretty well and wanted to know what else I could do. The org chart was pretty flat. You had your basic worker, then next in the chain was the vice president. I walked into his office and told him I was ready for more. I walked out of his office with a promotion to a position that I created and I filled a need that the company did not know they had. The risk paid off.
In conclusion
There is an innate fear around putting yourself out there, taking charge and being accountable. That fear can be surprisingly strong. So palpable, that it can make you feel like this is not the path for you. Folks, there are times when the boss needs someone to take on a project and we don’t raise our hands. There are times when we see a need and choose not to fill it. I have seen times when I had an idea and because I hesitated, someone else got the opportunity. I think these fears are a test. A test to see if you have enough conviction to take the next step forward.
You see folks, we are all growing in one way or another. The fear we feel is the final step to the next level. Get past that and you will see more possibilities because you will have a new perspective from higher up. You’ll be able to see more of the world, from a loftier perch. You just have to take the first step… to consider yourself a leader. To take charge and be accountable. Of what you might ask…? Of yourself.
The conversation
Stepping onto the path of leadership can seem difficult, but starting with yourself can help build your confidence. A good place to start could be in investing. If you want to learn more, please see my post on investing for the beginner. Thinking about investing in stocks? 5 tips to quickly get you started.
Do you have any examples of Leadership from the ground up? Leadership made simple? What has leadership looked like for you? How have you demonstrated leadership in your local space? What holds you back from being a leader? What leaders in your space do you look up to and why? Please comment below with your thoughts.
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