Coast Guard's Leadership Influences In My Career

According to the Coast Guard’s Leadership Development Framework, leadership is the ability to influence others to obtain their obedience, respect, confidence, and loyal cooperation. I believe that leadership is simply guiding others to succeed. When I think of leadership influences during my career I think of one excellent example, and one example of what I never wanted to be. The first influence was the guidance I was given when I started on Active Duty after September 11th, 2001. My job was to administratively support about 25 Reservists who were called up on Title 10 orders at MSU Wilmington. I had no experience and had only been in the Coast Guard a few years. The Warrant Officer at MSU Wilmington was the best mentor I could have ever asked for. She was tough, consistent, and the most knowledgeable yeoman I had ever been around. She never gave me answers, but made me think and research. She challenged me in so many ways. I cared deeply about the customer service and care my Reservists received. Now when I see those guys they often remark about how I took care of them and helped them, but it is all because of the Warrant who empowered me. The negative
The first is family – my family is everything to me. They support me and make my life worth living. The second is dependability – I know that people can depend on me and I expect the same of others. My third main value is honesty / integrity – without this there is nothing. We must do the right thing, even when people aren’t watching. Fourth is teamwork – doing things on our own is sometimes easier, but “together everyone achieves more!” Finally, effectiveness is important to me. Although focusing on success seems selfish, effectiveness can be in all you do- how you work on your relationship with your spouse, kids and family; how you treat others, how you worship your Lord, or how your treat your