Leadership
Leadership essay for USMC Corporal's Course.
LEADERSHIP ESSAY
Leadership means many things to different people, and as a student of the Marine Corps, I have studied many of them. I know the traits, the principles, the roles, and the concepts. I have read of the greatest leaders in the world, and of ones that led their men to pointless slaughter. I have personally worked for men I would follow to hell, and ones I would feel safer around if they were locked in a cell. From all this, I have learned and absorbed, and I find on a daily basis the biggest part of leadership is simply to lead from the front. There are naturally other parts, from mentoring Marines to cracking the whip on those you lead, when necessary; but as an Infantryman, I find the most crucial parts of a leader, the parts I seek to emulate, are the ones found on the battlefield. A leader must be someone that can make tactically solid and timely decisions, of course, but without heart I could only respect that person—not believe in them. The expression I used previously, to follow someone to hell, means that that someone is going into the fire first, and nothing is so inspiring. Marines can achieve great things, but often must be stirred to do so. A Marine moved to his core by a valiant superior may surprise them both with his strength of character when the chips are down. I do not write this to glorify war, but if it deifies the leader whose unit turns a battle and saves lives in their dedication, I stand by it. When Medals of Honor are given solely posthumously, and John Basilone tales are a bygone era, there seems little enough room for these warrior leaders, but the trait manifests itself daily in other ways. Consider it less “manifests”, and more “can be applied if enough energy and determination is given to the task.” A leader can pour his heart and soul into any activity he wants, and get his hands dirty on any task with his subordinates. I do not mean to
LEADERSHIP ESSAY
Leadership means many things to different people, and as a student of the Marine Corps, I have studied many of them. I know the traits, the principles, the roles, and the concepts. I have read of the greatest leaders in the world, and of ones that led their men to pointless slaughter. I have personally worked for men I would follow to hell, and ones I would feel safer around if they were locked in a cell. From all this, I have learned and absorbed, and I find on a daily basis the biggest part of leadership is simply to lead from the front. There are naturally other parts, from mentoring Marines to cracking the whip on those you lead, when necessary; but as an Infantryman, I find the most crucial parts of a leader, the parts I seek to emulate, are the ones found on the battlefield. A leader must be someone that can make tactically solid and timely decisions, of course, but without heart I could only respect that person—not believe in them. The expression I used previously, to follow someone to hell, means that that someone is going into the fire first, and nothing is so inspiring. Marines can achieve great things, but often must be stirred to do so. A Marine moved to his core by a valiant superior may surprise them both with his strength of character when the chips are down. I do not write this to glorify war, but if it deifies the leader whose unit turns a battle and saves lives in their dedication, I stand by it. When Medals of Honor are given solely posthumously, and John Basilone tales are a bygone era, there seems little enough room for these warrior leaders, but the trait manifests itself daily in other ways. Consider it less “manifests”, and more “can be applied if enough energy and determination is given to the task.” A leader can pour his heart and soul into any activity he wants, and get his hands dirty on any task with his subordinates. I do not mean to