subject: 5 Lessons On Leadership + A Definition You Must Know As A Leader [print this page] I spent several years in the United States Marine Corps. After several years of observations and watching many types of leadership traits I learned what I feel to be the do and dont of leadership. I also learned that there are many types of leadership, and how curtain people reacted to the different styles is completely different from each other. What I want to talk about though is a method that seemed to work for me.
Heres a leadership definition I really like.
A Leader
A leader must listen to himself to his own inner voice of direction, strength and conviction. When this voice is not heard he drifts aimlessly through seas of fear and doubt. When this voice is heard and not followed he betrays himself and those around him.
A leader does have fears, doubts, and failures and conquers them. The inner voice is the foundation which holds firm against the waves of resentment and resistance.
A leader places him aside so that the needs of others may prevail. He is gentle, strong, confident and unyielding as needed, always following the tune of his inner voice.
A leader knows fulfillment when he lives the freedom of the soaring eagle.
Thomas D Willhite
As a leader I learned many leadership traits, but I share my 5 favorite lesson on leadership I learned while serving as a United States Marine sergeant.
1. Dependability If you say youre going to do something. You simply need to do it. Its one thing to tell someone youre going to do something. It even worse to tell yourself youll do something and you dont do it. By lying to yourself over and over, youll training your subconscious mind that youre full of shit. When you go to lead others, youll wear your lack of self integrity on your sleeve. People feel that, so you need to change now if youre like this.
2. Courage leaders are people that take risks. In order to be a leader you must have courge in yourself and in the system. Even when things seem to not be working, you need to figure out how to make things work. Courage is standing on the edge of a cliff knowing you need to get down, yet you have no ropes, so you just start climbing down without hesitating. When you half way down, you look up and you see your troops following you.
3. Decisiveness This is simple. Leaders are fast to make decisions and slow to look back. Leaders dont need a three days to think about things. They just decide and correct as they go. They know that if things dont go as planned they will self correct and learn and build even more character along the way.
4. Knowledge You must be learning at all times. Every great leader Ive know weather it be in the marines or in business are always reading things that will make them better. You must be learning at all times.
5. Unselfishness Learn to take care of others. As a leader you dont need to think about always standing in the lime light and getting all the attention. Learn to share, teach and pass your assets down to the lion cubs below you, so one day they can become lions.
5 Lessons On Leadership + A Definition You Must Know As A Leader
