My personal leadership philosophy focuses on the care of the individual soldier. The most important and sacred responsibility entrusted to an officer or noncommissioned officer is the privilege of leading American soldiers. Leading soldiers and being charged with their responsibility of their professional development, and possibly their lives, is an awesome trust. Your subordinates must understand what is important to you because ultimately, this will become important to them. The commander must always keep in mind the importance of establishing high yet realistic standards which are met. High standards lead to professionalism.
The slogan of “lead by example” is not just a slogan. To me, it is something that I strive to achieve as a leader. Leaders must be true and genuine. You cannot expect subordinates to put a priority on something that you are not willing to do yourself. Integrity is everything!
Treat soldiers with respect and dignity. Treat soldiers like you would expect to be treated.
Allow soldiers to be part of the team and if possible, part of the decision making process.
Truly live the seven army values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.
One important aspect of taking care of soldiers is making them proficient in their skills. Training schedules should include stated objectives and measurable standards. Task, condition and standard always need to be stated.
After action reviews are import in evaluating past training. Soldiers should have a forum to speak their opinions about how to improve training.
NCO’s run units, let them do their job.
Caring for soldiers is ensuring that they know how to do their job.
Readiness is directly linked to morale. A soldier with personal or family problems is not an effective soldier.
Show real concern for every soldier. Fake or insincere concern is easily identified.
Have a real priority on safety. Risk...