"Are You a Leader?"

I have gone back and forth and had some pretty good and healthy debates with family and friends about life in our country as well as those in charge. Often my views are challenged because as a Black man, I am stereotyped and expected to see, think and feel a certain way about things within our society. especially our President. Well that just ain’t me. So I spent the last two days working on a post about leaders in an attempt to educate and inform others as to how come I think the way I do and to emphasize, focus and direct my displeasure with our Government and those within. It's directed at one place and one place only…Leadership. So here is my attempt at shedding some light on my views. Hope you enjoy

Are You A Leader?

BY JYD

 

   For sometime now I have observed our nations leaders (and I use that term loosely) and thought to myself, “Are these really our leaders?” And I ask that in all honesty because by definition these individuals are leaders yet they appear not too lead.
   I have personally been a leader since 1991 and around leaders all my life yet what I have seen, heard and lived is not the same as what I have seen from them. Looking at our nations leaders I question their desire to place others at the forefront and do what’s best for our country.
   Over the past few months I have made numerous comments about our nations “leaders” and how I view them as well as what I think of them.
   I have read responses about their party affiliation, skin color, “they don’t like the poor,” it’s a conspiracy you name it I have read it and heard it.
   But at no time did anyone ever really comment about them as leaders and their ability to lead, be a leader and their leadership ability.
   Which again makes me wonder, are those in charge of our nation really leaders?
    And what makes someone a good leader? Is it training, schooling or college education?
   What are the main ingredients that formulate and then produce a leader?
   Is there any one thing you can have or posses that will magically endow you with leadership abilities?
   Just what is a leader?

   Merriam-Webster defines a Leader as, a person who leads, a person who directs a military force or unit, and a person who has commanding authority or influence.
    Ok, that gives us someplace to start, something to call a foundation for a discussion about leader(s) and leadership. And we in the military “breed” leaders; we too have our own definition of a leader.
    An Army leader is anyone who by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility inspires and influences people to accomplish organizational goals. Army leaders motivate people both inside and outside the chain of command to pursue actions, focus thinking and shape decisions for the greater good of the organization.
    So, when you put those two definitions together it truly does lend to the foundation of and understanding just what a leader is. Because leaders are found everywhere within our society so you need not get too wrapped up in semantics (us vs. them) but focus more or the spirit of what a leader is and does.

    So a Leader in essence leads and has attributes, such as character, presence and intellect. While character relates to the internal identity of the leader, presence attributes relate how others see the leader and intellect relates to what abilities and knowledge the leader possesses to think and interact with others. Leaders take the initiative and they move the organization (or nation) forward in an attempt to make it better or to accomplish a goal established by them or one placed on them by others. So that thought process is one I have learned as well as bought into.
    A leader places the desires of themselves last and that of the organization or its people first and foremost. Collective leadership refers to the combined effects and synergies when leaders at different levels synchronize their leadership actions to achieve a common purpose. High performing collective leadership occurs when leadership processes are mutually reinforcing and the result is greater than the sum of its parts—a sense of shared responsibility for the unit exists.
    Wow, do you think this is something that Congress, the Senate; hell...both political parties should adhere too?A leader doesn’t seek the spot light nor makes others look bad in an attempt to make themselves look better in theirs or others eyes. And I myself along with hundreds of others would agree and view a leader as such.

    You can’t have leader without leadership. Again, looking at Merriam-Webster, Leadership is the office or position of a leader, capacity to lead and the act or an instance of leading. And how is this explained within the military? Being a leader and leadership is so very vital to knowing and understanding the roles, responsibilities and its very make up that we have a manual that solely focuses on it, ADP 6-22 Army Leadership.
    And it defines it as such; Leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. A section of 6-22 reads: “The Army requires leadership to make choices and establish unifying direction for the organization. Organizations have multiple sources to monitor and assess situations and provide input for decisions; however, a central leader must oversee and ultimately accept responsibility for the conduct of missions. Leadership is a process of influence. Since first publishing leadership doctrine in 1948, the Army has consistently defined leadership as a process. This is significant because a process can be learned, monitored and improved. While personality and innate traits affect a process, the Army endorses the idea that good leadership doesn’t just happen by chance but is a developable skill. A leader influences other people to accomplish a mission or fulfill a purpose. The means of influence include actions to convey motivation. Accomplishing the current mission is not enough—the leader is responsible for developing individuals and improving the organization for the near and long-term."
       So do you think we take terms like leader and leadership likely?

             Leaders and leadership is color blind. It’s about your actions and or lack their of in times of crisis or when you’re simply required to lead. In the military, it’s pretty much all we NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) and Commissioned Officers do on a day to day basis. “Army leaders accept the responsibility to develop and lead others to achieve results. We follow and swear an oath. Fulfilling that oath, leaders will face—and have to overcome—fear, danger, and physical and moral adversity while caring for those they lead and protecting the organization entrusted to them. It takes personal courage to take the initiative to make something happen rather than standing by or withdrawing and hoping events will turn out well. Leaders require personal courage when confronting problems of discipline or disorderly conduct, when innovation and adaptation are needed to try something that has never been done before, when leading Soldiers in harm’s way, when being candid with a superior about a risky or improper course of action, when deferring to a more technically competent subordinate, or when freeing units and personnel to solve problems. Leaders must have the courage to make tough calls, to discipline or demand better when required. Consistent and fair leaders will earn the respect of their followers.” So do you see where I’m coming from and how we within the military (Army) view leaders and leadership? I could go on and on because this is just the tip of the iceberg.

    When I got to Ft. Carson in 2002 I was assigned to be the Platoon Sergeant for a Scout Platoon, a dream come true.
   While out doing PT (Physical Training) I ran into the Battalion Command Sergeants Major and he briefly spoke to me about the platoon.

   “I ain’t gonna lie to you Sergeant Dingle,” as he moved off to one side of the sidewalk.
   “The Scout platoon has got some problems.” he said.

    “I’m tracking Sergeant Major.” I replied.
    “I spoke with the First Sergeant yesterday and he explained it all to me.”

    “Good, I’m confident you can fix the issues,” he ended.

  “”Airborne! Sergeant Major.”

             The conversation ended as he walked off towards the motorpool.
             I stood there for a while thinking and as I walked off I reflected on the previous day’s conversation I had with the First Sergeant.
             I had been looking for the unit for two days while I inprocessed and was driving around when I finally found it.
             I decided to drop in and say hello to any platoon members that maybe around and to also pay a visit to the First Sergeant and introduce myself.
             He was in and I knocked on the door.

   “First Sergeant, Sergeant First Class Dingle. I’m the new Scout Platoon Sergeant,” as I extended my hand forward.

   “Nice to meet you Sergeant Dingle; have a seat, do you have something to write with?” he asked.

   “Yes First Sergeant,” I said.

   “OK, have a seat I need to tell you some things and about an incident which happened in the platoon.”

     I sat down and I thought this was just gonna be the typical chat, you know, are you married, where are you from, do you have kids, are you settled in, the typical “new guy” questions.
     Nope, I listened to Top talk about some of the problems within the platoon.
     One after another, the former Platoon Sergeant, the Platoon Leader, the NCOs…you got to be kidding me, I had inadvertently asked for this and I was getting it.

     So as I walked off from the brief chat with the Sergeant Major I thought to myself, “I just got handed a shit sandwich.” Fast forward to two years later when we have returned from a year in Iraq and I’m being told I have to step down as the Platoon Sergeant.
     I arguably had the best platoon in the Battalion and I had no choice but to let it go. I took over fixed the issues and left it a 100 times better then I received it.
     I had an amazing platoon.
     You see, I’m a leader. And as a leader you don’t have the luxury of getting things the way you want them. I was handed a platoon and was expected to excel…period. No excuses, no blaming the other guys. It was my platoon and if we failed or became successful it was on me and PL (Platoon Leader), what we did or didn’t do as leaders.
     And that’s where it starts and ends…with a leader and their leadership.

     So when I’m watching Gen (ret.) Petraeus admit to having an affair, make no excuses for his behavior and then step down I’m reminded that that is what a leader does. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for their actions. This man had an affair which really had no bearing on his ability to do his job yet he stepped down. The flip side to that coin is our Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She was in charge, she was the leader. Yet this past week she down played her role, gave speeches instead of answers, never once took responsibility for her inability to lead effectively and or take charge of those under her.
     Four people died on her watch yet she still has a job and wasn’t removed. I know many leaders within the service who have lost their positions for far less infractions. What about me? Had I not turned the platoon around would I have kept my job? No, see in my world when you fail to lead you get removed and placed elsewhere with less responsibilities or none until a time where you show you can handle the increased responsibilities and if you can’t, you are quietly moved from job to job until you move out and move on.

     I see some of President Obama’s actions as no different. He started running for office when George Bush was elected to his second term. He was a Senator so you can’t tell me he didn’t already have an idea as to the state of the government as well as the nation before he won the democratic nomination and subsequently won the election. “America has a debt problem. I intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit,” Sen. Barack Obama, March 16, 2006. He didn’t walk into the office blind; he knew then if he had a chance of getting elected into the office of the President what he’d have to deal with as well as how party members would in-turn act. I didn’t walk into my position blind. I knew there were problems and I was going to have to deal with. He knew our nation was in trouble but he sought out and asked for the job and then pledged to move us all forward. I was a leader and it was now my Platoon. Right or wrong, good or bad, all eyes were on me. Well he ran for office, won, then seemed to spend a lot of time talking about the “shit sandwich” he had been handed. Now in his second term, nothing has really changed. When my Soldiers screwed up I was the one standing in from of the Battalion Commander getting lit up with my PL for our platoon member’s actions. I stood there and took it, made no excuses, placed no blame because I was a leader.

     We are not perfect in the military and we have our fair share of bad leaders like any other organization. But we do a much better job policing up those who can’t cut it. And there are actions taken that can ruin your career and chances for advancement; funny how none of our leaders have such “checks and balances” within their organization.

              How many Military leaders have stepped down during the last 4 years for wrong doings and even perceived wrong doings? Formal systems such as evaluation reports, academic evaluation reports, and 360 degree assessments offer opportunities to learn—but the individual must embrace the opportunity and internalize the information. If they don’t, like I mentioned earlier they are removed. Our government officials, have they too been guilty of wrong doings? Yet where are their systems, how are they removed when found to be…inadequate? Most don’t have the integrity and stay in the position and blame others for their failures, never accepting responsibility or being held accountable. They hold we Military leaders to a higher standard. Is our profession more honorable than theirs?

      ADP 6-22, Army Leadership, establishes the fundamental principles by which Army leaders accomplish their missions and care for their people. It describes the enduring concepts of leadership through the core leader competencies and attributes required of contemporary leaders of all cohorts and all organizations, regardless of mission or setting. These principles reflect decades of experience and the best scientific knowledge available. Leadership fundamentally remains a process of influence; how and when influence is applied determines the eventual mission success and the capabilities of Army organizations. Maybe our government should look at this simple manual and maybe…they need one of their own.

    So I judge our leaders in Washington by the same standards I and my peers have been judged by. If it’s good enough for me and my peers who are depended upon to make the hard choices and put the welfare of the nations and its citizens first, then it’s surely good enough for them. So after reading this I ask, are you a leader?