My Leadership Philosophy Essay

What is my leadership philosophy? I do not know. I have never put much thought into it my personal leadership philosophy. I have been put into leadership positions from the time I was a child. No one ever told me I was a leader. My coaches chose me to be the captain of my little league teams. This trend continued through middle school, high school and all the way through college.

I have observed many leaders in and out of the military. I have witnessed leadership of all sorts and qualities. Some of the best leaders I have ever seen never received formal training or education on the subject. They were just born leaders. On the other hand, I have seen people who were trained and educated not succeed because they are not leaders. Leaders

must make others want to align themselves with that individual. Leaders cannot lead if there is no one that will follow.
The Army leadership model is very effective but is also perplexing. Thousands of people join the Army every year and, at some point, all face leadership expectations. The Army provides schools that teaches us to leadership philosophy. We are provided books and materials that are supposed to make us better leaders. We are even given examples of what good Army leaders look like. After all, of this, many of us do not develop into competent military leaders.
I don’t think that a leader should be forced onto someone. People follow more willingly when they can choose who they want to follow. There must be a connection. There must be an outstanding quality that others can gravitate to in a leader. It can be experience, compassion, knowledge, or bravery. These attributes draw people to a leader.
I often find that people who seek out leadership positions are more interested in the power or other factors and benefits associated with the position and not necessarily the responsibility of leadership.

There is a difference between being a leader and having power over someone.

I think that I am a leader; however, I do not seek to have power over others. If people see the qualities in me that they look for in a leader then they will follow me. I have had many Soldiers that I was not in charge of come to me for assistance or advice. That is because I displayed a value that contributed to a connection. I have had direct supervisors that I would not say was leading me.

Leadership is an intimate relationship. It is an agreement between parties made of trust and commitment on both sides. There must be mutual interest and respect between a leader and a follower. A leader must take interest in those who follow him or her. People will not follow someone that does not have their best interests at heart or someone that they feel does not respect them. It is hard to follow someone that is “assigned” to lead you unless you can form a bond. That is why getting to know the people you are leading is important. A leader must know the plans of his followers. The leader must respect the investment the follower has made in them. That is what I do. I respect the investment of the people who decide to follow me. A person must decide to lead but more importantly, people must decide to

follow.
I will conclude by saying that someone best displays leadership when they care about and respects the work, the cause and the people associated with him or her. Leadership is not for everyone. You cannot expect everyone to lead because it is now “their time”. Authentic leaders naturally rise into these positions. How each leader cares for his or her people will determine the way they are remembered.