“Our elective leaders don’t wake up in the morning worried about whether their military will remain subordinate to them” (General Dempsey M.E., 2015).
Over the last 10 years, I have held many different leadership positions. Among these key positions, supervising teams, developing and resourcing training, and mentorship have been my key tasks. I have served as a drill sergeant, a civil affairs team sergeant, a company operations sergeant, a company first sergeant, and a battalion operations sergeant major, and each one of these positions has taught me something new in regard to leadership. The Profession of Arms white paper discusses several attributes such as values and internal and external trust and alludes to integrity. These characteristics are must-have components of good leadership. So why is understanding the importance of self-development in the profession of arms critical to past, present, and future leaders?
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In an interview with General Colin Powell (2016), he explains: “The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it’s your personal example they will follow”. General Dempsey's opening remarks explain that as professionals we must continue to learn and understand while developing skills and refining attributes and behaviors. Part of learning and growing is understanding the strength and weaknesses of the organization and the folks in it. As a leader, we must understand our own strengths and weaknesses. We must work continue to work on our weaknesses while continuing to refine our strengths.
One of my strengths is self-awareness, knowing that I still have lots to learn. Over the years I have learned to humble myself. My leadership positions have taught me that not knowing everything is ok. To reach out to those subject matter experts regardless of rank and ask questions early and often before making hasty decisions. I have also learned not knowing isn’t an excuse, and to grow and become a better leader, I must listen and educate myself. I think that reaching out to other experts in their career fields helps build and reinforces trust in their profession. It helps build trust in the organization and instills pride. Two of my biggest of my weaknesses are confidence and experience. Aside from deployments, I have spent 16 years working and focusing at the company and battalion levels. It wasn’t until I assumed the battalion operations sergeant major position I began to work and understand the operational and strategic levels. I feel that a lack of experience leads to a lack of confidence. People will always go back to what they know and what they feel comfortable doing. Acknowledging this during my professional development has helped me adjust my leadership styles as I took on more responsibilities and the different positions I’ve held. By doing this I have been able to mitigate and overcome these weaknesses.
Over the past decade-plus of continuous conflict, we as professional soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have seen incredible change. Young leaders were forced to be developed faster and learned lessons that only war can teach. With this, a lot of institutional knowledge has been forgotten. Current leaders must reestablish those basic competencies taught to us by our past leaders. This will ensure that our future leaders continue to grow and understand the profession of arms that bands us together. We must continue to educate ourselves while sharing our experiences.
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