Leadership (LPI) Individual Feedback Report

1. Leadership is the ability to influence others to work together to achieve a common goal. That goal would otherwise be unattainable, without leader-organized teamwork. Continued growth in leadership skills and abilities is a necessary character trait for Coast Guard senior enlisted members. Leaders are honorable, competent, determined and forward looking individuals that lead the way while inspiring others to follow. Those followers eventually become leaders themselves. I am reminded of the finest chief I ever worked for. He gave me great evaluations yet he didn’t think I was ready for advancement. Initially this caused some awkward moments between us. I had always looked up to him because he lead by example and was well respected by …show more content…
It is always difficult to hear about your weaknesses from those you respect the most. But if you don’t get an honest opinion of what is broken, you will never fix it. At first, while reviewing my Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) Individual Feedback Report (ref a), I was surprised, almost insulted, by what I read. But then I remembered why I had chosen the respondents I did. It was because I knew they would give honest feedback which is what I wanted. I will use this feedback to be honest with myself and make an effort to improve in these areas which I will try to detail in the following …show more content…
Most of my LPI feedback was exactly what I wanted to see. However, I was disappointed with my score in two categories. First was modeling the way. The weakest score in this category was setting a personal example of what I expect. Combining this information with the comments in the back brought me to understand this was about my uniform. I also knew who wrote it. If I am to be honest with myself: he was correct. My uniform appearance had room for improvement. The second category was Challenge the Process. My weakest scores in this category were “seeking out challenging opportunities that test my own skills” and “risk taking”. Apparently I voice my opinion and objection as appropriate but then fail to follow through forcefully enough to effect change. This I do not agree with. We spend our entire career learning how to mitigate risks. This is preached to us constantly. So if my risk taking is low; I am alright with that. Also, I believe that I have routinely sought out and assumed additional responsibilities throughout this tour. So it is difficult to understand where I can improve besides changing the perception of