Reflective Essay: My Definition Of Leadership

Over the years, I have learned there can be numerous definitions of leadership. When I was a non-rate onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell, leadership meant doing what the Chief or First Class Boatswain’s Mate said. There was no questioning the commands or giving feedback. I did what was told because of their legitimate power. When I finally went to A-school and earned a Third Class crow, I learned from my supervisor at Public Affairs Detachment San Diego that leadership was all about building relationships. She showed the value of using personal power to build relationships with the crew and her subordinates so she could cash in on that social capital later. When I made E7 and took over a shop full of enlisted, reserve and civilian members, I quickly reverted back to coercive and reward power to get my subordinates marching in the right …show more content…
Besides asking for feedback, I also found the behavior “describe a compelling image of what the future could be like” to be at the bottom of my list of observed leadership behaviors. The first thing that comes up for me when I saw this was “of course I’m not out shaking the pompoms, I’m an introvert!” I don’t like putting myself out there as much as a person with a preference for extroversion would, but I need to get over that. As a leader, I have to be able to inspire a shared vision. If I am too withdrawn, no one will know what my vision is. The second thing that came up was “the Chiefs Academy hasn’t really had a clear vision to share.” We have been on the fence for quite a while on what the future of the CPOA will be, but we have much clearer guidance and direction. Besides, the behavior says what the future could be like, so I need not be so reserved in throwing my own opinions out on the matter. I plan on learning how to overcome my introversion and resistance to getting excited about an unknown future. I need to learn how to be inspirational and live up to my DiSC profile (Inspirational pattern and high