Coast Guard Leadership

The definition of a leader is a very common discussion amongst the leaders in the Coast Guard and often spurs long debates between them. What is the difference between a manager and a leader? One could argue that yes, leading and managing are very similar in the way that people are supervised with an established chain of command to complete any specific tasking. What manager leaning leaders miss are the intangibles and soft skills that make for great leaders. Managers are very good at scheduling, hiring, firing, holding people accountable and ensuring the job is done correctly. Leadership has to come from within and takes discipline to succeed. Not the same discipline of being organized and competent and dependable, those are all qualities …show more content…
Inspiring a Shared Vision is one of the five practices I need to improve my frequency and the method of delivery. Specifically within this practice is the behavior where I “appeal to others to share an exciting dream of the future”. The first thing I need to do is develop what that future state is. I need to start with talking about the Coast Guard’s strategic plan then the TRACEN strategic plan and ultimately the Finance Division’ strategic goals and how the three align. I must seek a way to communicate passion and involvement with the strategic plan so my message is genuine. I have to illustrate to my folks how their parts contribute to the success of all three. Becoming comfortable in this new practice will take experimenting and challenging myself to think more broadly and will assist with the next behavior I want to …show more content…
Taking my earlier definition of leadership to guide and inspire others to want to achieve a common goal can help formulate my personal leadership philosophy. Reading and studying my own LPI gives me confidence that I am doing a great job in many areas and have many to improve upon. My top three most observed practices make me very proud and are in concert with my philosophy of first, treating others with dignity and respect. That has to be the first and foremost practice if you want to keep the trust and confidence of your subordinates. If I fail in that area, there is no reason for anyone of them to want to do anything I ask or dream up for them. Second, following through on promises and commitments I make to them. I have made it a point to help them in any way I can and especially when it comes to recognition. I have nominated numerous personal awards, recruiter packages, EPOY and command coin recognitions to ensure their path to advancement is as competitive as it can be. And third, I give people a great deal of freedom and choice in deciding how to do their work. Not micro-managing and creating autonomy with accountability is the key to witnessing growth in their positions. This third point goes right back to square one of treating others with respect. If I respect their experience and capacity to get the job done with minimal oversight, it will build confidence in their ability to model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable