Philosophy and Personal Leadership Statement

1. Identify the leadership theory that defines your style and explain why

The leadership theories of transformation leadership and servant leadership heavily influence my style of management. I have developed both of these leadership styles through my extensive leadership in the United States Navy along with other government positions. With over 20 years of experience in the Navy, I have developed a comprehensive leadership skill set that can be leveraged in a variety of situations and circumstances.

To begin, the concept of servant leadership involves showcasing to others the traits you, as a leader, would like them to exhibit on a day to day basis. This often involves working alongside subordinates, providing support during daily activities, and eliciting the opinions of other to improve internal processes. As a soldier in the military, this was a critical component to success. Here, all Navy personnel were required to work together in various capacities for the greater well-being of the unit. This would require leaders along with subordinates to make sacrifices to help benefit the entire group. This form of leadership I found to be effective as it builds trust and comradery among all level of the organization.

Likewise, transformational leadership is used to help improve processes and procedures to make the job much more efficient and enjoyable for all parties involved. In the military process improvement is critical as it provides a competitive advantage against foreign threats located abroad. As a leader, it was my job to encourage dialogue that would ultimately benefit the unit, the organization and society overall.

2. Description of who you are, your values, and your priorities,

As a leader with over two decades of experience in the military, my values, and priorities have been heavily shaped by my military service. For one, a large portion of my leadership style is centered around consistency and discipline. It is important to stay disciplined as a leader to ensure that tasks are completed and the unit is progressing together. Element such as personnel development and the ability to have a unit grow both professional and personally are important values that I have developed over the years. To accomplish this, I look to regularly engage with all members of my team both subordinates and superiors as a means of gauging the “pulse” of the organization.

In addition, my priorities as leader have been unit performance and employee development and growth. The military is heavy oriented towards results. If a leader is unable to generate results in their respective area of responsibility, they are often reprimanded or replaced. As a result, through my various leadership positions, my behaviors have been heavily skewed towards a results orientation. To accomplish these results, I have leveraged my ability to accomplish task by effectively motivating others. In the military, the ability to inspire, motivate, and ultimately drive results through other people is an important leadership criterion.

3. Define core values you live by, what you expect of organizational members, what they can expect of you, and how you will evaluate your performance,

The core values that I live by are honesty, integrity, discipline and enthusiasm. As an organizational leader, my team can expect a leader that cares about their personal goals and about driving results. They can also expect and individuals who will be honest about particularly circumstances and their feelings. Finally, they can expect a leader that is discipline in all aspects of life and business. I don’t get too high when time are good and I don’t get too low when times are bad. I attempt to stay disciplined in both my mannerisms and leadership style. I expect others on my team to leverage the same approach. Here, I expect my team members to communicate often and effectively. I expect them to share their opinions in a constructive manner that benefits all individuals on the team. As it relates to evaluating performance, I look at how team members worked both individuals and within the team dynamic. Here, it is important to not only reward those who have individuals success but also those who have helped to contribute to the growth of the team overall.

4. Determine your goals or the desired results/outcomes you are striving for as a leader.

As noted above, I look to first achieve the overall team and department goals which are set each year in advance. These goals vary over time and can include specific metrics designed to measure efficiency or profitability. As a leader, I am looking to motivate and inspire my team to achieve these desired team objectives. To accomplish this, I look to leverage individual goals and desires within the department. For example, so individuals want to move up and become promoted within the organization while others want to maintain the status quo. Some members of the team are introverted while other are extroverted. As a leader, it is my job to cultivate these relationships in a manner that unlocks the potential of each individual on the team in a manner that benefits all parties involved.