The cadets I'm mentoring asked me to meet them tomorrow to discuss leadership philosophies. Anyone have one they want to post?
Leadership Philosophy
- Thread starter Marauder06
- Start date
I'm sure you have read many of my tid-bits on it around here.
Overall my philosophy is when a supervisor be a supervisor, when a manager be a manager, when truly taking the helm as a leader be a leader.
Leaders IMO don't force people to do things, they motivate them to, they lead them in doing things, and most of all, they identify the right people for the right tasks and give them the leeway to become leaders within those areas (in other words listen to the expert you IDed and placed in the position).
I don't think its about authority or supervision, although in some cases that can become necessary, but that leadership is more about motivation and gaining the trust of your followers (not friendship, trust).
But that's mine in a nutshell.
Overall my philosophy is when a supervisor be a supervisor, when a manager be a manager, when truly taking the helm as a leader be a leader.
Leaders IMO don't force people to do things, they motivate them to, they lead them in doing things, and most of all, they identify the right people for the right tasks and give them the leeway to become leaders within those areas (in other words listen to the expert you IDed and placed in the position).
I don't think its about authority or supervision, although in some cases that can become necessary, but that leadership is more about motivation and gaining the trust of your followers (not friendship, trust).
But that's mine in a nutshell.
I think being upfront about what's going on and not being a dick unless it's needed are good philosophies.
Our command philosophy (taught to me by my last OPs NCO, agreed upon with my current 1SG, paraphrased for this forum).
Four keys to success:
1) Rapport: The things we need to do require the support from people within or outside of our organization. Be polite, have a smile, and utilize all capabilities available, effectively.
2) Communication: Clear and concise communication that involves knowing when to speak and when to listen. If we all understand each other, it's easier to accomplish the mission.
3) Have a solid plan: Contingencies drive most of our support activity. Plan for the contingencies and never let a lack of support be the cause of mission failure.
4) Have a strong work ethic: There are times when we have to work late, be away from our families, or put our lives on the line doing dangerous activity. Hold fast, and give way together, as a team to accomplish the mission.
Those four things are interdependent and can be applied to every team or individual situation, from conducting battle focused PT to combat and everything in between.
Four keys to success:
1) Rapport: The things we need to do require the support from people within or outside of our organization. Be polite, have a smile, and utilize all capabilities available, effectively.
2) Communication: Clear and concise communication that involves knowing when to speak and when to listen. If we all understand each other, it's easier to accomplish the mission.
3) Have a solid plan: Contingencies drive most of our support activity. Plan for the contingencies and never let a lack of support be the cause of mission failure.
4) Have a strong work ethic: There are times when we have to work late, be away from our families, or put our lives on the line doing dangerous activity. Hold fast, and give way together, as a team to accomplish the mission.
Those four things are interdependent and can be applied to every team or individual situation, from conducting battle focused PT to combat and everything in between.
I like that.
Mission Accomplishment comes before everything and everyone. We are a Marine Corps at war and our nation requires sacrifice on our part to protect our freedoms and liberties. This may mean long hours of monotonous work in austere conditions or it may mean that we pay for these liberties with blood. Casualties are an unavoidable byproduct of war. Take care of your wounded, insert a new magazine and seize your objective. Doing anything less is a disservice to the men you’ve lost. This is a rough business. We must carry on no matter what the conditions-never forget that the mission comes first.
Let no man call you a coward and let no man shoulder your burden. Victory often requires great sacrifice. Often times the sacrifice required may be your own. In times of great chaos, someone has to remain sane and do whatever it takes to push everyone in the right direction. When something goes wrong and you are pinned down with no communications, guess who needs to stand up, brave the grazing fire and make something happen? Suck it up, buttercup! This is why you get all that extra pay right? When all else fails, click your weapon off safe and make something happen. Trust a SNCO or officer with a Purple Heart; he is probably doing it right.
Never put yourself before your Marines. The mission comes above all else, but the men come right after. Oftentimes leaders spend too much time worrying about the many tasks and demands they constantly receive from higher headquarters. Battles are not won through powerpoints and paperwork; they are won by young Marines who perform violent acts on our behalf. Focus on your Marines and worry about the paperwork later. If you see a line for something good, get in the back. If you see a line for something bad, get in the front.
Everyday is an indoc and every task is a test. Prove yourself daily to your superiors and subordinates alike but you are the only person who really knows if you have given everything you can to the mission. Make sure you give one hundred percent of yourself when you’re at the range, under the bar or on the track so you won’t come short when you’re on the battlefield.
A decision made out of fear for yourself or your career is always the wrong decision to make. We ask our Marines to risk their lives on a daily basis. If you don’t have the backbone or the stones to risk your career to do the right thing for your Marines then you don’t deserve to lead them. Always do the right thing, no matter what the consequences.
Making any decision is always better than making no decision. Indecision is a form of cowardice. Some of the decisions you make will cost your Marines their lives. Don’t worry; you will have plenty of time to agonize over that when you are wearing a red patch-covered jacket at the VFW someday. You don’t have time to waste thinking about it now. Take a second to analyze your decision, figure out how you can make a better decision in the future and FIDO. Fuck It, Drive On.
Everyday is a training day. You train yourself to behave in a certain fashion every day. If you are lazy and undisciplined in garrison, don’t expect to be any different in combat. Very few of us will rise to the occasion under fire; the majority of us will fall back to our highest level of training. Don’t develop training scars that will haunt you in combat.
It’s okay to make mistakes, just not the same one twice. It is far better for a Marine to make a mistake in training and learn from it than to wait until he deploys and makes the same mistake in combat. Make your training as realistic as possible to iron out any friction points.
Strive to master the basics and you will be successful. The mechanics of war are deceptively simple. It’s the employment of these concepts that is extremely challenging. Don’t be enamored with over-complicated plans and strategies. Most tactical problems can be solved with an equal dose of aggression and violence. Units that focus on the basics and apply the fundamentals they have been taught will always be successful. An infantry squad that successfully integrates mortars and Close Air Support into their maneuver is nearly undefeatable.
Strong NCOs make for a strong organization. Any organization with strong senior leadership and weak NCOs will fail. A good leader will focus his efforts on building his NCO corps and empowering his subordinates. Marines need to be trained to be leaders and decision makers. This means they will make mistakes. Don’t hold your Marines to a zero defect standard or else you will have an organization full of gun-shy automatons.
Marines are looking for a leader, not a well paid friend. When Marines start dying in the streets your men will look for leaders and not friends. A good leader is ready and willing to take the moral burden of a difficult decision away from his subordinates. There may come a time when someone will have to make a decision that will result in the death of another Marine. That’s the time for you to start giving orders and spare a subordinate the pain of an impossible decision.
The difference between victory and defeat often comes down to will power and endurance. Everyone knows you need to conduct maintenance on your weapon, vehicle and equipment but some Marines fail to maintain their bodies in a state of combat readiness. Wars are won by men, not by machines and tools. If your body is not up to the task, your equipment will not make up the difference.
The perception of an act may sometimes overshadow its intention. It is important to understand how your appearance or actions are being perceived to avoid any perception issues. An unshaved or unkempt Marine can quickly ruin the reputation of a unit. Perception is easily confused with reality.
Live a selfless life and serve a cause greater than yourself,
Jaeger 5-1
Let no man call you a coward and let no man shoulder your burden. Victory often requires great sacrifice. Often times the sacrifice required may be your own. In times of great chaos, someone has to remain sane and do whatever it takes to push everyone in the right direction. When something goes wrong and you are pinned down with no communications, guess who needs to stand up, brave the grazing fire and make something happen? Suck it up, buttercup! This is why you get all that extra pay right? When all else fails, click your weapon off safe and make something happen. Trust a SNCO or officer with a Purple Heart; he is probably doing it right.
Never put yourself before your Marines. The mission comes above all else, but the men come right after. Oftentimes leaders spend too much time worrying about the many tasks and demands they constantly receive from higher headquarters. Battles are not won through powerpoints and paperwork; they are won by young Marines who perform violent acts on our behalf. Focus on your Marines and worry about the paperwork later. If you see a line for something good, get in the back. If you see a line for something bad, get in the front.
Everyday is an indoc and every task is a test. Prove yourself daily to your superiors and subordinates alike but you are the only person who really knows if you have given everything you can to the mission. Make sure you give one hundred percent of yourself when you’re at the range, under the bar or on the track so you won’t come short when you’re on the battlefield.
A decision made out of fear for yourself or your career is always the wrong decision to make. We ask our Marines to risk their lives on a daily basis. If you don’t have the backbone or the stones to risk your career to do the right thing for your Marines then you don’t deserve to lead them. Always do the right thing, no matter what the consequences.
Making any decision is always better than making no decision. Indecision is a form of cowardice. Some of the decisions you make will cost your Marines their lives. Don’t worry; you will have plenty of time to agonize over that when you are wearing a red patch-covered jacket at the VFW someday. You don’t have time to waste thinking about it now. Take a second to analyze your decision, figure out how you can make a better decision in the future and FIDO. Fuck It, Drive On.
Everyday is a training day. You train yourself to behave in a certain fashion every day. If you are lazy and undisciplined in garrison, don’t expect to be any different in combat. Very few of us will rise to the occasion under fire; the majority of us will fall back to our highest level of training. Don’t develop training scars that will haunt you in combat.
It’s okay to make mistakes, just not the same one twice. It is far better for a Marine to make a mistake in training and learn from it than to wait until he deploys and makes the same mistake in combat. Make your training as realistic as possible to iron out any friction points.
Strive to master the basics and you will be successful. The mechanics of war are deceptively simple. It’s the employment of these concepts that is extremely challenging. Don’t be enamored with over-complicated plans and strategies. Most tactical problems can be solved with an equal dose of aggression and violence. Units that focus on the basics and apply the fundamentals they have been taught will always be successful. An infantry squad that successfully integrates mortars and Close Air Support into their maneuver is nearly undefeatable.
Strong NCOs make for a strong organization. Any organization with strong senior leadership and weak NCOs will fail. A good leader will focus his efforts on building his NCO corps and empowering his subordinates. Marines need to be trained to be leaders and decision makers. This means they will make mistakes. Don’t hold your Marines to a zero defect standard or else you will have an organization full of gun-shy automatons.
Marines are looking for a leader, not a well paid friend. When Marines start dying in the streets your men will look for leaders and not friends. A good leader is ready and willing to take the moral burden of a difficult decision away from his subordinates. There may come a time when someone will have to make a decision that will result in the death of another Marine. That’s the time for you to start giving orders and spare a subordinate the pain of an impossible decision.
The difference between victory and defeat often comes down to will power and endurance. Everyone knows you need to conduct maintenance on your weapon, vehicle and equipment but some Marines fail to maintain their bodies in a state of combat readiness. Wars are won by men, not by machines and tools. If your body is not up to the task, your equipment will not make up the difference.
The perception of an act may sometimes overshadow its intention. It is important to understand how your appearance or actions are being perceived to avoid any perception issues. An unshaved or unkempt Marine can quickly ruin the reputation of a unit. Perception is easily confused with reality.
Live a selfless life and serve a cause greater than yourself,
Jaeger 5-1
I wrote this to an IOC (Infantry Officers Course) class. Feel free to share it with your students. Disclaimer, it was published in the Marine Corps Gazette:
A Letter to our Young Combat Leaders
Congratulations on your recent graduation from the Infantry Officer’s Course. You are about to embark on one of the most rewarding and challenging billets of your career. As a brand new platoon commander, you will be expected to take thirty or forty Marines to war and emerge victorious. No other entry level position in the Marine Corps requires a young man with so little experience to be responsible for so much. But don’t worry, generation after generation of rifle platoon commanders have successfully shouldered the numerous responsibilities and challenges of this billet, from World War II to the current fight in Afghanistan, armed with nothing more than the lessons they acquired at The Basic School and the Infantry Officer’s Course. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have significantly changed almost every aspect of the modern Marine Corps. There have been countless lessons learned through the blood and sweat of our Marines, and our collective experience under fire has sparked significant changes in the way we train, equip and employ our Marines in battle. However, it is important to understand that these lessons learned from years of counterinsurgency operations only compliment the instruction you have just received; they will not replace it. With this in mind, learn everything you can from your peers, superiors and subordinates, but never discard the baseline doctrine that you have learned during your entry level training.
Warfare in its basest form has remained largely unchanged for thousands of years. The aim of every military unit in history has been to find the enemy, fix them in place, conduct a flanking attack or frontal assault, and destroy them. Modern warfare is no different. Advanced weapons can provide an army with a great advantage, but the battles of Dien Biehn Phu and Wanat are powerful reminders that the skillful use of terrain can still trump technology. The role of an officer in the modern era is to utilize close air support, supporting arms, and machinegun fire to suppress the enemy long enough for Marines to close within 300 yards of the enemy. Officers perform a great deal of synchronization and coordination up until the 300 yard line, but at some point the intensity of combat within small arms range of the enemy will significantly decrease your ability to command and control the engagement.
One major difference between conventional warfare and counterinsurgency operations is that most of our counterinsurgency engagements are on the receiving end of an ambush, which means that most battles are initiated and resolved within 300 yards of the enemy. Under such circumstances your best option is to accept the fact you now have very little direct tactical control of your subordinates and trust the tactical decision making abilities of your NCOs. An officer can prepare his Marines for a close fight by using SOPs, IA drills and tactical decision games to train his men how to react to several generic but common situations. This is how you push command and control to the lowest level, and manage the uncontrollable. Maneuver warfare requires a great deal of trust in your subordinates in order to be successful. Let your squad and team leaders drive their elements, and they will surprise you with what they are able to accomplish.
Counterinsurgency operations will continue to be a major focus for the Marine Corps but we must also teach our Marines the fundamentals of how to conduct full-scale combat operations. Our Marines are extremely proficient at counter-IED techniques, but decreasing levels of kinetic activity have decreased our ability to conduct fire support planning, and to integrate combined arms with maneuver at the squad and platoon level. It is far superior to be a master of a few techniques like patrolling than to be mediocre at a number of advanced techniques like close quarters battle. Don’t be enamored with over-complicated plans and strategies. Strive to master the basics and you will be successful. Most tactical problems can be solved with equal doses of aggression and violence. An infantry squad or platoon that can successfully integrate mortars and Close Air Support into their maneuver is nearly undefeatable.
The greatest combat leaders surpass the tangible factors of war and strive to exploit the intangible elements of battle. Always seek to impose the maximum amount of fear, confusion and panic upon your enemy. This may mean doing something unexpected, which oftentimesmay initially appear to be tactically inappropriate or counter to doctrine. Why else would Hannibal cross the Alps when he knew he would take heavy cold weather casualties? There are numerous other examples in history where a leader made a bold and extremely risky decision that resulted in tremendous success. High risk decision making, however, requires mastery of doctrine and tactics, which is a talent that most young officers have yet to attain. Stick to the basics, but remember there may come a time where you will have to deviate from your IOC playbook and take some great risks in an extreme situation. When that time comes, don’t be afraid to go with your instincts. Your subconscious will sift through your experience, tactical knowledge and situational awareness and come up with the most appropriate tactical solution.
In reality, warfare is not that complicated. I didn't say it was easy, but it is deceptively simple. A lot of the time we tend to make it seem more complicated than it needs to be. If you understand tactics and terrain, you can usually predict where an attack is going to come from: where would you like to be if you were going to attack someone? That is probably where they are. You didn't take ten minutes to think about that before you stepped out on this patrol? Good luck on your patrol; hopefully you won’t have to depend on the extraordinary heroism of your Marines to make up for your personal shortfalls in planning and preparation.
If you are lucky, you will finish your time as a platoon commander without ever seeing the full spectrum of combat. Most Marine leaders express a desire to be tested under fire, but no one is fully prepared for the physical and physiological cost of battle. Regardless, we are a Marine Corps at war, and our nation requires sacrifice on our part to protect our freedoms and liberties. Mission accomplishment comes before everything and everyone. This sacrifice may come in the form of long hours of monotonous work in austere conditions, or it may come in the form of your own blood or the blood of your Marines. Casualties are an unavoidable byproduct of war no matter how much we train or prepare for combat. You can minimize your casualties with detailed planning, discipline and training, but there will come a time when Marines will be wounded or die no matter what you do. It is imperative that we do not allow the tragedies of battle to weaken our resolve. This is a rough business and victory often requires great sacrifice. You must carry on no matter what the conditions-never forget that the mission comes first. Take care of your wounded, insert a new magazine and seize your objective. Doing anything less is a disservice to the men you have lost.
As a leader, often times the sacrifice required may be your own. In times of great chaos, someone has to remain sane and do whatever it takes to push everyone in the right direction. When all else fails, click your weapon off safe and make something happen. Indecision is a form of cowardice. Making any decision is always better than making no decision. Some of these decisions make may cost your Marines their lives. You cannot allow the fear of making a wrong decision paralyze you into indecisiveness. Don’t worry; you will have plenty of time to agonize over that when you are wearing a red patch-covered jacket at the VFW someday. You don’t have time to waste thinking about it now. After the fighting is over, take a second to analyze your decision, figure out how you can make a better decision in the future and drive on.
Command is not a popularity contest. A commander must be respected and it is nice if he is liked, but this is by no means required. Your Marines are looking for a leader, not a well paid friend. Don’t lose credibility with your Marines by trying to be popular, it will make difficult decisions under fire much harder. When Marines start dying in the streets, your men will look for leaders, not friends. There may come a time when someone will have to make a decision that will most likely result in the death of another Marine. No one wants to leave his wounded buddy in the kill zone, but you can’t halt an assault just because you started taking casualties. Everyone wants to save their brothers, but sometimes doing so will threaten mission accomplishment, and only result in further casualties. That is the time for you to start giving orders and take the moral burden of a difficult decision away from your subordinates.
The mission comes above all else, but the welfare of your men comes right after. Never put yourself before your Marines. Oftentimes leaders spend too much time worrying about the many tasks and demands they constantly receive from higher headquarters. Battles are not won through powerpoints and paperwork; they are won by young Marines who perform violent acts on our behalf. Focus on your Marines and worry about the paperwork later. We ask our Marines to risk their lives on a daily basis. If you don’t have the backbone or the stones to do the right thing for your Marines, then you don’t deserve to lead them. Always do the right thing, no matter what the consequences. A decision made out of concern for your own well-being or your career is almost always the wrong decision to make.
Being a commander is one of the most professionally and personally fulfilling things that you can do in the Marines Corps, but doing it correctly requires great dedicationon your part. Live a selfless life and serve a cause greater than yourself. Hold your Marines to a high standard and hold yourself to a higher one. Many Marines fail to realize that you train yourself to behave in a certain fashion every day. If you are lazy and undisciplined in garrison, don’t expect to be any different in combat. Don’t develop training scars that will haunt you in combat. Marines need to come to the realization that everyday is a training day. This does not just apply to marksmanship and patrolling, but in all areas of your life. The difference between victory and defeat often comes down to will power and endurance. Everyone knows you need to conduct maintenance on your weapon, vehicle and equipment, but some Marines fail to maintain their bodies in a state of combat readiness. Wars are won by men, not by tools and machines. If your mind and body are not up to the task, your equipment will not make up the difference.
You have been given all the tools you need to lead your Marines to success on the battlefield. It’s up to you now to have the personal discipline to apply these fundamentals as you prepare your Marines for combat. Form good habits of action in your daily routine: live a disciplined life, strengthen your mind through professional reading, and prepare your body for the rigors of combat. Approach your life as if every day and every task is a test. Make sure you give one hundred percent of yourself when you are at the range, under the bar or on the track so you won’t come short when you and your Marines are on the battlefield.
A Letter to our Young Combat Leaders
Congratulations on your recent graduation from the Infantry Officer’s Course. You are about to embark on one of the most rewarding and challenging billets of your career. As a brand new platoon commander, you will be expected to take thirty or forty Marines to war and emerge victorious. No other entry level position in the Marine Corps requires a young man with so little experience to be responsible for so much. But don’t worry, generation after generation of rifle platoon commanders have successfully shouldered the numerous responsibilities and challenges of this billet, from World War II to the current fight in Afghanistan, armed with nothing more than the lessons they acquired at The Basic School and the Infantry Officer’s Course. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have significantly changed almost every aspect of the modern Marine Corps. There have been countless lessons learned through the blood and sweat of our Marines, and our collective experience under fire has sparked significant changes in the way we train, equip and employ our Marines in battle. However, it is important to understand that these lessons learned from years of counterinsurgency operations only compliment the instruction you have just received; they will not replace it. With this in mind, learn everything you can from your peers, superiors and subordinates, but never discard the baseline doctrine that you have learned during your entry level training.
Warfare in its basest form has remained largely unchanged for thousands of years. The aim of every military unit in history has been to find the enemy, fix them in place, conduct a flanking attack or frontal assault, and destroy them. Modern warfare is no different. Advanced weapons can provide an army with a great advantage, but the battles of Dien Biehn Phu and Wanat are powerful reminders that the skillful use of terrain can still trump technology. The role of an officer in the modern era is to utilize close air support, supporting arms, and machinegun fire to suppress the enemy long enough for Marines to close within 300 yards of the enemy. Officers perform a great deal of synchronization and coordination up until the 300 yard line, but at some point the intensity of combat within small arms range of the enemy will significantly decrease your ability to command and control the engagement.
One major difference between conventional warfare and counterinsurgency operations is that most of our counterinsurgency engagements are on the receiving end of an ambush, which means that most battles are initiated and resolved within 300 yards of the enemy. Under such circumstances your best option is to accept the fact you now have very little direct tactical control of your subordinates and trust the tactical decision making abilities of your NCOs. An officer can prepare his Marines for a close fight by using SOPs, IA drills and tactical decision games to train his men how to react to several generic but common situations. This is how you push command and control to the lowest level, and manage the uncontrollable. Maneuver warfare requires a great deal of trust in your subordinates in order to be successful. Let your squad and team leaders drive their elements, and they will surprise you with what they are able to accomplish.
Counterinsurgency operations will continue to be a major focus for the Marine Corps but we must also teach our Marines the fundamentals of how to conduct full-scale combat operations. Our Marines are extremely proficient at counter-IED techniques, but decreasing levels of kinetic activity have decreased our ability to conduct fire support planning, and to integrate combined arms with maneuver at the squad and platoon level. It is far superior to be a master of a few techniques like patrolling than to be mediocre at a number of advanced techniques like close quarters battle. Don’t be enamored with over-complicated plans and strategies. Strive to master the basics and you will be successful. Most tactical problems can be solved with equal doses of aggression and violence. An infantry squad or platoon that can successfully integrate mortars and Close Air Support into their maneuver is nearly undefeatable.
The greatest combat leaders surpass the tangible factors of war and strive to exploit the intangible elements of battle. Always seek to impose the maximum amount of fear, confusion and panic upon your enemy. This may mean doing something unexpected, which oftentimesmay initially appear to be tactically inappropriate or counter to doctrine. Why else would Hannibal cross the Alps when he knew he would take heavy cold weather casualties? There are numerous other examples in history where a leader made a bold and extremely risky decision that resulted in tremendous success. High risk decision making, however, requires mastery of doctrine and tactics, which is a talent that most young officers have yet to attain. Stick to the basics, but remember there may come a time where you will have to deviate from your IOC playbook and take some great risks in an extreme situation. When that time comes, don’t be afraid to go with your instincts. Your subconscious will sift through your experience, tactical knowledge and situational awareness and come up with the most appropriate tactical solution.
In reality, warfare is not that complicated. I didn't say it was easy, but it is deceptively simple. A lot of the time we tend to make it seem more complicated than it needs to be. If you understand tactics and terrain, you can usually predict where an attack is going to come from: where would you like to be if you were going to attack someone? That is probably where they are. You didn't take ten minutes to think about that before you stepped out on this patrol? Good luck on your patrol; hopefully you won’t have to depend on the extraordinary heroism of your Marines to make up for your personal shortfalls in planning and preparation.
If you are lucky, you will finish your time as a platoon commander without ever seeing the full spectrum of combat. Most Marine leaders express a desire to be tested under fire, but no one is fully prepared for the physical and physiological cost of battle. Regardless, we are a Marine Corps at war, and our nation requires sacrifice on our part to protect our freedoms and liberties. Mission accomplishment comes before everything and everyone. This sacrifice may come in the form of long hours of monotonous work in austere conditions, or it may come in the form of your own blood or the blood of your Marines. Casualties are an unavoidable byproduct of war no matter how much we train or prepare for combat. You can minimize your casualties with detailed planning, discipline and training, but there will come a time when Marines will be wounded or die no matter what you do. It is imperative that we do not allow the tragedies of battle to weaken our resolve. This is a rough business and victory often requires great sacrifice. You must carry on no matter what the conditions-never forget that the mission comes first. Take care of your wounded, insert a new magazine and seize your objective. Doing anything less is a disservice to the men you have lost.
As a leader, often times the sacrifice required may be your own. In times of great chaos, someone has to remain sane and do whatever it takes to push everyone in the right direction. When all else fails, click your weapon off safe and make something happen. Indecision is a form of cowardice. Making any decision is always better than making no decision. Some of these decisions make may cost your Marines their lives. You cannot allow the fear of making a wrong decision paralyze you into indecisiveness. Don’t worry; you will have plenty of time to agonize over that when you are wearing a red patch-covered jacket at the VFW someday. You don’t have time to waste thinking about it now. After the fighting is over, take a second to analyze your decision, figure out how you can make a better decision in the future and drive on.
Command is not a popularity contest. A commander must be respected and it is nice if he is liked, but this is by no means required. Your Marines are looking for a leader, not a well paid friend. Don’t lose credibility with your Marines by trying to be popular, it will make difficult decisions under fire much harder. When Marines start dying in the streets, your men will look for leaders, not friends. There may come a time when someone will have to make a decision that will most likely result in the death of another Marine. No one wants to leave his wounded buddy in the kill zone, but you can’t halt an assault just because you started taking casualties. Everyone wants to save their brothers, but sometimes doing so will threaten mission accomplishment, and only result in further casualties. That is the time for you to start giving orders and take the moral burden of a difficult decision away from your subordinates.
The mission comes above all else, but the welfare of your men comes right after. Never put yourself before your Marines. Oftentimes leaders spend too much time worrying about the many tasks and demands they constantly receive from higher headquarters. Battles are not won through powerpoints and paperwork; they are won by young Marines who perform violent acts on our behalf. Focus on your Marines and worry about the paperwork later. We ask our Marines to risk their lives on a daily basis. If you don’t have the backbone or the stones to do the right thing for your Marines, then you don’t deserve to lead them. Always do the right thing, no matter what the consequences. A decision made out of concern for your own well-being or your career is almost always the wrong decision to make.
Being a commander is one of the most professionally and personally fulfilling things that you can do in the Marines Corps, but doing it correctly requires great dedicationon your part. Live a selfless life and serve a cause greater than yourself. Hold your Marines to a high standard and hold yourself to a higher one. Many Marines fail to realize that you train yourself to behave in a certain fashion every day. If you are lazy and undisciplined in garrison, don’t expect to be any different in combat. Don’t develop training scars that will haunt you in combat. Marines need to come to the realization that everyday is a training day. This does not just apply to marksmanship and patrolling, but in all areas of your life. The difference between victory and defeat often comes down to will power and endurance. Everyone knows you need to conduct maintenance on your weapon, vehicle and equipment, but some Marines fail to maintain their bodies in a state of combat readiness. Wars are won by men, not by tools and machines. If your mind and body are not up to the task, your equipment will not make up the difference.
You have been given all the tools you need to lead your Marines to success on the battlefield. It’s up to you now to have the personal discipline to apply these fundamentals as you prepare your Marines for combat. Form good habits of action in your daily routine: live a disciplined life, strengthen your mind through professional reading, and prepare your body for the rigors of combat. Approach your life as if every day and every task is a test. Make sure you give one hundred percent of yourself when you are at the range, under the bar or on the track so you won’t come short when you and your Marines are on the battlefield.
