LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES
1. BE TECHNICALLY AND TACTICALLY PROFICIENT. To know his job thoroughly, the leader must possess a wide field of knowledge. He must understand the technical aspects of the operation of the command and the methods and procedures of organization, administration, instruction, and personnel management. The leader should also possess a sound understanding of human behavior and human relations. Furthermore, the leader must have a working knowledge of the duties, responsibilities, and problems of subordinates.
a. A thorough knowledge of the job gives the leader confidence and reflects in the actions of subordinates. Subordinates' recognition of the fact that the leader knows the job creates in them confidence, trust, and respect. The leader must know his stuff. Do not fool yourself. You may fool your superiors, but YOU CANNOT FOOL YOUR PERSONNEL. To develop this principle you should:
1) Seek a well-rounded military education by using service schools, correspondence courses, off-duty education, independent reading, and study.
2) Seek out and associate with capable leaders. Observe and study their actions.
3) Seek opportunities to apply knowledge through exercise of command. Good leadership is only acquired through practice.
4) Prepare yourself for the job of the leader at the next higher rank.
2. KNOW YOURSELF AND SEEK SELF-IMPROVEMENT. Leaders must know themselves thoroughly. Leaders must recognize their own strengths as well as their weaknesses. A good leader continually strives to increase his leadership ability as well as his technical knowledge. For example, officers or NCOs who do not increase their knowledge continually will have to bluff in front of their personnel. Bluffing is like a malignant disease; it keeps eating away until all confidence is consumed. Self-improvement can be achieved by studying and observing. Use the leadership traits to determine your strengths and weaknesses. To develop this principle you should:
a. Make an honest evaluation of yourself to find your strong and weak personal qualities. Strive to overcome the weak ones and further strengthen those in which you are strong.
b. Solicit the honest opinions and ideas of friends or superiors to show how to improve yourself and your leadership ability.
c. Learn by studying the causes for the success or failure of other leaders.
d. Set definite goals and plans to achieve them.
3. KNOW YOUR MARINES AND LOOK OUT FOR THEIR WELFARE. This is one of the most important of the leadership principles. A leader must make a conscientious effort to observe the members of the command as often as possible. He should become personally acquainted with each of his men. Knowledge of their problems, recognizing their individual differences, and sharing in their joys and sorrows, will enable the leader to gain a better understanding of how subordinates react and function under various conditions.
a. Being responsible for your men involves more than just lip service. Be concerned about each individual problem of each person. Know their education background. Find out about their barracks life, the mess hall or any problems they might have. Do not attempt to act like a psychiatrist trying to solve a problem. Share the problem, offer suggestions, and try to direct the men in the right direction. To put this principle into practice you should:
1) Put your personnel’s welfare above your own. Correct their grievances and remove discontent.
2) Get to know and understand all of the men in your command.
3) Concern yourself with the living conditions of the members of your unit. Actively supervise their hygiene and sanitation.
4) Be visible and approachable. Let your men know that you are interested in them and what they are doing. Show them that you are determined for them to succeed. Allow them to express their problems.
5) Help your men to get support for their personal problems.
4. KEEP YOUR PERSONNEL INFORMED. The men, who are well informed about the mission, situation, and purpose of a particular task, are considerably more effective than those who are not so informed. People are inquisitive by nature. The informed men will perform their assigned task with more initiative, enthusiasm and loyalty. Far too often, leaders tend to give orders without explaining "why" the job must be done. Granted, there will be times when you might not have time to explain why a job has to be done, but do explain, when time permits, thereby eliminating a lot of fear of the unknown. An understanding man is a willing man. Blind obedience to orders can sometimes be just as bad as a person who disobeys orders. The job might get accomplished, but the morale of your unit will drop, and in the long run, your unit will falter. The best policy is to explain situations to your men whenever possible. Techniques to apply this principle are:
a. Whenever possible, explain why tasks must be done and how you intend to do them.
b. Assure yourself, through supervision and inspections that your subordinates are passing on necessary information.
c. Be alert to detect the spread of rumors. Stop them and replace them with the truth.
d. Build morale and esprit de corps by publicizing the successes of your unit.
e. Keep your unit informed on current affairs and personnel matters.
5. SET THE EXAMPLE. Leaders must be good examples for their men in integrity, courage, knowledge, professional competence, personal appearance, and personal conduct. Moreover, they must set personal and professional standards for the organization by their performance. If the leaders appear in a favorable light, the mutual confidence and respect that must exist between them and their men is not destroyed. Some techniques for setting the example are:
a. Show your unit that you are willing to do the same things you ask them to do.
b. Maintain an optimistic outlook. Develop the will to win by capitalizing on your units abilities in difficult situations.
c. Conduct yourself so that you are not open to criticism.
d. Be physically fit, well-groomed and correctly dressed.
e. Avoid showing favoritism to any subordinates.
f. Be loyal to seniors and juniors.
g. Share danger and hardships with your men.
6. ENSURE THAT THE TASK IS UNDERSTOOD, SUPERVISED, AND ACCOMPLISHED. Leaders must give clear, concise orders that cannot be misunderstood, and then by close supervision, ensure that these orders are properly executed. Before you can expect your men to perform, they must know what is expected of them. Be sure that they understand. The issuance of an order is the initial and relatively small part, of the leaders' responsibility. The principle responsibility lies in supervision to make sure that the order is properly executed. It is this responsibility that is most difficult to carry out. A good leader will make wise use of his subordinates in the chain of command to supervise the execution of his orders.
a. In addition to communicating orders a leader must supervise correctly. There are two extremes of supervision to avoid, over supervision and under supervision. Under supervision will not get the job done. Showing a lack of interest on your part will develop into a lack of interest by your subordinates. On the other hand, over supervision makes people nervous, hurts initiative, and creates resentment. You must check the finished product but do not stand over someone's shoulders and watch every move they make. Offer them guidance, but then allow them to use their own initiative to get the job done. After they have completed the job offer suggestions that might make their work easier. There is nothing wrong with offering advice or instructions while they are actually working, but give them the opportunity to at least try before you jump in. Doing this will help you also, because your men will be content and will be training to take your place. The most important part of this principle is the accomplishment of the mission. All the leadership, supervision and guidance are wasted if the mission is not accomplished. In order to develop this principle you should:
1) Ensure that the need for an order exists before issuing the order.
2) Use the established chain of command
3) Through study and practice issue clear, concise, and positive orders.
4) Encourage subordinates to ask questions concerning any part of your orders they do not understand. At the same time, question them to determine if there is any doubt or misunderstanding in regard to the task to be accomplished.
5) Make sure that your unit has the resources to accomplish its mission.
6) Exercise care and thought in supervising the execution of your orders.
7. TRAIN YOUR MARINES AND SAILORS AS A TEAM. This requires from each member a high degree of morale, esprit de corps, and proficiency. The duty of all leaders includes the development of teamwork through training of their commands, whether a squad or a division. Leaders who fail to foster teamwork while training their commands will not obtain the desired degree of unit efficiency. Insist that subordinate leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses of their personnel.
a. Be realistic in your approach to training. Ensure that your personnel know their job before you attempt an operation that may cause embarrassment to you and your unit. Never overlook an individual. A team that is effective requires that each person in the team do their own job. Therefore, each member of the team should be considered and all members should train and work together as a team. To develop the techniques of this principle you should:
1) Strive to maintain individual stability in subordinate units. Needless transfers disrupt teamwork.
2) Emphasize use of the buddy system at all times.
3) Use subordinate units rather than individuals or “volunteers” to accomplish tasks.
4) Never publicly blame an individual for the team’s failure, nor praise an individual for the team’s success.
5) Ensure that all training is meaningful and its purpose is understood by all members. Base team training on realistic, current, and probable conditions.
8. MAKE SOUND AND TIMELY DECISIONS. The ability to make a rapid estimate of the situation and arrive at a sound decision is essential to leaders. A good leader must be able to reason logically under the most trying conditions. Hesitation or reluctance to make a decision leads subordinates to lose confidence in a leader's ability, and creates confusion and hesitation within the unit. Once a leader makes a decision and discovers that it is the wrong one, he should not hesitate to revise his decision. Don't try to bluff, changes made will not have a lasting effect on personnel if you are honest and explain why the change is necessary. Techniques to develop this principle include:
a. When time and circumstances permit, plan for every reasonably possible event that can be foreseen.
b. Consider the advice and suggestions from subordinates whenever possible before making decisions.
c. Announce decisions in time to allow subordinates to make plans of their own. Encourage them to make plans at the same time that you do.
d. Make sure that all personnel are familiar with your plans and policies.
e. Consider the effects of your decisions on all members of the unit.
9. DEVELOP A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY AMONG SUBORDINATES. Another way to show a leader's interest in his men is to give them the opportunity for professional development. Assigning tasks and delegating authority promotes mutual confidence and respect between leader and subordinates. It also encourages subordinates to exercise initiative and to give complete cooperation in accomplishing the unit's mission. The majority of NCOs are willing to accept any task or responsibility you might give them. They take pride in the trust and confidence you give them. Even in a small unit your men, particularly your NCOs, should be assigned tasks or responsibilities whenever possible.
a. The NCO who shows initiative and seeks responsibility will receive responsibility and the authority to execute that responsibility. Most senior NCOs and officers are more than happy if they can delegate authority to a hard - charging NCO. By doing so, it allows the senior to concentrate on other things that may be more urgent or important. To develop this principle you should:
1) Be quick to give credit to the men that perform their tasks well; do not selfishly retain the credit for yourself.
2) Operate through the chain of command. Assign personnel to positions based on demonstrated or potential ability. Give them frequent opportunities to perform duties associated with the next higher rank.
3) Resist the urge to micro manage. Don't give restrictive guidance that destroys initiative, drive, and enthusiasm in subordinates. Provide clear, well thought-out directions. Tell subordinates what to do, not how to do it. Give advice and assistance freely when asked.
4) Delegate enough authority to subordinates to enable them to accomplish the task. Hold them responsible for results, remembering that the overall responsibility is yours.
5) Correct errors in initiative and judgment as they occur, in a way that will encourage subordinates to try harder. Avoid public criticism. Accept honest mistakes without punishment, and teach from these mistakes by honest critique and constructive guidance.
6) Be prompt and fair in backing subordinates. Until convinced otherwise, have faith in each subordinate.
10. EMPLOY YOUR COMMAND IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS CAPABILITIES. To employ a command properly, the leader must have a thorough knowledge of the tactical and technical capabilities of the command. The leader must assign objectives or tasks to a unit that they are trained to do, properly evaluate time and space factors, and employ the command with sound judgment. Otherwise failure is likely to occur, and recurrent failure brings about a collapse of morale. But if the situation demands, men must be pushed without hesitation, sometimes beyond their known capabilities. Techniques for developing this principle are:
a. Do not volunteer a unit for an impossible or needless task.
b. Know the operational effectiveness, and training status of the unit.
c. Be sure that tasks assigned to subordinates are reasonable. Do not hesitate to demand their utmost in an emergency.
d. Analyze all assigned tasks. Use the full capabilities of the unit before requesting outside assistance. If the means at your disposal are inadequate, request the necessary support.
e. Assign tasks equally among all personnel.
11. SEEK RESPONSIBILITY AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS AND THE ACTIONS OF YOUR UNIT. Leaders must be quick to seize the initiative in the absence of instructions from their superiors by seeking responsibility. This develops them professionally and increases their potential ability. The leader holds subordinates strictly responsible for results and rarely for methods or procedures as long as they are legal. Such action by the leader engenders trust, faith, and confidence. It develops initiative and wholehearted cooperation.
a. The leader of a unit is responsible for what the unit does or fails to do. The leader recognizes and acknowledges this responsibility on all occasions. Any effort to evade this responsibility destroys the bond of loyalty and respect that must exist between the leader and his subordinates. The person who does just enough to get by does not advance or achieve much as a CORPSMAN, DENTAL TECH, MARINE, or a civilian. We must carefully evaluate a subordinate's failure. Never be afraid to offer or receive criticism. It can help you and your unit. Techniques in developing this principle are to:
1) Learn the duties of your immediate superior and be prepared to accept the responsibilities of those duties.
2) Take every opportunity that offers increased responsibility. Seek different leadership positions to broaden your experience.
3) Perform every act to the best of your ability. The reward will be increased opportunity to perform bigger, more important tasks.
4) Stand up for what you think is right.
5) Carefully evaluate a subordinate's failure before taking action. Make sure that the apparent shortcomings are not due to an error on your part. Salvage when possible, replace when necessary.
6) In the absence of orders, take the initiative to perform the actions you believe your senior would direct if he were present.
