Military Leadership Philosophy Paper

Leadership Philosophy
Chief Petty Officers owe to their organizations a sound understanding of leadership. Senior Enlisted Leaders (SEL’s) are retained in the military primarily to serve as leaders who effectively maximize the efforts of others so the Navy and Coast Guard can achieve its goals. Effective leaders in the chief’s mess set the tone and are visible amongst the command while constantly leading by example. This paper will explain the author’s leadership philosophy, refer to several influential leaders throughout his career, and incorporate three leadership behaviors from the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) feedback.
Leadership Influences In the Navy, many Sailors are assigned to leadership positions whether they like it or not. Fortunately for the author, he has been positively influenced by his past leadership rather than negatively. In 2002 his first Leading Petty Officer (LPO) EN1 Kevin

As a Senior Enlisted Leader, the largest struggle perhaps is to recognize Sailors for a job well done, no matter how small it may seem. LPI taught us the value of “Encouraging the Heart” and the survey pinpointed praising people for a job well done (5), publicly recognizing people who exemplify commitment to shared values (20), and finding ways to celebrate accomplishments (25) as areas of concern. To improve in these areas, recognizing at least one Sailor at quarters every day is the first step. When the team accomplishes a task no matter how small, it is also important to ensure they understand the value and impact their work is making on the command. Sailors are very receptive to liberty, and early releases should always be tied to the successful completion of an evolution. Leaders must take care to not overly praise their Sailors however, as to much recognition can eventually be interpreted as patronizing, therefore hindering the leaders