Personal Narrative: My Leadership Experiences

1. As a young Fire Control Technician Third Class (FT3), I served under Fire Control Technician Chief (FTC) Chuck Thompson. Strong and proud, he stood like a massive oak tree in every room he entered; his mere presence demanded respect. There was an air of confidence about him that secured me in knowing he would safely return me home from each deployment; I would follow this Chief to the ends of the earth. Further, he set high standards and ensured each technician knew his convictions and the expectations he demanded of them. The system we operated broke regularly and posed difficulties in repairing. He made certain we all knew his trust in our ability to repair the system and gave us the room to do so to the point of allowing unorthodox

According to my Leadership Practices Inventory (LPO)/360 feedback, I need to more actively seek out challenging opportunities that test my skills and abilities. First and foremost, I will personally implement the Coast Guard’s Individual Development Plan and reevaluate my goals. This will highlight completed goals, realign my sight if it veered from previous incomplete objectives and illuminate changes to my goals, allowing me to refocus my efforts on new and more challenging directions. Furthermore, to effectively combat my struggling to find challenges to my skills and abilities, I must insert myself into more duties, searching for elements outside of my comfort zone. I already maintain a teachable attitude and a willingness to explore, but my time remains critical and demanded by many existing projects. To meet this objective, I will employ better time management skills to even more effectively address existing work. This use of time management allows more time to research the processes at my current unit and determine the inefficiencies and why they exist. After identifying the unnecessary impediments, I will search for new and more innovative ideas to resolve the issues by soliciting for input from my team and decide and implement the best course of

My LPI/360 also revealed my need to appeal to others by sharing an exciting dream of the future. In order to make this happen, I must first personally envision how I see my unit will best impact the Coast Guard in a positive manner, directly support her missions and meet the objectives found within the Commandant’s Strategic Intent. Having this vision enables me to paint the appropriate picture to my team and inspire them to strive for this same dream. Upon finding my vision, I must embrace it. Only then will I communicate my dream with the internal passion required to spark its life in others. As I see my vision take flight within my unit, I must perpetuate its growth by living it day to