The night is dark; a deep, bone-chilling darkness without a single star, no moonlight, no lights outside the windows. It’s June 21, 1988, somewhere around 2:30 AM and you’ve been traveling since noon the day before. You’ve been on ‘em all: planes, trains, automobiles-and now a bus-a BIG bus. The biggest bus you’ve ever seen in your short 17 years of life. This is the farthest you’ve ever been from home-the farthest you’ve ever been alone. But you ain’t scared; you’re a teenager! You know it all and you’ve got something to prove-to yourself and to the world.

The bus glides to a stop; the airbrakes “hisssssss”; then silence; a silence so profound that you can actually feel it. The only sound you hear is the sound of your heartbeat and the heartbeats of the other souls on the bus with you. You finally acknowledge the FEAR.

All of sudden, the loudest voice you have ever heard bellows,” GET OFF MY STINKIN’ BUS AND PUT YOUR FEET ON MY YELLOW FOOTPRINTS-NOW!!”

That is how I remember my arrival at Marine Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. I had arrived at Marine Corps Boot Camp. Let me tell you, in that moment (and plenty of other moments throughout the course of boot camp!) my heart pounded with fear.

Fear changed my life.

I was afraid I had made a huge mistake. I was afraid I couldn’t handle the challenges I faced. I was afraid to make the drill instructor mad. I was afraid I wouldn’t be good enough. I was afraid of my thoughts, so I quit thinking and did what I was told to do. I got off the bus.

When I heard that first unforgettable bellow, I thought to myself, “What am I doing here? Do I have what it takes? I have never really tried to do anything that I didn’t know FOR SURE I would be good at. Do I have the heart of a warrior?”

First I had to find out, what being a leader even meant.

Emerson said, “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”

Are you good enough to be a leader?

The United States Marine Corps defines leadership as the sum of those qualities of intellect, human understanding, and moral character that allow a person to inspire and control a group of people successfully.

Leadership principles are general rules that have guided the conduct and actions of successful leaders of the past. Generations after generation of American men and women have given special meaning to the title United States Marine. These same men and women live by a set of enduring core values and principles that form the bedrock of their character. These principles give them strength and regulate their behavior; they form the foundation that allows them to meet any challenge.

Are you good enough to be a leader?
You BET YOU ARE!!

And guess what? You have the potential to be an even stronger, more confident leader than you already are. Marines know that leadership skills take time and discipline to develop, but the payoff is worth the dedication. As I learned during boot camp, to become a better leader, there are four things that you can do everyday to improve your leadership abilities:

1. Lead as you are-Know yourself and seek self-improvement.
2. Don’t play the Blame Game-Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.
3. Take care of your own-Take Care of those you lead.
4. Set the example-Practice what you preach.

1. Lead as you are-Know yourself and seek self-improvement

One thing I learned in the Marine Corps is that a leader must have self-awareness and seek self-improvement. You have to know yourself in order to be a good leader and the easiest way to do that is to sit down and honestly think about your strengths and weaknesses. Invest in a personal coach. Take behavioral and personal interests assessments. Ask your immediate supervisor and close family and friends to provide you with feedback.

Are those “easy” conversations-No! And it doesn’t mean you have to change who you are - it just means that you have to become a better you. Begin to learn your strengths and weaknesses and work to capitalize and improve upon them as needed. Lao Tse said, “He who knows others is learned. He who knows himself is wise.”

Marine Corps boot camp is thirteen weeks of situations where a recruit must really learn about themselves and how to adapt, improvise and overcome. The marine’s very life may one day hinge on the training and their depth of knowledge of themselves and what they can accomplish, and sometimes more importantly, what they aren’t yet capable of achieving.

If you are shy, and would like to be more outspoken, think of environments where you can practice voicing your opinion, or if you have a great sense of humor, make sure that humor is a part of your leadership style - people around you will appreciate your good nature. As you begin to learn about yourself, you build character. You also become better equipped for the ups and downs life throws your way. Marine Corps boot camp taught me to dig deep within myself and truly recognize my abilities and my limitations. I learned that true leaders are ordinary people with an extraordinary skill-to continuously reach beyond and continuously grow.

Lead as you are - always.

2. Don’t Play the Blame Game-Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions

While there are many differences between life in the Marine Corps and life outside of the military, there are also lots of similarities. After taking note of the differences, it is clear that the leadership principles that guide our nation’s most elite organization will also prove successful in your life. I’ve found that having the courage to take responsibility for your actions is respected both inside and outside of the Corps. The difference is, in the Corps it was expected, in the “real world” it is often the exception. As a Marine when I made a mistake, I owned up to it immediately- I was trained to do that, and as a Non-Commissioned Officer it was expected of me. I also expected my troops to do the same. Now that I no longer wear the uniform, I have to work hard to remind myself of the importance of taking responsibility and resisting the urge to blame others for my problems. It’s a tough world out there for the person who wants to accept responsibility- society, your co-workers, your family- heck; everyone loves to get on the blame bandwagon. It’s much easier to blame others for your problems then to recognize that you likely had something to do with them.

A couple of weeks ago I was speeding down the interstate. Suddenly, the red lights of an approaching police car flashed in my mirror. I’m sure you all can relate to that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you know you are being pulled over by a cop.

We’ve all been there, right? It usually goes something like this:

You maneuver your car to the side of the road; start plotting your defense and developing a scheme to get out of the ticket.

“You are tired; it’s early in the morning!” “Other cars were going just as fast!” “This speedometer must not be calibrated correctly.”

You might even blame the officer…

“Don’t the police have something better to do then pull over nice, law-abiding citizens?”

Then, through the fog of all of these excuses, the leader in you asks,”Were you speeding?”

“Well, uh…Yes.”

Okay, then why blame the cop or the speedometer when you were speeding? If we chose to accept responsibility only when convenient, are we leaders?

Deep thoughts-thoughts I actually had that early morning a couple weeks back; thoughts that were soon interrupted by the officer’s presence at the car. It was the leader in me who spoke was once the window was down.

“Officer, I admit I was going a little too fast back there.”

Was that really me saying those things?! Where was the excuse, or the standard denial?

The officer was speechless at first, and then he smiled as we chatted. I’d like to say that my ability to accept responsibility somehow excused me from the ticket, but it didn’t. The officer was surprised I’d admitted my wrong doing, and even apologized as he explained that he had to ticket me since he had already called it in on the radio. I accepted my fate, and paid $223 to the city of Irving, Texas. My gut reaction had been to take the easy path and blame others, or try to use persuasive words to avoid responsibility. But in the end I did the simple, yet difficult thing. I owned up to my fault. Even when there was no reward, pat on the back or free pass, I did the right thing and accepted responsibility. In that one small act, I was a leader.

As a leader, avoid placing blame. Look to see where you contributed to a problem and, once identified, move forward with a solution. Placing blame wastes time and it damages valuable relationships. If you are focused on influencing outcomes, the blame game will only slow you down. Make sure the word “accountability” is in your vocabulary.
Don’t Play the Blame Game!

3. Take care of your own-Take Care of those you lead

Leadership is about service — take care of those you lead. The primary objective of Marine Corps leadership is to accomplish the mission-GET THE JOB DONE! Good leadership gets the job done in the quickest, most effective and efficient way.

The secondary goal of Marine Corps leadership is to provide for the welfare of Marines! Mission accomplishment in the Corps really stands for protecting the American people and protecting the welfare of our nation. Yes, the Marines place mission accomplishment before troop welfare-but that merely means that all responsible military personnel must be prepared to risk their lives for the lives of those they have taken an oath to defend. Many of you are relieved that you never took such an oath.

Yes, you did.

You took an oath of friendship. You took an oath to your church. You took an oath when you married or entered a committed relationship. You even took an oath when you went to work where you work. Are you doing everything you can to care for your spouse, family members, co-workers and friends? Continually ask yourself what else you can do to help someone out. This might mean helping your colleague with her resume, or driving your elderly neighbor to the store. The more willing you are to help others, the more your relationships will be built on trust and respect.

Taking care of those you lead reminds me of the story of Geese and why they fly the way they do. You see, researchers have discovered that geese fly along in a “V” formation because as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. When the lead goose gets tired, they rotate back in the wing and another goose flies point. The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. Finally, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gun shots and falls out, two geese follow to help and protect. They stay with that goose until they are either able to fly or until they die. Only then do they launch out on their own or with another formation to eventually catch up with their group. Geese instinctively take care of their own! Geese instinctively know they can’t go it alone!

Take care of those you lead.

4. Set the example-Practice what you preach

Marines instinctively look to their leaders for patterns of conduct which they may follow, emulate or use as an excuse for their own shortcomings. Sounds kind of like our kids, huh???

Leaders have one standard - a high standard they ask others to keep. The same high standard they keep for themselves.

As a leader, you have to set the example for your friends, kids, coworkers and relatives. You also have to have integrity, which is the ability to do the right thing all of the time. It means that you are honest and truthful in what you say and do. You put honesty, sense of duty and sound moral principles above all else.

Stand up for what you believe to be right!

When you lead by example, you are able to create a strong team among those who surround you. Remember things like:

1. Don’t use profanity just because others do.
2. Be loyal to your family, friends, your boss-don’t talk about them behind their backs and trash them.
3. Set the example of moral courage and remember the good ole golden rule we were all taught in kindergarten-treat others as we want to be treated. Begin to live that rule.
4. Be courteous and cheerful-polite.
5. Practice the art of unselfishness-avoid making yourself comfortable at the expense of others and be considerate and give credit to those that deserve it. Remember that golden rule!

Think of the benefits in your world when you acknowledge that you already are a leader. Imagine the possibilities when you begin leading as you are. You will gain more confidence by being yourself - rather than the person you think everyone else wants you to be. When you begin to focus on your strengths, you will discover your passion. When you acknowledge your weaknesses, they lose their power and you can take action.

By accepting responsibility for your actions and not playing the blame game, you can start focusing on solutions rather than excuses.

By becoming a better caretaker, you sleep well at night knowing those you love have everything they need.

And finally, by practicing the golden rule and setting an example of integrity, kindness and service you will have a lasting impact.

As darkness turned to light at the end of boot camp, I realized I had always been a leader. I had always known I should be responsible; that I should always try to better myself, that I should tell the truth and be considerate. You know these simple truths, too!

Start believing that you are a leader today!

When you commit yourself to becoming a stronger leader, your perspective on the world changes - you begin to feel more in control of your life, and you start to see opportunities in areas where you never looked before. By being a better leader, you will surprise yourself with the success and gratification you have discovered in your life…and your leadership potential will amaze you!

Reach beyond what you have already mastered-you will GROW!

Semper Fi!! (Always Faithful!)

By Kelley Moore

Kelley Moore

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