Leadership Leadership can be contagious. Unfortunately, many inadvertently inoculate themselves from this, the most desirable of afflictions. You see, it’s extremely tough for leadership to flourish in an environment where self-preservation and a disregard for personal accountability exist. As a Marine, personal accountability should always be a part of your job description. In John G. Miller’s book “QBQ!” (The Question Behind the Question), the author explores what we should ask ourselves to eliminate blame, victim thinking, complaining, and procrastination. “People’s minds fill with all kinds of ideas when asked what they would change to improve things. But guess what? Nobody ever says, “Me! I would change me to make our organization run more effectively.” Holding yourself personally accountable is empowering. When your mindset starts with the question “What can I do to help?” a noticeable bias towards action is perceived. As a leader, displaying this attitude has the potential to greatly enhance the degree to which your subordinates and co-workers trust and respect you. It’s important to remember that as leaders we serve so that those around us can succeed. Ultimately, knowing what to do isn’t nearly as important as doing what you know. The ability to lead in any endeavor is greatly enhanced by knowledge derived from experience. Simply Stated: You can’t teach what you don’t know and you can’t lead where you won’t go. Great leaders absorb more pain than they inflict. Leaders understand that they are accountable for everything that happens or fails to happen and they never shirk responsibility. We will cross the “Line of Departure” with a quote from –Gen. Lucius A. Paulus (229?—160 B.C.) Rome “Commanders should be counseled chiefly by persons of known talent, by those who have made the art of war their particular study, and whose knowledge is derived from experience, by those who are present at the scene of action, who see the enemy, who see the advantages that occasions offer, and who, like people embarked in the same ship, are shares of the danger.”
Semper Fi, Sgt. Maj. Michael E. Sprague Force Headquarters Group