13 Important Leadership Tips

From the Desk of CSM Thompson??

Good afternoon, it’s time for another one of my periodic leadership rants. Today’s topic was inspired by a message I received from CSM Frederick Herd, the Command Senior Enlisted Leader of the Texas Military Department. He sent me “The 13 Most Important Tips For Becoming a Great Leader” with the text “I thought this was a good one.” And so do I. So good in fact, that I will review each of the statements and add my spin.?

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1. Encourage others to grow. As leaders, we should always be looking for and training our replacements. We won’t be here forever, and our job is to make sure we leave the organization in the hands of capable people. By encouraging others, we are making that happen. Find those personnel that have potential and help them grow that potential. Make sure they are doing all the things they need to do to be successful and grow, not only as an NCO but as a person. At the same time, don’t leave out those that some people might call troublemakers or problem children. Sometimes those personnel, with the right mentorship, turn out to be some of the best leaders. Seek them out and honestly work with them to help them reach their potential.??

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1. Lead by example. This is a staple in my leadership repertoire. Leaders are always under the microscope. People want to see how you handle tricky situations, and some want to see you fail. You must always be doing the right thing. This sets the example of integrity (doing the right thing when nobody is looking.) Recently, I heard a retired Army General Officer say, “An organization takes on the personality of its leader.” That is true. When an NCO sets the right example, your troops emulate that, and it shows by the pride and product of a unit. As the NCO Creed says, be tactically and technically proficient. You must know your craft and show those both up and down the chain of command that you do. You give up your right to privacy when you assume a leadership role in an organization. People are looking at you, whether you are on duty or not. Everything you do will be scrutinized, including statements made on social media.??

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1. Have a strong vision. Leaders must have an idea of where they want their organization to be and how they plan to get them there. This is the vision. As an NCO, this is crucial to mission accomplishment. The Commander gives their intent, and the NCO takes the Commander’s Intent and develops a plan (vision) to make it happen.?The vision is the roadmap to mission success, and a leader without a mission is lost. When a leader develops that vision, a good format to use is the SMART model. SMART is an acronym that stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. This process, which is used worldwide, will help to make the vision planning exercise smoother. The leader should also talk with the troops and ensure the vision is in accordance with the team’s capabilities. If not, either change the vision, or include appropriate training in the planning process. Once the mission is developed, share it with your troops. When troops know the “why,” it is easier to get their buy in.??

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1. Increase your emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a term first coined in 1985. It was then popularized by psychologists in the early 2000s. It is defined as the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of those around you. ?

Many old school leaders look at emotional intelligence as “touchy feely, new age crap,” but it’s not. When you understand and control your emotions, you can manage people better. How many times have you seen someone react in an emotional manner only to later regret it??By understanding your emotional intelligence, you will see this kneejerk reaction coming and stop yourself from having that emotional response. It makes others think you are more in control and might save you from being put in an embarrassing situation emotionally intelligent also pays off externally. We are not alike. ?

We all have different opinions and life experiences. These will be shown in daily activities. By recognizing how others react to situations, you can adjust your style to the person and the circumstances at the time. Not everyone reacts to things in the same way, and by being emotionally intelligent, you can recognize and capitalize on those differing reactions, feelings, and emotions. You can’t lead everyone the same way. The emotionally intelligent leader understands that and adjusts their leadership style for their audience.?Remember, leadership is the art of influencing people. An emotionally intelligent leader has fewer problems influencing their troops because they understand them. ?

1. Keep developing yourself. Leadership is a marathon, it’s the long game. One never learns all there is to know about leading people. If you ever work for someone that says they know all there is to know about leadership...request a transfer. Take the time to invest in your leadership journey. Take advantage of anything you can when it comes to training. I am a lifelong learner. What I lack in formal education I more than make up for in NCO/Military and Police Professional development hours. Leadership training has been a staple of my education for the past 40 years, and not only have I seen things evolve, but I have evolved with them. I am constantly on a journey to better develop my skills. Whenever I see a course that I think will help me with further developing my leadership skills, I try to attend.??

I also do a lot of reading. When I took over the TXSG SEA position a little less than a year ago one of the first things I did was share my reading list with the force. Since then, I have probably read over 10 of the books on the list and might have added 20 more. There are thousands of books on the topic of leadership written by military personnel, business leaders, athletes; you name it. Technology has also aided in my leadership quest. Podcasts and audio books are available, and I take advantage of them during my daily commute. It also helps to pass the time when I am driving back and forth to HQ for drill.?

1. Learn from your mistakes. We all make mistakes, and we shouldn’t be afraid to make them. Making mistakes is the way we learn. Some new leaders are so scared of making mistakes they just choose not to make a decision. They think the mistake will mar their record, destroy their career, or follow them for life. ?

That is the wrong attitude. When a person makes an honest mistake, they should own it. Stand up and say, “Yup, I messed up. It was my mistake.” Once they own it, their next job is to figure out what went wrong and fix it. The final step is to file that one away deep inside the brain and ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Sometimes that learning experience comes with a little discipline, but that is all part of it. The more deeply something affects us, the more we learn. As an up-and-coming junior enlisted troop and NCO, I made some colossal mistakes. I can’t count the number of times I was in front of someone’s desk at the position of attention having the riot act read to me. Even as the TXSG Senior Enlisted Advisor, I will do something that could have been done a better way. I own it, admit my mistake, and then adjust fire. I will tell you one thing, I have hardly ever gotten chewed out for the same thing twice.?

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1. Find a mentor. It’s easy to find a mentor. Sometimes people mentor you and they don’t even know it. Going back to point number 2 of this rant, if you set the example as a leader, you will automatically have people wanting to emulate you. When you were just starting out, I am sure there was someone that you wanted to be just like. Whether you met this person or not, they mentored you from afar.??

At your unit, find someone at your unit that is squared away. A troop whose uniforms are always sharp and always is within standards. Someone with a firm grasp on customs and courtesies and are technically and tactically proficient in their job duties. When you find that person, ask them to mentor you. Some people say that when searching for a mentor, you should go 2 above your current rank. I did not discriminate. Over the years I have had NCOs, Warrant Officers, and Officers as mentors. Sometimes a lower ranking person who was a subject matter expert took the role of mentor as I was learning a particular job or skill. I have had mentors from every uniformed service; both conventional and special operations forces. I have also received mentorship from law enforcement, business leaders and members of industry. Every single one of my mentors added something to my leadership philosophy, whether it was directly or by osmosis.?Mentors are important in helping you take the things you learn in training and turn it into leadership in action. ?

1. Understand your motivation. At the root of the word motivation is the word motive. Anyone that ever watched any of the hundreds of procedural dramas out there has heard the word motive. Much like motive is part of the word motivation, a person’s motive is part of their motivation. Motive is defined as a goal, an aim, ambition, a need, a want, an interest, or a desire that moves an individual towards an action.” Motivation is the process by which an individual moves towards an action. To make it much easier, you need to know your “why”. Why are you in that leadership role; why are you part of the Texas State Guard? What is it that brought you here and keeps you here? Once you understand that, you can pass that “why,” that motivation on to our troops.?
2. Engage in honest, open communication. A good leader is one that talks with their troops. They relay as much as they can about the mission at hand and solicit feedback from their team. This goes back to “why.” But this time it’s not your why but the why of the mission or task at hand. Troops that know what is going on are more apt to buy in to the mission. It also helps to communicate with your troops regularly. Check in between drills just to see how they are. They appreciate it.??

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1. Keep a positive attitude. A positive attitude is contagious. When you are enthusiastic about the job, your troops will be as well.??

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1. Care about everyone on your team. Show that you genuinely care about your team. That doesn’t mean saying “Now you doing, Private” as you walk by. It means stopping and talking to them about what they are doing both inside and outside the TXSG. Take the time to learn about them and their families. You could also use this as an opportunity to update your leader book. Oh and when you spend time with your team, that means everyone.??

Don’t play favorites. As a Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant or someone in any leadership position, the quickest way to busting morale is to have those that are “in” and get all the attention, and perks. Troops know when there is a “teacher’s pet” in their midst, and it does nothing but cause problems.??

1. Empower your team. Give your team the freedom to handle things on their own. When a task needs to be done, tell them what needs to be done and let them figure out how to get it done. When you give your subordinates the opportunity to work independently, it builds unit cohesion, leadership and morale. If the leader stands there and guides them through each step of the task, in other words micromanages it, that will generate frustration and exasperation. When a group successfully completes a task on their own, it provides them with a sense of accomplishment, and they are ready to do the next thing. This also gives them the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them.( See point #6)??

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1. Practice empathy. Empathy is another element of emotional intelligence. But don’t get it confused with sympathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Sympathy, on the other hand, is more of a feeling of pity for another. Good leaders can put themselves in the shoes of others and understand what they are going through without pitying them. I would think that everyone wants to have someone that is empathetic to their situation, but I am confident that fewer people would want sympathy.??

All 13 of these tips are part of a “common sense” approach to leadership, but I don’t like using that phrase. If sense was common, everyone would have it. We all know that is not the case. Leaders can forget these simple things and when they do, it makes their job that much harder. I look at these 13 tips as one of many ways to gauge my leadership performance. Periodically, I look at them and make sure I am not slipping on any of them. When I do notice I am falling short, I take the time to readjust my focus. As point #5 cautions, I keep developing myself. The day I feel I don’t need to develop my leadership skills and abilities is the day I need to take off this uniform. Thank you CSEL Heard for sending this reminder out. ?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, my latest leadership rant, and remember, MISSION, MEMBERS, ME!!!!!!!?