I am a follower; not a leader.

In the winter of 2005 – if the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego has such a thing as winter, I found out I had a unique skill; I could hike forever ("humps" in Marine terms). I wasn’t great at drill, I’m an average shot, and I’ve never run 3 miles in 18 minutes. But I could hike like no other, one foot in front of the other for any mileage and regardless of extra weight. I could just keep going. This is a rare characteristic even in boot camp and earned “this recruit” a place of honor – the last person in a line of about 65 during each hike.

This position was called the bulldog – the bulldog recruits’ job is to pick up all dropped equipment and to motivate, push, and pull other recruits to the end. I completed most hikes with several times my starting weight in dropped gear and I was always the last one across the finish line. This was a particularly enjoyable duty on the grim reaper at the end of the Crucible.

This is where I learned how to follow. I had to trust my leaders – my drill instructors pushed me to a physical limit but there were there with me every step of the way, my guide plotted a safe course, and my squad leader always shared his water. I saw each of those acts for what they were; the traits of a leader. This is what Marine Corps doctrine calls “Small Unit Leadership” and I believe it to be the most valuable lesson Marines learn: how to be a follower and how to recognize a leader.

I credit the Marine Corps with teaching me how best to be a follower but it didn’t teach me to recognize a leader – that lesson was learned long before San Diego.

When I was on the verge of seven – I couldn’t read or write, my speech was “delayed”, and worst of all I couldn’t even tie my shoes. I was so unbearably used to failure that I believed it was inevitable in all my endeavors. Then my little sister took the time to teach me every way she could think of to tie my shoes – it was the first time I felt success. She taught me to look up to people who acted with kindness, found time for others, and brought other along with them. Those were the traits I aspired to and this is what a leader was to me; a leader was simply a person I wanted to be more like. It took years for me to realize that is what I’d been doing throughout my career. Mine is a resume built as a collection of experiences developed by following people I want to be more like.

In every role and organization, I have found two attainable leaders and one aspirational leader. This is my recipe for success; find leaders. My leaders are people whom display traits I want to emulate professionally – they are inclusive, they speak honestly, and they act with compassion.

My attainable leaders are people I interact with often, we have an opportunity to know each other as people, and they have several traits I want to emulate. My aspirational leader is not a person I interact with on a daily basis and I recognize I do not know them well but they have a single trait I want to emulate. I believe that if you don’t have these leaders in your organization you should ask yourself if you’re in the right place for you.

So, who are your leaders? Give them a shout out in the comments or share your follower story.?