I realized this simple truth about leadership and command after seven years in a leadership position that was bestowed upon me.
I realized this simple truth: When you are given command of a site, leadership isn’t about pleasing the business owners.
Group Leadership = Command
Command means something different in civilian life than it does when you’ve spent five years in the USMC.
Leadership and command are not about:
❌ Saying “yes” to everything the business owners suggest.
❌ Avoiding conflict to maintain favor with the people who sign your checks.
❌ Adjusting your standards in an effort to please everyone.
That’s not leadership. That’s not command.
That’s the equivalent of being a lame-duck: having a title with no authority.
The real work of leadership and command is different.
👍🏾 Guiding, not controlling.
👍🏾 Championing the efforts no one sees.
👍🏾 Leading from behind so others can learn to navigate.
👍🏾 Reassuring others that it’s okay if the path isn’t always straightforward.
👍🏾 Defending those who follow your procedures explicitly.
👍🏾 Empowering your team to grow beyond the current plane.
Commanders don’t have to be the sweetest person in the room.
But they must be the most empathetic. And the most humble, when necessary.
Because everyone believes they can perform better than the Commander, even without the information he has that they don’t know.
Commanders build the kind of room where everyone can challenge the status quo if:
1️⃣ . They are accountable for their actions.
2️⃣ . They practice due care to understand the concerns of others.
3️⃣ . They do no harm.
The mission can be accomplished without sacrificing the team.
It’s a shame that my former employers at Justice Protection Services lacked knowledge of this simple truth. It is a shame they made me feel as though they attempted to buy my loyalty and subservience with a paycheck.
It is a shame they did not understand the cloth I am cut from: US Marine.