munchkin

We here at TG focus a lot of our efforts on teamwork and coordinated gameplay. But in every team, there must be a leader. As we all have different experiences, some of us military, I was wondering what qualities do you believe make a man/woman a leader, and how does one develop these? Is it ever truly possible to become a leader, or is it something that people are born with?

Please, share your comments and answers.

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Sabre Six

Pretty heavy question, munchkin, as entire texts are devoted to the topic.

Some folks are born with innate leadership qualities: charisma, intuition, strength of character... However, I believe it is possible for just about anyone to develop the skills necessary to lead. I say that knowing that leadership has graduations, for example, leading a pro football team is nothing like leading a pee wee football team. Secretary General of the UN is completely different in scope Scoutmaster Troop 14.
At the United States Naval Academy’s Forrestal Lecture Series, Secretary of the Navy Gordon England identified important principles of leadership based on his personal experiences as a business executive and as the 72nd Secretary of the Navy.

Some searching around the web will help you determine which qualities you think are important. For me they are honesty, respect, candor, courage, commitment, proficiency. The list goes on. Here are some quick tidbit I just copied from the net.

Those fifteen principles are as follows:

1. Provide an environment for every person to excel
2. Treat every person with dignity and respect — nobody is more important than anyone else
3. Be forthright, honest and direct with every person and in every circumstance
4. Improve effectiveness to gain efficiency
5. Cherish your time and the time of others — it is not renewable
6. Identify the critical problems that need solution for the organization to succeed
7. Describe complex issues and problems simply so every person can understand
8. Never stop learning — depth and breadth of knowledge are equally important
9. Encourage constructive criticism
10. Surround yourself with great people and delegate to them full authority and responsibility
11. Make ethical standards more important than legal requirements
12. Strive for team-based wins, not individual
13. Emphasize capability — not organization
14. Incorporate measures and metrics everywhere
15. Concentrate on core functions and outsource all other
Source: http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/...rinciples.html

The Leader

The boss drives group members; the leader coaches them.
The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will.
The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
The boss says "I"; the leader says "we."
The boss assigns the task, the leader sets the pace.
The boss says, "Get there on time"; the leader gets there ahead of time.
The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.
The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.
The boss makes work a drudgery; the leader makes it a game.
The boss says, "Go"; the leader says, "Let's go."

--Author unknown

Source: http://www.whitestag.org/aims/leader...rinciples.html

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munchkin

Wow, excellent find. Thanks Sabre.

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StrikeFear

Very high level...

Initiative, confidence, caring.

Initiative will get you doing things that should be done.
Confidence will enable you to do them, and enable you to do what you think is best/right even in the face of criticism and heckling.
Caring will be the critical key to enabling others to place their confidence in you and begin to join you in your movements. No one ever should prioritize goals or accomplishments over people, who are priceless.

Optional characteristics:
Charisma, Domain Competence (not competence at leading, but competence at the thing you all will be doing)

Charisma will ease the decision to join with you, and increase the membership.
Domain Competence is optional - the other characteristics are sufficient to be a good leader, but without accomplishing much. Competence will increase the productivity of the group. As it gets larger, competence is less critical as you delegate to those with greater competence/knowledge/experience.

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"You live and learn. Or you don't live long."
- Lazarus Long

AzzMan

I am with the theory that you are either a born leader or you are not.

That is not to say you cannot train yourself to become one. It takes a specific mindset to lead well. It does say, however, that you CAN be a born leader. That only means you already had that mindset and don't need to look at anything in a different way.

CingularDuality

The United States Marine Corps has broken leadership down into some simple traits and principles:

Traits:

dependability
the certainty of proper performance of duty.

bearing
creating a favorable impression in carriage, appearance and personal conduct at all times.

courage
the mental quality that recognizes fear of danger or criticism, but enables a man to proceed in the face of it with calmness and firmness.

decisiveness
ability to make decisions promptly and to announce them in clear, forceful manner.

endurance
the mental and physical stamina measured by the ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress and hardship.

enthusiasm
the display of sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of duty.

initiative
taking action in the absence of orders.

integrity
uprightness of character and soundness of moral principles; includes the qualities of truthfulness and honesty.

judgment
the ability to weigh facts and possible solutions on which to base sound decisions.

justice
giving reward and punishment according to merits of the case in question. the ability to administer a system of rewards and punishments impartially and consistently.

knowledge
understanding of a science or an art. the range of one's information, including professional knowledge and an understanding of your marines.

tact
the ability to deal with others without creating offense.

unselfishness
avoidance of providing for one's own comfort and personal advancement at the expense of others.

loyalty
the quality of faithfulness to country, the corps, the unit, to one's seniors, subordinates and peers.


Principles:

• know yourself and seek self-improvement.
• be technically and tactically proficient.
• develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates.
• make sound and timely decisions.
• set the example.
• know your Marines and look out for their welfare.
• keep your Marines informed.
• seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.
• ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.
• train your Marines as a team.
• employ your command in accordance with its capabilities.

Now, understanding and employing these traits and principles will certainly make you a better leader. I don't think that anyone is a born leader. I think leadership is a learned quality, not necessarily as an adult, mind you, but it is learned.

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Phantom

The Army way of doing it

LDRSHIP

Loyalty

Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and other soldiers.

Duty

Fulfill your obligations.

Respect

Treat people as they should be treated.

Selfless-Service

Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.

Honor

Live up to all the Army values.

Integrity

Do what’s right, legally and morally.

Personal Courage

Face fear, danger, or adversity (Physical or Moral).

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Gixxer_USMC

Well, from a " First hand" point-of-view ... I DO believe that "SOME" people are just "BORN" leaders .... There are just some people you come by and you get this feeling that they are leaders.

Also, in the military, I have seen people BECOME leaders.
And As Cingular has pointed out above ..... The Marines have certain TRAITS and principles that if followed will lead you to become a better leader.

I have seen Officers follow these traits to the LATTER but never had that LEADER quality to them.

For me, the number one aspect of becoming a leader is to gain the RESPECT and Loyalty of the people you are leading.

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|TG-7th| Gixxer_USMC

" Winners Never Quit ..... Quitters Never Win "

Drizzid

I was in your squad last night Gixxer and you did a good job. You used alot of those qualities that were posted above. You were in control the whole time making concise decisions and giving good orders. You had a newbie in the group but, that never phased the decisions you made. In fact, when we started it was just you and me in the squad in Karkand and I think we did some good things. We captured flags, defended some flags and helped the push across the river. I'd gladly be in your squad again.

Leadership is a learned trait in my opinion. It's all of the people that have influenced you in your life that make a leader. When someone is looked to to make decisions, they search those influences to make those decisions. Whether it was a father, mother, military leader ect. The only "born with" quality is the way you use those influences to get people to believe in the cause in which you are fighting for.

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