There
are three M's to being a successful leader and to life in general, he
writes:
"They stand for the
mission, the men and me. He then drew a line from the top M through the middle
M, down to the bottom M. 'They're all connected,' he continued.'So if you
neglect one, you'll screw up the others.
- The first M stands for the mission; it's the purpose for which you're doing what you're doing. Whether in your personal or professional life, make sure you understand it; and that it makes legal, moral, and ethical sense, then use it to guide all your decisions.
- The second M stands for the men. Joshua Chamberlain, a Medal of Honor-receiving school teacher in the Civil War, once said that "there are two things an officer must do to lead men; he must be careful for his men's welfare, and he must show courage. "Welfare of the troops and courage are inextricably linked. When it comes to your men you can't be good at one without being good at the other. Take care of your men's welfare by listening and leading them with sound tactics and techniques that accomplish your mission, and by always having the courage to do the right thing by them.
- The final M stands for me. Me comes last for a reason. You have to take care of yourself, but you should only do so after you have taken care of the mission, and the men. Never put your own personal well-being, or advancement, ahead of the accomplishment of your mission and taking care of your men." <Special Forces operator and Army Officer Peter Blaber>
This
advice is what separates the leaders from the wannabes. Being a leader is about
doing the right thing and leading by example. You simply cannot have one
standard for yourself and one for everyone else
"The
Golden Rule, as Dr. Don Clifton, the former Chairman of the Gallup Organization
would refer to it, is we shouldn't treat people the way we want to be treated,
we should treat people the way THEY want to be treated. And, to know how they
want to be treated, you have to ask," says West.
If
you've seen some of yourself in these profiles, then it's time to step up and
do something about it. Take some leadership seminars, communication courses or
do whatever it takes to help you better connect to the people who depend on you
daily.
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