“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams
I find this quote by John Quincy Adams to be very inspirational. It really says a lot to me about being a leader. As a commanding officer in the Navy, I was responsible to ensure we accomplished our mission. How I chose to carry out this responsibility directly affected the morale of my Sailors.
In my role, I tried very hard to inspire the men and women who worked for me. I wanted them to enjoy coming to work each day, putting forward their best efforts, and feeling a sense of accomplishment that their hard work contributed to our successes. How do inspire someone you may ask? There is no canned answer to this one, but I believe there are several factors involved.
First, the leader should set the example of what he/she is trying to promote. The leader should be positive and upbeat, have a vision and work toward it, be competent, and treat others with respect. If this is the example you have to follow, you probably won’t go wrong.
I always thought it was important to provide positive feedback whenever I could and to make common sense decisions, even about the most mundane things.
It was also important to me to delegate. I could not do all the work myself and it would be foolish of me to think I could. I had to let my people do their jobs. As such, I gave them the authority they needed to accomplish their tasks. On the other hand, I also held them accountable. If they messed up, they knew about it. No, I did not have to be harsh to provide guidance or constructive criticism.
I also encouraged my people to learn. Training was something we took seriously because I believed there was always something everyone could learn to make them better at their jobs. We routinely utilized leadership type books and outside sources to supplement the training plan.
Extra efforts were recognized and rewarded. Going “above and beyond” impressed me because I knew they were doing their very best and would not settle for anything less. I don’t believe they were doing it for me, because they just weren’t like that. They were working for the “cause.”
My Sailors were superb because each of them was outstanding. Our command had a reputation for professionalism and getting the job done, and I was very proud of that. Morale was also high, which made it a very pleasant place to work each day. I was reward in the end, as they inspired me every day, which was my motivation.
