Organizational Leadership Philosophy Brief

L306, Organizational Leadership Philosophy & Brief (ELO: 400-SMC-1015.31)

L306 Organizational Leadership Philosophy

This  Leadership Philosophy brief addresses the following ELO

1. ELO: 400-SMC-1015.01
2. ELO: 400-SMC-1015.22
3. 3. ELO: 400-SMC-1015.31

This lesson supports and promotes the leader competency of Prepares Self, specifically addressing the leader behavior of maintain self-awareness.  The lesson focuses on two major teaching points.  The first is that as Soldiers progress through the noncommissioned officer ranks their philosophy on leadership will evolve as they grow and develop through experience, education, and improved self-awareness.  As this growth and development occurs their priorities and expectations, of both self and others will also change.  The second major teaching point focuses on the challenges of self-awareness, the reflection it requires, and its importance in the development of a Sergeant Major.  The key concepts presented in this lesson are self-awareness and self-reflection.  This lesson also contains the requirements for the Leadership Philosophy Oral Presentation and the Leader Biography.  

Scope: Here you will develop your leadership philosophy. According to FM 6-22, a leadership philosophy is an opportunity to codify what you believe as a leader such as expectations, what is important, and what is non-negotiable. This only comes through the process of self-awareness and self-reflection. As you reflect on the learning outcomes, you may have changed your perspective on what leadership is and its application.

There are two main points that you should consider when drafting your leadership philosophy; the first is that as Soldiers progress through the noncommissioned officer ranks their philosophy on leadership will evolve as they grow and develop through experience, education, and improved self-awareness. As this growth and development occurs your priorities and expectations, of both self and others will also change. The second main point focuses on the challenges of self-awareness, the reflection it requires, and its importance in the development of a Sergeant Major. The key elements of a leadership philosophy are self-awareness and self-reflection. Remember self-aware leaders are open to feedback and actively seek it; a goal in obtaining feedback is to develop an accurate self-perception by understanding other people’s perceptions.

ELO:  400-SMC-1015.01

Action:  Communicate effectively.

Condition: As a senior leader in a DL environment as a member of a problem-solving team or individually maximizing the use of asynchronous and synchronous methodologies in an online classroom setting using references, practical exercises, class discussions, and personal experiences based on the contemporary operational environment.

Standard:  Communicating includes—

• Substance;
  • Organization;
  • Style; and
  • Correctness.
  •  

Learning Domain:  Cognitive

Level of Learning:  Creating

ELO: 400-SMC-1015.22

Action: Develop an organizational-level philosophy on leadership.

Condition: As a senior leader in a DL environment as a member of a problem-solving team or individually maximizing the use of asynchronous and synchronous methodologies in an online classroom setting using references, practical exercises, class discussions, and personal experiences based on the contemporary operational environment.

Standard: Development includes—

• Examining self-reflection/self-awareness;
  • Examining one’s personal beliefs and values; and
  • Committing these personal beliefs and values to paper as a personal organizational-level leadership philosophy.

Learning Domain: Cognitive

Level of Learning: Creating 

ELO: 400-SMC-1015.31

Action: Develop self-awareness as an organizational-level leader.

Condition: As a senior leader in a DL environment as a member of a problem-solving team or individually maximizing the use of asynchronous and synchronous methodologies in an online classroom setting using references, practical exercises, class discussions, and personal experiences based on the contemporary operational environment.

Standard: Development includes:

• How self-defeating behaviors impact organizational leadership
  • Leadership competencies critical for success over the next five to ten years
  • The relationship between life-long learning and a successful career

Reflective Questions:

• Why do you think it is important to continue to develop self-awareness as a Sergeant Major as you increase in levels of responsibility?
  • Does your leadership philosophy ever change? If so when?
  • What is the relationship between your personal leadership philosophy and your values? What are some examples of the relationship?  Do these values change as you grow older?

Read:

ADP 6-22 paragraphs 6-7 to 6-19

Assignment: Organizational Leadership Philosophy Brief

A leadership philosophy, like the statement of sentiments, helps to bring into focus the thoughts and values most important for the improvement of leadership in an organization.   Finally, a philosophy that is developed by the members of an organization can change the culture. Brief the content and research of your leadership philosophy to a CSM/SGM in your organization who is a graduate of the course (not retired).  This is a military information briefing that presents and supports an opinion on a topic.  See form 1009S for oral communication assessment requirements.  Upload both the completed and digitally signed Form 1009S AND your briefing slides PowerPoint file.

A Sergeant Major’s leadership philosophy epitomizes the concept of self-awareness. Sergeants Major lacking in self-awareness will likely have a false sense of their abilities and create an image of a desired “self” that bears little resemblance to the perception of peers and subordinates.

The standards for this presentation are listed below and in the DCL Advance sheet

• Presentation will be no less than eight minutes and no more than ten minutes.

• Presentation will consist of no more than two slides. Slides will NOT be build slides.

• You may NOT use other types of visual aids such as videos, maps or diagrams.

• For other grading criteria see SMC Form 1009S.

As self-aware, adaptive leaders, it is important to reflect on who you are. It is important to know how you developed the tenets, values, beliefs, and behaviors you possess and employ. Self-awareness requires you to study those values, beliefs, and behaviors to understand how and why you react to varying situations and circumstances the way you do. This understanding will allow you to anticipate and adjust your reactions to future situations as well as regulate your response to the variety of attitudes, personalities, and needs of your followers. In his writings on self-awareness, Daniel Goleman, the Harvard psychologist who brought Emotional Intelligence into the mainstream of business and academia, identifies the competency of accurate self-assessment as critical to a leader obtaining self-awareness.

Your values are a core component of your philosophy. They basically define what you believe in or value in your life and professionally as a noncommissioned officer.  What makes the values unique to the philosophy is their relationship to one’s personal paradigm of leadership, as well as the context in which one operates.  For example, one might say that integrity is a personal value. The context of integrity when talking to one’s children (at home), Soldiers (as a platoon sergeant), or battalion command sergeants major (as a brigade command sergeant major) will be different. While the belief in the value does not change, the application and possibly even the meaning of it often do because of changing context, experience, and personal development.  Additionally, leaders prepare themselves for leadership positions through lifelong learning and broadening experiences. Lifelong learning involves study and reflection to acquire new knowledge and to learn how to apply it when needed. This application of new knowledge will also affect a leader’s personal leadership philosophy. For this reason, a personal leadership philosophy is not a fixed document but an evolving tapestry hung upon the framework of core values and personal beliefs and acquired knowledge.

Listed below is our analysis of the speeches.

• President Truman’s basic beliefs are from the bible based on the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and the golden rule; in addition, he holds strong beliefs in serving his fellowman and in upholding the bill of rights for everyone.
• Colin Powell believes in an America that is a welcoming beacon to the world; an America that the world still respects and admires.           
• Senator McCain’s basic beliefs are honor, faith, and service to one’s country and mankind. He relates several stories of honor; most notably, his experiences as a prisoner in Vietnam as he tells of the North Vietnamese guard who secretly showed him honor by loosening his torture ropes and later sharing his faith by drawing a cross with his foot on the ground. 
• Gen. Honore` believes in the blessing of work. He believes that when you can work, you are free.  He also has several codes of life that he lives by: do routine things well, don’t be afraid to take on the impossible, and don’t be afraid to act when being criticized.