Leadership

UNITED STATES ARMY

LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY ESSAY

ENGINEER BASIC OFFICER LEADERSHIP COURSE

13-14

1LT ALESSANDRA CARRILLO

By

2LT KEVIN SPURGIN

FT. LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI

27 OCTOBER 2014

___ MY DOCUMENT IDENTIFIES ALL SOURCES USED AND ASSISTANCE RECEIVED IN COMPLETING THIS ASSIGNMENT.

___ I DID NOT USE ANY SOURCES OR ASSISTANCE REQUIRING DOCUMENTATION IN COMPLETING THIS ASSIGNMENT.

SIGNATURE:__________________________________________________________________

Leadership Philosophy

My leadership philosophy is cannot be pinpointed by one thing, but more as a combination of multiple characteristics. My leadership style is always evolving as I grow, learn, and develop as a leader. I believe a good leader is a flexible, humble, and strong leader. A good leader is someone who can teach, coach, mentor, and inspire people to greatness, yet at the same time be able to listen and learn from others. I believe a good leader must have empathy for the people they intend to lead, dedication, and sincerity. I think a good leader must put other people’s interests above their own interests. The good leader must be responsible and take ownership of their actions. A good leader must be self-motivated, have the ability to influence others, the ability to lead, and the ability to teach/ coach/ mentor.

Empathy

Due to personal experiences, everyone has a limit to their empathy. Some people have more empathy than others; some have less empathy for people. Without empathy, I do not believe that a good leader can develop a healthy relationship with those he/ she intends to lead. For a Platoon Leader to garner the trust of his/ her platoon I believe he/ she will need to show empathy. Too many times people see empathy as a weakness, it is not, it is a trait that is hard for some to show, but it is not a weakness. Over Columbus Day weekend I received a phone call from my home town unit. My Platoon Sergeant informed me that one of our newly...