There are people who are leaders simply because of their position, and then there are leaders who are in their positions because they've earned them.
You want to be in the latter camp.
In anticipation of Memorial Day, the folks at finance career site OneWire released an interview with one of our nation's greatest military leaders: Lieutenant General Joseph Anderson, Commanding General of Fort Bragg and the XVIII Airborne Division, and he shared some thoughts about how to know if you've earned the right to lead.
But first, a little about the Lt. General. He assumed command of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg in June of 2013, after serving as commander of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, CO from November 2011 to March 2013. He has served tours in Iraq, Albania, and Kosovo, amongst others, and is currently deployed in Afghanistan. Anderson has received over twenty awards recognizing his service to his country, including the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with silver Oak Leaf Cluster.
In the interview, OneWire CEO Skiddy von Stade asks Lt. General Anderson to shed some light on the values and traits he looks for when evaluating potential military leaders…and there are a lot of factors. He specifically listed off 12 of the them.
"First and foremost are they selfless servants? Why are they serving and what's it all about? What is their focus? Are they focused on doing the right thing for the right reason and moving the organization along in the right direction? It's all about people, so how well do you communicate? Do you have the intellect? How do you treat people? Do you lead from the front? Do you set the example? Do you exemplify the characters of our warrior ethos, which are loyalty, duty, respect, honor, integrity, and personal courage? Do you live our values every day? And do you have the character and the discipline to do the right thing when nobody's looking?"
Watch the full interview below and visit OneWire's YouTube channel to see the whole series.