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By
Gunnery Sergeant Darnell E. Patton, USMC
You can ask ten different people what their
definition of leadership is and you will
probably get ten different answers. Leadership
doesn’t have a specific definition. By giving
it a definition, you are putting restrictions
and limitations on the word and the true value
of leadership. Leadership is something that is
complicated to explain and understand. It is
formless; it doesn’t take on a particular shape
or form, nor does it go in one particular
direction. A great leader can adjust to any
situation at any given time, under any
circumstance, and still come out successful.
Leadership is something that can’t be measured
or tested by science or technology. Leadership
theories are based on an opinion of an
individual, i.e., human factors, and no two
humans are the same. Although it can’t be
measured by science, it is considered a soft
science, because you really can’t base it off
of experimental data. No one can prove what it
is, but they can show what it does. It is like
fine art, it crafts in a formless way that
tends to go in many different directions at any
given time. Leadership is rational and
emotional; it involves both sides of human
experience, which can include your “firmness,
fairness, dignity and compassion.”
Some people believe that being a leader is
either in one’s genes or not; others believe
that life experiences mold the individual, and
no one is born a leader, hence the saying
“Leaders are made, not born.” Who’s to say
which is right? This saying has been an
ongoing debate for years and always will be.
But in a sense, they both are right and they
both are wrong. “Both
views are right in the sense that innate
factors as well as formative experiences
influence many sorts of behavior, including
leadership. Yet, both views are wrong to the
extent they imply leadership is either innate
or acquired” (Hughes, 2006). What matters
most is how well a leader make these factors
interact with one another.
Leadership can be created from inspiration and
a leader must have a true passion to lead. A
true leader understands that leadership is
continuous and is a constant learning process.
He also understands that leadership is a
process and not a position. There are great
leaders, but there are not perfect leaders. A
great leader must have failed at something in
order to succeed. If you have never failed at
anything, you can never appreciate the true
value of success.
A good leader is someone who utilizes effective
leadership skills in dealing with people. They
are someone who respects their subordinates as
well as their leaders. In reality, a leader is
a servant for his subordinates; he works for
them just as much as they work for him. A
leader must work to make sure that his
subordinates are taken care of to the best of
his ability by utilizing all of his leadership
skills. In turn, his subordinates will take
care of him.
Subordinates expect leaders to show them the
standard and train them to reach it. They
expect leaders to lead by example.
Additionally, they expect leaders to keep them
informed and not withhold the truth. Leaders
may have to ask others to make extraordinary
sacrifices to achieve goals. Leaders may have
to call on them to do things that seem
impossible. “If leaders have trained their
people to standard, inspired their willingness,
and consistently looked after their interests,
they will be prepared to accomplish any goal,
anytime, anywhere” (Reeves, 2004).
In reality, most subordinates are leaders. A
lot of them just haven’t exercised their true
ability to lead. Not to mention the exemplary
subordinate who is a self-leader per say. Like
a good leader, he can adjust to any situation
at any given time. He is very independent and
can be depended on. This type of subordinate
can help a good leader become better.
Many believe that leadership implies power, but
it shouldn’t imply power, it should influence
the ability to apply powerful leadership.
Power is something that isn’t measured by a
position or billet; it is merely a function of
the leader, the subordinates, and the
situation. Leaders have the potential to
influence their subordinates’ behavior,
attitude, and growth.
“Leadership allows leaders to have different
styles of interaction styles when dealing with
individual followers” (Hughes, 2006), hence one
of the reasons why leadership will always be
open to many different opinions and debates.
Study after study has been done on leadership
and no one still knows what it is and what
makes a true leader. Even those with the most
extensive knowledge in leadership research can
be poor leaders, which proves, it is not about
how much research or studying you do, it’s what
you do with it that can make you a success.
In conclusion, we can spend five lifetimes
trying to figure out what leadership really is,
where it comes from, and which is right or
wrong. But it’s not about defining it (it can
never be defined, just shown). It’s not about
where it comes from, and it’s not about which
is right or wrong; it’s about continuous
learning, trying to understand it, and which
style to use at the right time.
About the Author
Gunnery Sergeant
Darnell E. Patton is currently an active duty Marine. He has held many
management and leadership positions, to include an infantry platoon sergeant,
the legendary Marine Drill Instructor and Drill Instructor, Instructor. He has a
BS in Management, a BS in Finance, and his MBA with specialization in Human
Resources. He can be reached at
darnell.patton@usmc.mil
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