Lead Like a Marine — Part II: The 11 Leadership Principles

If you haven’t yet read the first in this series of Lead Like a Marine posts where I discuss the 14 Leadership Traits, check it out here.

Although in the business world we aren’t typically facing the extremes of adversity that Marines face in combat, we nonetheless do face challenges—some of them seemingly insurmountable—for which leadership skills are invaluable. As I stressed in the first post, you don’t need an official leadership title to behave like a leader; in fact, leadership is regularly required at all levels of the organization, regardless of one’s role. When you think and act like a leader, you help to solve problems, promote team cohesion, and embrace opportunities for growth—for your own personal development, for the development of your peers, and the growth of the organization.

Why look to the USMC for leadership inspiration? For one, if you’ve ever known a Marine, you can easily spot their leadership qualities. While the common public perception is that the Marine Corps’ primary goal is to produce elite fighters, the critical focus of Marine training is the development of leaders at all levels—regardless of rank.

By adopting the USMC’s tried and tested leadership approaches, we can recognize and seize leadership opportunities in our day-to-day work.

In this article, I’ll be reviewing the USMC’s 11 Leadership Principles, adapted to a business setting.

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement

This principle of leadership should be developed by use of the leadership traits discussed in the first post. Begin by evaluating yourself against the leadership traits, then determining your strengths and weaknesses.

• One way to self-reflect and self-improve is to seek the honest opinions of your peers, superiors, or friends.

• Observe what causes you and others to succeed or fail in different situations.

• Create a feasible plan to achieve your goals.

2. Be technically and tactically proficient

Before you can lead, you must know your job thoroughly and possess a range of applicable knowledge. If we break this down, “knowing your job” refers to the skills, know-how, and processes of doing your job. For example, as a salesperson, I know how to prospect for customers in particular industries; I know which resources and which channels to use to target a specific market.

"Applicable knowledge” is the tactical bit—it refers to implementing that technical skill in the real world. Using the same example, with tactical proficiency, I am strategically targeting a particular market because I've observed its growth with the competition, and I want to capitalize on that sector growth.

Technical competence can be learned from on-the-job training, from your peers, from books, or from courses and other training materials. It's refined in the field—via experience, trial and error, and often by learning from failures.

To develop technical and tactical proficiency, you should:

• Know what is expected of you then spend time and energy on becoming proficient at those tasks/responsibilities.

• Approach work with the attitude that you want to learn more than just what is asked of you.

• Observe and study the actions of capable leaders and team members.

• Spend time learning from those who are recognized as technically and tactically proficient at what you’re required to do.

• Always think at least one step up: prepare yourself for the job of the person you report to.

• Seek regular feedback from your superiors and peers.

• Master the art of effective verbal and written communication.

3. Know your team and look out for their welfare

This is one of the most important of the USMC leadership principles. Leaders must make a conscientious effort to observe their fellow team members and how they react to different situations. Effective leaders can also identify where their team members show gaps in knowledge and determine when and where help is required.

To put this principle into practice successfully, you should:

• Put your team members’ welfare before you own.

• Be approachable and inquisitive.

• Inspire others to develop professionally by working on your own professional development and pointing out potential opportunities to your peers.

• Keep in touch with what your team members are thinking and feeling.

4. Keep your team informed

An informed team ultimately performs better. Depending on your role, you may or may not be privy to different types of information. Regardless, you can still behave like a leader by keeping your team members informed about anything you know that impacts them and the organization. Provide this information to help your team do their jobs intelligently and strategically.

Some ways to apply this principle include:

• If you know the reasoning behind a task your team is asked to undertake but other team members don’t know, explain it to them. The team is more likely to complete the task if they know why they’re doing it.

• Contribute to morale and team spirit by sharing with the team when one of you solves a problem or successfully completes a task.

• Share with your team members whatever information you may have about current changes in the market, company direction and vision, and competitor updates.

5. Set the example

Leadership is shown by example. Again, while you may not be an official leader in your department, you can still set an example of leadership for the rest of your team. Do this by first setting high standards for yourself in hopes of inspiring others to do the same.

Some ways to set a leadership example include:

• Show your fellow team members that you are willing to go the extra mile and do more than what is asked of you.

• Maintain an optimistic outlook, especially in times of change when people tend to get frustrated and pessimistic.

• Inspire leadership by taking on more responsibility and learning skills/tasks outside your immediate job functions.

6. Ensure that the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished

For a team to perform well, everyone must know what is expected of them. Leaders must give clear and concise instructions that cannot be misunderstood, and then with support and supervision, ensure that tasks are properly executed. If you are not the official leader of your team but have a strong understanding of what is to be accomplished, pass that knowledge on to the rest of the team so they can equally understand the task at hand. If you don’t understand what’s expected, be the one to ask and get clarification—it’s likely the rest of your team is also looking for further direction.

To develop this principle, you should:

• Ask questions concerning any point of confusion or directive you don’t understand and encourage your teammates to do the same.

• Question your fellow team members to determine if there is any doubt or misunderstanding regarding the task to be accomplished.

• Together brainstorm issues that come up and take initiative to problem-solve and make decisions on your own before escalating to a superior.

7. Train as a team

Teamwork is the key to a successful and thriving workplace and business. A person with a leadership mindset encourages collaboration and team effort. This means thinking and operating as a unified team, supporting one another through difficulties, and acknowledging one another’s strengths. Everyone should be confident in their unique function in the team and how they each support the team’s goals.

To develop teamwork, you should:

• Encourage team participation in company events and volunteer to coordinate these gatherings.

• Never publicly blame an individual for the team’s failure or give praise to one individual when the team is successful. Always acknowledge the collaborative efforts of the group, both in successes and shortcomings.

• Play your part in helping everyone understand how their own roles and responsibilities contribute to accomplishing the team’s goals.

8. Make sound and timely decisions

A critical leadership quality is the ability to rapidly assess a situation and make a sound decision based on that assessment. If an opportunity arises and a decision needs to be made, step up, assess the situation, and make the call.

Some techniques to develop sound and timely decision-making include:

• Develop a logical thought process to objectively assess situations. Practice, practice, and practice to get better at this skill! Also take note of what a trusted superior does in similar situations.

• If time and circumstance permit, plan for every possible event that can reasonably be foreseen depending on the decision made.

• While research and proper assessment is important, don’t spend so much time on research that you delay taking action.

• Consider the advice and suggestions of your team members and front-liners before making a decision.

• Consider the effects of the decision on all members of the team and the organization as a whole, if applicable.

9. Develop a sense of responsibility among your team

Another way to show your team that you care about their welfare is to help support their professional development; you can do this by encouraging them to take on greater responsibilities and tasks outside their current scope. This helps foster confidence, breadth of knowledge, and a sense of fulfillment. It also encourages individuals to exercise initiative and authority in accomplishing the team’s goals.

To develop this principle:

• If you notice a gap that can be filled by a team member, encourage them to step up and fill that gap, especially if it is a task normally performed by senior personnel.

• Applaud your fellow team members when they demonstrate initiative and resourcefulness.

• Provide support to a team member who has taken on an additional responsibility, whether that’s technical support or emotional support.

• If you’re in a position to do so, give advice and assistance to a team member who has shown initiative in taking on a new challenge.

10. Employ your team within its capabilities

A leader is conscious of the tactical and technical capabilities of their fellow team members. If your team has been asked to take on a new project or task, this skill will allow you to help the team make a calculated decision on whether they can be successful or not. Not knowing this runs the risk of failure of projects or initiatives. While it’s important to seek out challenges, be sure that everyone on your team can help complete the task successfully.

Techniques for developing this principle include:

• Stay up to date with your team members’ professional and skill development levels.

• Help everyone else similarly understand each team member’s skills and competencies.

• Consult your team members’ perspectives on participation in a particular project or initiative.

11. Seek responsibilities and take responsibility

For your own professional development, you must actively seek out challenges and learning opportunities beyond your current role. Seeking responsibilities also means that you take responsibility for your actions. Regardless of the actions of your fellow team members, you must ultimately take ownership together as a team.

Techniques in developing this principle are:

• Learn the duties of your immediate senior and be prepared to accept the responsibilities of these duties in his/her absence.

• Seek a variety of leadership positions that will give you experience in accepting responsibility in different fields.

• Take every opportunity that offers increased responsibility.

• Perform every task, whether it is of great importance or seemingly trivial, to the best of your ability.

• Stand up for what you think is right. Have courage in your convictions. Do the right thing, even if no one is looking.

• Admit when you are wrong and call it out (privately) when you know your team member is wrong.

• In the absence of directives from your superior, take the initiative to perform the actions you believe your superior would ask you to take.

Along with the 14 Leadership Traits, these 11 Principles of Leadership provide a leadership blueprint and a better understanding of a what a leader is and, more importantly, what a leader does.

Which of these leadership skills is most important to you? Could you rank them from 1-11? Consider why 1 would be more important than 2 and 2 more important than 3 in your particular role. Could the importance of these principles change for you depending on context? As you face the next challenge at work, try to apply some of these principles to the scenario at hand. I'd love to hear what you come up with!

In the next Lead Like a Marine post, I’ll explore BAMCIS, the USMC’s planning process, and how we can apply this to business projects and initiatives.

Sources:

RP 0103 -Principles of Marine Corps Leadership TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES. (n.d.). https://www.tecom.marines.mil/Portals/120/Docs/Student%20Materials/CREST%20Manual/RP0103.pdf