Leadership is critical for Marines, especially today as the world becomes more complicated and interconnected.

Meanwhile, the amount of information and intelligence gathered increases exponentially, as does the expectation of instant comprehension. A failure to grasp these realities and adapt is a failure of leadership — an unacceptable result for Marines.

So how do we avoid this? Although leadership is a fluid concept, there are certain qualities great leaders exhibit. Similar to warfare, the individuals may change, but the characteristics do not.

There are three characteristics that must guide a Marine’s leadership style: perspective, continuous education and humility.

Perspective. Not every situation requires the same approach, especially when a Marine makes a mistake.

“Abilities can be enhanced,” Richard M. Swain and Albert C. Pierce explain in ‘The Armed Forces Officer.” All of us make mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning process.

Although there are some unforgiveable mistakes, most mistakes are opportunities to help Marines grow as individuals and warfighters.

In “Chesty: The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC,” Jon Hoffman provides a perfect example of a legendary Marine leader using his perspective. During a night field exercise in preparation for deployment, then-Lt. Col. Puller roamed the forest to check on his Marines. To his dismay, he found a junior enlisted Marine sleeping on guard duty in his foxhole.

Puller woke the Marine and cautioned him that this behavior could cost lives in battle. But the lieutenant colonel also explained that he would hide this mistake from the Marine’s platoon commander, knowing that the Marine would likely face severe punishment.

Puller had perspective: Although this Marine committed a grave mistake, the training environment allowed Lt. Col. Puller to use a softer counseling method.

In combat, this Marine’s behavior would likely draw a different reaction. But here, Puller showed a tolerance for failure, an expectation for success and a desire to teach.

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Swain and Pierce provide their own example of someone with perspective: Navy Admiral Michael Mullen. During a speech to a graduating Naval Academy class, Mullen demanded that midshipmen “learn from their mistakes.”

Implicit in this command is the idea that if we must learn from our mistakes, we must offer the same opportunity to others. If the only mistakes that merit grace are our own, it is time to re-evaluate our leadership style.

Continuous Education. As Commandant Gen. David Berger stated in his 2019 Planning Guidance, the “complexity of the modern battlefield and increasing rate of change requires a highly educated force.”

This complexity will continue to increase.

“Multidimensional issues call for multidimensional solutions,” Swain and Pierce explain, which is why creative and developing minds are imperative to the Marine Corps’ future.

Technological improvements will factor into future conflict, but they will not eliminate the need for Marines to wage war. And without continuous education, we will fail as Marines and, more importantly, as a warfighting community.

Education is not about memorization; it is about mental growth, “how to think, decide, and act,” Berger wrote.

Reading and writing are both cornerstones in this endeavor. Reading provides a greater understanding of human nature and history. As Mark Twain said, “history does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Human nature follows the same pattern. The more we read, the less human actions will surprise us.

Likewise, writing improves our critical-thinking ability. What topic one writes about is less important than the refinement process. The latter forces the writer to identify issues, address these issues, and develop arguments.

Moreover, both reading and writing improve our communication skills and creativity. Taking a complex issue, simplifying it, and presenting it coherently is the hallmark of an excellent communicator. Creativity — the bedrock to several Marine Corps doctrinal publications — also increases as we gather ideas from other authors and formulate our own while writing.

Within and outside the Marine Corps there is a joke that Marines are “crayon eaters.” At times though, Marines adopt this slogan as a badge of honor, promoting their own anti-intellectualism.

Suppressing our intellectual ability is a mistake. In fact, Swain and Pierce note that “the ability of intellectual growth is the most important” attribute a Marine can have. More importantly, our commandant agrees with this assessment: “Leaders of Marines must dedicate time and effort to learning, and prioritize mental fitness as much as physical fitness.”

Providing real-world examples of how continuous education improves Marines and the Marine Corps will help us appreciate its importance. Think about the countless times that orders have failed to be translated into meaningful instructions because of poor comprehension, inadequate communication skills, or both. Marines cannot afford these avoidable mistakes.

Moreover, continuous education improves combat skills. The ability to operate in any battlespace improves when we study other commanders, battles and wars. The more intelligent Marines are, the more efficient they will be in garrison and more lethal they will be in combat.

Humility. Army Gen George Marshall once said, “An officer never is to take the counsel of his ambition.”

It’s a simple idea but difficult in practice. How do we avoid this pitfall?

Most Marines, if not all Marines, are Type A personalities: aggressive, confident and always seeking to do their best. But humility must temper these attributes. Because without humility, Marines cannot achieve their full potential.

Humility is both an internal and external quality. Demonstrating external humility to our peers is somewhat simple, but internal humility is where the challenge generally lies. However, without both present, pride will find its way into our decisions.

Humility enables us to acknowledge our own limitations and learn from other’s ideas. As Marines, we may not suffer any professional consequences from prideful decision-making because our other skills offset our lack of humility. But the team and results will suffer. Similar to the writing process, outside opinions refine ideas, providing more efficient outcomes. In contrast, individual ideas may accomplish a mission, but they will likely contain flaws evident to others.

Some view humility as a less significant addition to a leader’s character.

For example, officer-scholar Harold Winton argued that in war, “raw professional competence is a much better harbinger of concern for one’s subordinates than is either humility or approachability.”

Even if this statement is true, these qualities are not mutually exclusive. Raw professional competence can and should coexist with humility. Humility prevents hasty decisions, acknowledges limitations, and allows us to rely on other Marines.

By its nature, humility indicates concern for others. When Marines believe their professional competence eliminates the need for teamwork, they have failed as leaders and Marines — whether in garrison or combat.

But here lies the inherent tension: a Marine’s struggle to achieve the highest professional standards while remaining humble. Success, coupled with greater responsibility, can breed ego and destroy humility. Only conscious effort can prevent Marines from “succumbing to the conceit of believing” we are better than others.

From the newest private to the oldest general, all are equally important and deserving of respect. Additionally, being a member of the Marine Corps is a privilege, not a right. And while privileges and successes may increase, importance never does.

As Marines, it is our duty to lead by example. And Marines have an “obligation to extend their inherent abilities to their maximum potential.” When we joined the Marine Corps, we abandoned comfort and luxury and accepted this responsibility. 

Failure to reach this potential is not only an individual failure but a failure to honor our promise.

Steven Arango is a captain in the United States Marine Corps and currently attending The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. Upon completion, he will report to Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Marine Corps Times, the U.S. Marine Corps, Department of the Navy, Department of Defense or the U.S. government.

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