Hey Jackass – Be Humble!

I’ll admit – sometimes I can be the most egotistical, cockiest, and pig-headed person when it comes right down to it.  It’s a huge weakness – and it’s something I actively try to keep at bay. . . at least most of the time.  My pop used to tell me all the time “James, be humble.”  But, as per the typical teenager response, I’d shrug my shoulders and blow him off.

It wasn’t until I went out to sea that I figured out that – hey – it really does make people angry when you act like you’re the biggest, best dude around.  Especially with people you are working with whom are twice your age.  I remember completing a task for my Chief Mate, and when he had complimented me, I had to boost my own ego with my big mouth.  I don’t know what I said specifically, but it was along the lines of how awesome I was as a cadet, and man, how could they do anything without me.  My Chief Mate did an excellent job of reminding me just how much the ship really could have gotten along without my awesomeness and how he had to take time out of his day to instruct me, time he could have spent elsewhere on more important things. But this Chief Mate was also a good leader – anytime he tore me down like that, he’d always change his tone and give me a bit of wisdom.  “James, always, always, always, be humble.  In other words, don’t be a jackass.”

The Millennial Objective

For my peers – we know we’re good at things.  We’ve been told off and on just how great we are at everything, and gosh darn it little Johnny or Janie, you can be the best at whatever you want to be, don’t let anyone tell you different.  And YES!  You can be awesome at something – just don’t go spouting off how awesome you are at it.  Hey Jackass — It makes people feel inferior.  Sure, you could impress some people, as are your original intentions with your ceaseless bragging.  However, most people will see right through your childless charades, and call you out as the self-centered braggart you are.  Why do we brag, why do we have to let everyone know how great we are?  Because we want to feel good about ourselves, because we want the other guy to know that we think we’re better.  If I told you right now, to your face, “Well, I know leadership better than you.  So that makes me a better leader.”  You’d probably look at me and laugh your face off.  Good leaders need to be humble – your followers are always going to be watching you.  A lot of leadership is based off of trust – and there is some truth in that old saying “One bad deed destroys a thousand good ones.”  So seriously, swallow that ego, keep it in check, do whatever you have to do because your followers are always watching and judging your character.

.Return Home.

 Date/Time: 16 Mar 07 2000 hours

Latitude and Longitude: Norfolk, Virginia

Entry

“Hello Journal!  At 0730 I went to chow, had my apple juice with my fellow cadets, and was at muster by 0800.  The boatswain, [name removed,] is a rather large man with a deep, booming voice – I could tell the deck gang respected him.  He didn’t require us to work – we had to officially be signed on since no one was around yesterday.  We went to the purser’s office, and she took care of all our documents, endorsed our orders, etc.  Next, we went to the ship’s doctor, but he told us to come back since he was going on leave.  We were then summoned by the cargo mate – who is actually a 2^nd mate, but is in charge of cargo operations, not navigating.  He wanted us to help the deck gang clean out a storage area in the forward truck tunnels.  Truck tunnels on this ship act as storage areas – paint, dunnage, unrep gear, forklifts, etc.  They are open structured that remind me something like incomplete decks – like glorified carports or open garages.  There are 3 in all, forward, midships, and aft.  We went forward and worked with [the deck gang.]  [One of the senior sailors] had us moving old unrep gear into boxes, which would be transported by forklifts to different areas for restowage or disposal.  He showed us NATO fittings, a triangular faced coupling that allows our ship to fuel older NATO vessels.  He said we used them rarely anymore since everyone is moving to the universal fittins.  At 1120, we knocked off for lunch with the task practically done.  At 1300, the Chief Mate and Master met us, gave us the ‘stay out of trouble and welcome aboard’ speech.  Then they gave us the weekend off.  We spent the rest of the day walking the ship, working out, etc.  Wow, I wish I had more room to write . . . Us cadets are headed off to the movies!”   

Reflection

I didn’t really comment much here – but the boatswain was over 6′5″ and was just huge.  His voice was that deep Barry White sounding sort of voice.  He was always respectful to the deck gang, no matter what – he always addressed them as “Gentlemen,” and anytime there were females on deck, he would address them as “Ladies.”  As a cadet at sea, I was very unaccustomed to the boatswain being respectful.   The boatswain is the senior member of the deck maintenance gang – basically he’s the foreman.  He’s the front-line manager.  He’s your platoon sergeant, whatever.  They’re supposed to be the roughest, toughest old salts on the ship. . . but I suppose the moral there is not to judge people based on their profession.  I came to like and respect this “Gentleman Boatswain” as time went on.  I’m sure he’d probably think I’m a bit weird for saying that – but that’s kind of how I remember him.

Also something I’d like to note – this was my first crack at working on the ship.  That means these guys, who have seen countless numbers of cadets come aboard their ships, saw me just like any other.  I had to prove that, on DAY ONE, I was willing to work and learn the trade. . . I think I did that.  They told me later on that my fellow cadet and I were the hardest-working they had seen yet. . . So it just goes to show work hard on day one, and it won’t go unnoticed.

. : Return Home : .

There’s a Whole World Out There

Growing up, I don’t remember a lot of vacations like all the other kids seemed to get.  I never went south of Florida, I never went west of the Mississippi, I had never gone more north than Washington D.C., and the furthest east I had ever been was the coast of South Carolina.  The Academy has sent me halfway across the world – I’ve been all over, from Hong Kong to Hawaii, from Panama to Peru . . . I never made it over to Africa or Europe, but there’s plenty of time to visit those places in the future. . .

My point is – go out and experience something.  There really is a whole world out there beyond our computer and tv screens.  I know this sounds like some sort of cliché campaign to get the generations of today off their butts to go outside, but there really is something to the idea of just getting up and learning about the world outside of the one we’re limited to. 

When we limit ourselves to what we know – then we are doing ourselves a terrible disservice.

Apply Yourself

My final days with my parents before I came to the Academy, they tried imparting as much of their wisdom to me as possible.  My pop told me “No Ocean Too Vast.”  I had no idea what he meant at the time, I figured it was just his way of trying to correlate his wisdom with the nautical theme of my school. 

But now, with so many milestones out of the way: plebe year, eleven countries visited, the ordering of my class ring . . . I can’t help but think “No Ocean Too Vast.”  I believe my class started out with some two-hundred and eighty-five people, and now we are well below the original number – under two-hundred of us remain.  I have done things I never before thought myself capable of doing . . .   When they asked me what I wanted inscribed on the inside of my class ring, I told them “No Ocean Too Vast.” 

There should never be a reason why we limit ourselves.  We never know what we’re capable of until we try.

The Millennial Objective

So why should Millennials care about “No Ocean Too Vast”?  We definitely get the part where we apply ourselves no matter what.  Millennials, I think, are pretty good at telling others to bugger off, that we can do whatever we want to do, so long as we set ourselves out to do it.  The problem we have is that we often limit our knowledge to the world around us.  We get complacent.  We get into our comfort zones and never want to leave them.  We want to stay with mama and pop.  We want to hang out with our friends, we want to stay under the covers.  There’s a whole world out there – and when we finally do realize that we need to come out from under our cozy covers . . . we’ll find ourselves fully capable of undertaking the vastness of it all.

.: Return Home :.

The New Leaders: NEWS!

The site has only been up for roughly a day and a half, and I’ve already gotten some great positive feedback.  Thanks to everyone who has come by so far!

I promise to post more soon!  I’m juggling creating the site/getting the mechanics down as I prepare for several presentations, papers, and finals week here at the Academy.

If you’re new, please mull over the other posts, I encourage you to make a comment!  I will get back to you.  Check out my About Page to learn about me.  Also, you can always subscribe via RSS to know when I’ve done something new! 

I wish you all the best today/tonight, and here’s a preview of the next Pearl of Wisdom topic: No Ocean Too Vast.

Cheers!

Pearls of Wisdom: A Background

On my very first ship as a midshipman, I had no idea about ships or life at sea.  I was very fortunate to have a chief mate there who sort of took me under his wing.  Often, he would give me “Pearls of Wisdom” . . . I think the name sort of made him chuckle because it was nautical in nature, and we were on a ship . . . yeh, people at sea are like that.  But I will never forget them, and I have found many new “Pearls of Wisdom” on my journey since then.  These posts shall be my attempt to share these “Pearls” with my fellow millennials and any other interested parties.

The First Pearl

“James,” he said, “Not everyone is going to love you.”  He had just gotten done yelling at me for something I did wrong as a cadet. . . I wasn’t a very good cadet, I thought, I was always doing something stupid, despite my best efforts.  But his words stuck.  Not everyone is going to love you.  Our parents, guardians, and teachers forged a world early on for us that was protected and sheltered – they encouraged us to be the best at everything we could be, and that no matter what, they would love us in whatever we did. 

But that is not the way the world works.  People will not stand by to hear your dreams and share in your sadness.  They will not stand by and listen to your excuses, they will not pat you on the back for a good job.  You will not be able to please all of them.  But, as a leader, you can sure as heck try. 

The Millennial Objective

Every millennial should keep this “Pearl of Wisdom” in mind when dealing with others. . . You are always going to experience conflict with others, there is always going to be someone out there who thinks differently than you do, there is always going to be someone out there who perceives you completely different than you or your friends do. 

The first step is to recognize and acknowledge this.  The second, and perhaps the hardest step, is to not let it get to you.  When we are self-conscious about getting everyone to like us, we often compromise many of our beliefs and standards.  A leader, without good reason, should never step down from his or her standards just to get people to like him or her.  You may have heard “It’s lonely at the top.”  This expression could not be more right. 

Think about it as if you, the leader, were sitting on top of the hill.  Your followers are all over the hill from the bottom to right under you, but only you are capable of seeing the whole picture.  Do you appease them, try your best to get them to like you?  Sure - but only if doing so doesn’t make you blind to what you are seeing up there.  Chances are. . . what you see will not make them happy.  Leadership will be your job.  Leadership will be for you to inspire as many of them as you can.  You will burn some bridges along the way – and that’s ok. . . because not everyone is going to love you.

.Back to Home.

 Unfortunately. . .

We had an issue recently that caused me to reflect deeply on the subject of leadership, and how we should at least try to inspire our followers, no matter how much of a lost cause they appear to be.  I have modified some of my original thoughts so as to completely obscure the identity of the individual.  For ease of writing/reading, the person shall be referred to as a male.  This does not necessarily mean that the person in question was male, nor does it mean that the person was female.

The Background

A plebe (freshman) lied to the academy about his whereabouts over one of the breaks.  He violated the liberty policy, and then lied about it.  He did some other things he should not have done, including continuing to lie, and not accepting the punishment that was given to him.  Recently, he was discharged from the Academy.  Before he left, he made several comments, discussing how he had dreamed of becoming an officer and how the leadership here stopped him from being able to accomplish his dream.  Many upperclassmen responded, many of them giving a quick cynical quip, others responding with outrage. . . But I found myself greatly saddened.  I had no positive feelings towards this young man, but I certainly felt as if I somehow didn’t try enough.  I sat down and put my thoughts to paper.

Reflection

“Pride.  That is his downfall.  If his true wish was to become a military officer – then he would have swallowed his pride.  He would have accepted his punishment for his mistake instead of continuously lying, continuously bucking the very system he so wishes to become a part of.  He let one conflict with one man get in the way of his supposed dream.  This is a childish mistake that a man must shake from his character before he can really become an effective leader.  We don’t always get along with our bosses. . . but in the military, as many of us seem to forget — we must snap our heels together, salute, and sound off loud and clear in the affirmative.  We lost the right to argue when we raised that hand and took that oath. 

But, on the flip side, I think we should all feel ourselves at a loss.  I know we cannot change every person – but did we not fail him as leaders?  Did we not do enough to intervene, to take him aside, under our wing, to say to him “*Name*, I understand where you’re coming from.  You screwed up, you know it.  But no one but you can get yourself out of this situation.”  Or “Hey, *Name*, how has your day been?  Are you doing alright?  You know my door is always open if you need some help.”  How many of us “leaders” treated this Plebe like a person while he was going through one of the most difficult times of his life?  He made a mistake, yes, he must be punished, yes, but as midshipmen leaders not in charge of his tribunals or punishment, who are we to treat him as if we were in charge of those things?  Forgiveness, to me, is a difficult leadership trait – but it is a necessary one.

I did not know *Name* personally – from what I saw of him, he was a horrible plebe with a “crap bag” personality equivalent of “10 lbs of crap in a 5 lb bag.” – to be blunt.  But each time a person leaves because of unfortunate incidents like this – I ask myself “What did I not do as a leader to help that person?”  I was not his team leader, nor was I associated with him by any means except as an upperclassman in his company – but is there something I could have done? 

Recently, *Another Name* left our ranks – I considered him a stellar midshipman, though I knew some trouble with alcohol had come his way previously.  I did my best not to judge him on the vicious rumors circulating his person, nor on the disciplinary actions that had taken place against him.  I talked with *Another Name* at length during a TM (team movement) earlier this trimester – and he was very depressed then about this place, and I did my best to cheer him on and let him know that at least I was on his side against this institution that challenges us mentally, physically, and emotionally.  *Another Name* left shortly thereafter without so much as a good-bye.  But at least I tried.  Success cannot be considered success without first trying to succeed.

As an academy and a body of midshipmen, we tend to turn our backs on the “unwanted”.  Those midshipmen that claim shady sexual harassment cases, those shady midshipmen charged with cheating and alcoholism . . . Do we not, as a whole, alienate them from the rest of us?  Are we not indeed wary of them, for fear of the tarnish they will bring to our own reputation, to our own good standing as a midshipman? 

My argument and bottom line is this: These “ugly ducklings” should be among the principle concern of a leader.  We should strive to turn these apathetic followers around, to turn them into a capable follower, and perhaps, one day, a leader.  We should not view them as more unfortunate, or weaker than ourselves – but as people who merely need a helping hand, someone that they know is there to pick them up.  This is a true challenge of leadership.  There will be dozens, hundreds, and maybe even more than that under us in the future who will be like former Plebe *Name*.  If we can change just one of them – we have accomplished something as a leader that will stand out far more than winning any personal inspection, far more than winning any game. . . You will have finally taken leadership and made it into an art – a lifestyle. 

I know I am far from perfect, I know I oftentimes do not emulate what I view a good leader to be.  I have many weaknesses, and many faults – but it is times of reflection such as these that I have to step back and evaluate what I am doing . . . or what I am not doing.

Sorry to ramble. . . I’m just frustrated. . . I just wish that I had done something instead of nothing. . . I do not claim that I would have been successful – probably far from it – but the lack of the attempt leaves a much undesired, hallowed feeling . . . Good night.”

Conclusion

I will not stand by again when something like this is happening.  I will not presume to step into their business — but I will do what I can to at least try and inspire them towards changing their ways.  Sometimes a friendly face in a mob of angry ones is all someone needs. . .

.Back to Home.

Introduction

During my time at sea, I was forced to keep a journal.  While I hated writing in it every day as I was required to, I now look upon my sea journal and go “Huh, there’s some useful information in here.”  This section of the blog will focus on each and every day I had at sea, the actual entry, and my reflections – how it might pertain to leadership.  These blogs will be intended for entertainment as well as lessons for anyone willing to listen to my ramblings.  I will remove any and all information of names of individuals, the ships, and their respective companies. So, without further adieu. . .

Date/Time: 15 Mar 07 2335 hours

Latitude and Longitude: Norfolk, Virginia

Entry

“Hello Journal!  Today around 1530 I joined the [Ship Name], a [tanker class vessel].  To my surprise, I was quickly informed that she had only just arrived at the [shipyard], and would be staying for 30 days.  After her repairs, she will be staying in [the waters near] Norfolk to refuel U.S. Navy vessels.  So much for my adventurous plans in the Mediterranean!! 

A hired security guard called the 3rd Mate on watch to come and take care of us.  The 3rd mate — whose name I can’t quite remember right now — took us to the house to find our rooms.  The house is huge!!  However, since the Master and Chief Mate were both gone the 3rd mate gave us a very quick tour. . . then turned us loose until 0800 the following morning.  The next several hours we spent unpacking, cleaning our dirtied staterooms, meeting up with our fellow [Academy] cadets who had already been here for four months. 

We then took a quick tour of our own around the vessel to get to know it.  We picked our fellow cadets’ brains. . . but overall, we don’t know much except that the ship is supposedly really nice, the food’s really good, try not to BS the Captain, and that we should know our sailing directions [for each port we come into].

Such sound information, I know, but don’t worry dear journal, after tomorrow, I will have much more to write!  Cheers!”

Reflection

I was pretty naive at this point — I had no idea that I was going to hate writing in that stupid journal every day of every week.  It really became a chore for me and a time each night that I loathed.  However, it shows that I was excited about sea year — as any young leader should be excited about a new and upcoming experience.

Perhaps this is the lesson to be taken from this journal entry: Always maintain a positive attitude when trying new things, even if you don’t know what to expect.  If I had gone to this ship with a poor attitude, I would have angered the 3rd mate (whom was going to be one of my supervisors), I would have angered my fellow cadets (whom wouldn’t have given me any helpful information), and I probably would have been very miserable. . . Yes, looking back on it now, I’m glad I was happy and chipper about the whole thing.  There are 196 days left of sea journal entries . . . so stay tuned! 

.Back to Home.

 What is a Millennial, anyway? You have probably seen it on my blog already numerous times.  Millennials are members of my generation – generation Y.  60 Minutes produced a popular video and story about us: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200.shtml . . . Though it comes across as a typical older, more established generation snubbing their noses toward the up and coming generation, there are probably some underlying truths here that demand a closer look at our generation.

They’re right – to a degree.

We were raised relatively softer compared to the baby boomers – heck, why wouldn’t we be?  I doubt any of our dads saw action storming the beaches of Normandy.  I doubt any of our moms had to work triple shifts to keep the family fed while the old man was overseas fighting crazies who were hell-bent on world domination.  Those people are our beloved grandpas and sweet grandmas – in my case, they were my GREAT grandpas and grandmas. . . my family is relatively young. 

The baby boomers are right – we don’t care about them or their authority.  In fact, we oftentimes rebel against it.  Working sucks, who wants to do that?  I’d rather play video games, party it up with my friends.  But oh, previous generations, weren’t you the same way too?  Does Woodstock ring a bell?  Free love?  So what made you change into the curmudgeonly old people that you are now?  I affectionately call many of the older generation’s leaders the “White Hairs.” 

Where my generation comes across as lazy or rebellious – we make up for it.  We are extremely hard working when we are motivated. . . and we are resourceful.  Our use of technology to communicate has shattered any physical barriers that once hindered our predecessors.  We use this technology as if it was a part of us – we probably can’t remember much of a time without cellular phones, the internet, or portable music players. 

We’re Strong.

We are a strong generation, and whether the old “White Hairs” like it or not – we are taking over soon.  Gen-Y leaders will, and have been for the past few years, take over the front-line managing jobs.  Many of us have become enterprising entrepreneurs.  Many of us will be seeking upper-level management and leadership positions.  The oldest of us, somewhere around age 30, are already established.  The youngest of us are still in high school, being educated that they are the “leaders of tomorrow.”

How many of my fellow millennials understand that yes, really, we are inheriting the world?  The Baby Boomers are leaving, and the Gen X-ers are small in population and aging as well.  We are being handed a world from our predecessors that is now finding its natural fuels limited, a planet whose climate is changing either naturally or unnaturally, a planet scared of a nuclear holocaust. . . It’s really a scary place when we poke our heads around the corner, away from our computer screens and their lovely Facebook, Myspace, and iTunes applications. . . . . Seriously, who wants a part of nuclear holocaust?  Millennials may be thinking “Let someone else deal with it.”  The problem is – we’re going to be the only ones capable of dealing with it.  We will need to develop our skills as leaders.  We need to be able to lead the world and ourselves successfully.  But sit back, relax, we’ve got an advantage over the other guys right now.  We’ve got something they’ll never have again, something that makes us extremely powerful, driven, and capable.

We’re young. . . . . As Leeroy Jenkins might put it, “Guns up, let’s do this.”

.Back to Home.

This post will begin a topic I wish to update somewhat frequently. 

What is life like in the day of a Midshipman at a U.S. Service Academy, acclaimed to be in the upper echelon of education and leadership training?  Honestly, not a lot happens day-to-day that inspires me – quite frankly, it’s oftentimes tedious and boring.   But!  Sometimes there are things that cause me to step back and go “Huh.”  This topic will consist of those moments of reflection.

First – some background!  I am currently a junior, a second classman, here at the academy.  What has life been like?  Well, it all started in the first week of July back in 2005.  I reported for my indoctrination (Military Boot camp) with my parents.  I knew it had been coming for years, but I really had no idea the magnitude of the situation I was about to dive head first into.  After a firm handshake to pop, and a hug I didn’t really want to leave from teary-eyed mama, I entered the gymnasium. 

The next few weeks were filled with screaming so much I couldn’t talk, pushing-up until my arms couldn’t lift beyond my head, running until I puked, etc. . . The purpose of this training was to break us down as individuals and build us up as a team.  When you join the military, you give up your rights as an individual – you become part of a team, a unit.  Overall, I don’t remember much of it . . . it was a blur – probably because my body and mind were so shocked at the sudden transformation in my lifestyle.  I had been to summer mini-boot camps before back in high school . . . but I wasn’t going home anytime soon after this boot camp . . .

Classes began shortly thereafter, as did Plebe Year.  Imagine not being able to walk wherever you wanted to, not being able to talk outside, and having to greet anyone you come across – even squirrels.  You have to walk 6″ away from the right-side of the passageway or walkway at all times.  Each corner you come to, you have to stop, put your heels together, turn 90 degrees the way you wanted to go, and only then could you continue on.  Oh – and if you were outside?  You were running.  Running on your way to class, to formation, to chow – whatever.  Oh yeh — and you’ll be in a military uniform the whole time. 

Every night at 2000 hours (8 pm), you would form up on one of the decks (floors) of your barracks.  There, a very angry and volatile first classman (senior) will yell at you, tell you that you are the worst class he or she has ever seen at his or her academy, force you to do push ups until you want to die, and when your arms are too tired, he or she would force you onto your back for abdominal exercises. . . When your stomach felt like it was about to explode, your arms would have recovered enough for a few more push ups . . . And they were unpredictable.  You never knew when this obviously crazy person was going to come onto the deck smiling like a fool, praising you and your company mates for a job well done . . . or throwing a clipboard down the passageway, screaming for everyone to “Get on your faces!” 

Every morning began at 0600 hours to be accounted for at 0615 – from there you would either go to breakfast or begin cleaning.  Yes, cleaning, because we don’t believe in janitors here.  As a plebe, you will clean the heads (restrooms), mop up the showers, sweep and buff the decks, clean the windows, take out the trash, etc.  At 0715, you would be inspected by an upperclassman to ensure you were doing a good job.  Once a week, when it was your company’s turn, you would set up the entire mess hall for everyone in the regiment of midshipman to eat.  Once a week, there was usually a big inspection where many upperclassmen from other companies would come and inspect your room and cleaning station.

Oh.  And forget about leaving campus.  You live here now as a plebe.   If you and your class impress upon the upperclassmen enough that you are worthy, then they may grant you liberty for Saturday night from 12 pm to 8 pm to go and get dinner that wasn’t academy food.  You will not wear civilian clothes when you go out – you will wear a uniform.  Civilian liberty attire is an upperclassman privilege.  You could only go home if you lived nearby – in my case I was 798 miles away from my house.  Yeh, I mapquested it.  I only got to go home during the long breaks . . . at the beginning of October for a week, Christmas (No thanksgiving break because the plane ticket was too expensive, and it was only 4 days long anyway), and a week in march.  

56 credit hours later over the course of three trimesters, Plebe year ended.  After a short 4 day break at home – I was headed out to sea on my first real adventure.  I had never been north of D.C., west of the Mississippi, more south than Florida, and never further east than the South Carolina coast. . . my first ship?  I flew out to catch her in Hawaii.  She is a container ship for a large American based company.  I sailed on her from Hawaii to Guam, Hong Kong, T’aiwan, Washington State, California, and back to Hawaii.  This trip took roughly 35 days, and I was in each port at least 3 times. 

I knew nothing about ships.  You can only imagine my befuddlement, a boy who had only worked at a video arcade as his only job, when I was asked to “chip paint.”  As a cadet (junior officer), you would have many duties.  Usually, the first and foremost is to shadow the Chief Mate or 1^st Assistant Engineer . . .this depends on whether or not you are training to be a navigator or an engineer.  Personally, I was training in shipboard navigation, so I was assigned to the Chief Mate.  I was put in charge of a lot of administrative work, but I would also work out “on deck” with the maintenance guys.  Maintaining a steel vessel floating around in corrosive salt water and air is a tough job when there are only some twenty crew members aboard a ship big enough to carry over a thousand tractor trailers.  Yes, that means 1000 of those boxes you see on semi-trucks . . . that’s what my ship was carrying. 

People who go to sea are screwy.  They’re not normal, to say the least.  Imagine a person who spends around six months of their time onboard a ship, interacting with minimal amounts of people, stepping foot on dry land only occasionally.  “Being Normal” goes downhill quick.  I’m not saying this in a bad way by any means – but looking back on it now, I sort of laugh to myself as I think about all the characters I met.  I learned a lot from each and every one of them – and for that, I am very very grateful.

I returned from my first sea tour, 103 days long, in November 2006.  I was a third classman (sophomore) then.  In addition to my some 19 credit hours of class for the trimester, I was put in charge of two plebes, my “team.”  I made sure these two guys were squared away in all aspects of plebe life, made sure they studied and did well, and tried my best to provide them with at least one friendly face in the hostile environment that is the Academy life. 

By March of 2007, I was out the door to begin my 2^nd sea tour, meaning I wouldn’t be back at the academy until November of 2007.  That was eight long months . . . And it was quite the adventure.  My first ship refueled U.S. Navy vessels off the coast of Norfolk, VA.  My second ship was on a humanitarian mission down to Latin America and the Caribbean.  My third ship was a tanker vessel that moved fuel around from one fuel depot to another for the U.S. Navy.  It was an amazing experience that I’m sure I’ll post about later on.

For now, I am finishing up my first trimester since my sea tour . . . after this, I have four trimesters left at the academy where I will graduate as a commissioned officer in the United States Military.  This is only a short summary of my experiences here at the Academy . . . I will post more in depth about them as they pertain to leadership. 

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Leadership.  

The word reminds many Generation Y’ers, oftentimes called Millennials, of such negative thoughts as authority, responsibility, and work.  This blog is my attempt to encourage my fellows and other interested parties that leadership is not such a bad term after all.

However, we must first establish that the so-called author of these posts is credible in the topic of leadership.  I shall do my best to confirm this in the affirmative.

Credibility of the Author

I am a Midshipman at a U.S. Service Academy, seeking to become an Officer, a Gentleman, and most importantly, a Leader in service to the people of the United States of America.  Ever since I was fourteen years old, I dreamed of serving a nation where others served before me.  Originally from South Carolina, I have sailed around half the world and survived to tell the tale.  I experience and seek out leadership everywhere I go. 

I have followed the few, I have led the many.  From the time I wake in the morning until the dead of night, I am living, eating, and breathing leadership here at the Academy.  Leadership is my passion. I write about it now to share my thoughts and experiences with anyone interested on the subject, but ultimately to explore and expand my knowledge in this timeless art.  I am first and foremost a student.  This blog is a journal of my journey through the art of leadership.  Now onto the topic questions -

What is leadership? 

Leadership is commonly defined as “The ability to inspire people so as to accomplish goals and tasks.”  But what does that really mean?  It means people look to you.  Somehow, someway, you have either unwittingly or wittingly assumed responsibility for one or more people.  Whether or not you are capable to assume that responsibility is up to your personal abilities as a leader.  This blog will hopefully give you some insight as to what sort of abilities a leader possesses and how he or she might apply them to a variety of situations.

Who are the leaders? 

They are anyone we look to for inspiration in accomplishing our goals.  They are each different, possessing a unique set of skills and attributes entailed to their specific organization.  Michael Jordan is a leader in the world of Basketball – he is strong and athletic, but also charismatic.  Donald Trump is a leader in the world of Business – he is strong and overbearing, oftentimes arrogant.  But in a day far from tomorrow, these leaders will be gone.  Who will replace them?  We will.  Are you preparing yourself for the endeavor?  Hopefully, this blog can help you recognize that someday you will be called upon to lead.

When is leadership taking place? 

Leadership takes place every second of every day.  Leaders have led since pre-historic times, leading their tribes in the great hunt.  They have led empires to rise and to ruin.  They have led oppressed colonies to revolution and freedom.  They lead our organizations and businesses even as you read this post.  They will lead tomorrow, but someone will have to take their place.  We will lead soon.  Our generation will take on the torch in this endless relay of life.  Again, this blog should help prepare you for when you are looked upon to lead.

Where is leadership taking place? 

The short answer is everywhere.  Every organization has people leading, otherwise the organization would crumble and fall into ruin.  From your household to where you attend/attended school to the government of the USA – leadership is taking place.  Where will you notice its effects next?

Why is leadership important? 

It is a timeless art that rose the great Pyramids from the ground to the towering skies, it stopped the massive genocide of a people during World War II, and it is somehow connected with how you are even capable of viewing these words on your screen right now.  Why is it important to our generation?  We will be taking over this world soon, for better or for worse.  We must ready ourselves to accept this undertaking to accomplish what no generation has accomplished before us.

Parting Thoughts:

Leadership affects our lives whether we want it to or not.  Eventually, our generation will be called upon to lead the world.  Wow.  Pretty heavy stuff, huh?  I hope you will join me as I share my thoughts and experiences on this epic art.. 

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