Its all about the TEAM!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2uBpRqUO94

You can't talk leadership without talking about leadership with an awesome team!! I caught up with a great friend and mentor Sergeant Major Antonio Lopez and was able to get a bonus with his Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Gregory on team leadership, developing their talent pool and leading by example! I mean is it possible to have two leadership styles and combine to have one team style? Let's see what they say....

“...People business and the people are the center of everything that you do.”

The most important thing that we must realize as an organization is that the people, OUR people, are the most critical resource in a business. We need people to run a business, we need people to LEAD, and without them, we have nothing. By definition, leadership is "the action of leading a group of people or an organization." We need them, and having that privilege to lead people, we have to take care of them and treat them in such a fashion that they choose not to leave.

Servant Based Leadership

The Marine Corps has come a long way during my time in service. Like Gregory, we did not ask questions; we did what we were told to do, but times have changed, and more importantly, the people have changed. Today people require the "why," and nothing is wrong with that! The current generation of men and women require that why and like Gregory highlights that if you provide the why they are doing something, they start to build the trust and when you do not have time to provide the why they know that your decision and needs are based on good intentions. Building trust, in Aaron's opinion, is the first step in leading to serve. Once you build the trust of the people and they know that their needs are first over the traditional focus of the success of the organization or company. You are probably like, wait?!?! WHAT!! I am saying that instead of the people working to serve the leader, the leader exists to serve the people!

"...give him the pulse of the youngest level Marine"

How do you give the pulse of the hourly worker to the organizational leadership? It is simple! You have to walk the line! I remember when I spent my time training in the United States or even during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan walking the line. What I mean is that I would move from fighting position to fighting position, checking on the boys that were holding security while the rest of the platoon caught up on rest. Since I have left the service, I currently work in manufacturing, but I continue to walk the line (and no, not like the Johnny Cash song) and talk with the hourly employees daily. I learn what struggles they are going through; our shift leads, supervisors, or department managers. I listen and try to develop alternate solutions or even address issues to our executive leadership team on issues directly affecting team members on the ground. I work on being what Lopez is to Gregory for our executive leaders. These skills that we take away from being in service are nothing different in corporate America. Some organizations might be stuck in the old-fashioned ways of conducting business and, there is nothing wrong with that, but we must learn to pivot based on the current situation.

Saved Rounds

Here it is, saved rounds!!

Never forget it is a people-person business! Everything we do is about the people, and if we take care of our people, the details will work themselves out!

Stay humble!! As we rise in success, never forget your roots and the work it took to get to your position and help others rise to the occasion. Probably there was a person who helped mentor, mold, and shapes you to become the leader you are today.

**** PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT****

As I completed my first interview blog, and as you can see, I had some technical difficulties with audio. My words were not as important as the words from Lieutenant Colonel Gregory and Sergeant Major Lopez. I'll continue to work on and improve as I navigate and learn the blogging world! Thanks for following on, and I hope you took something and were able to add it to your leadership toolbox.

Watch the video; you might learn something new!

Semper,

Aaron