Leadership for Intelligence Professionals   

Personal leadership philosophy: GuiDance

(May 2006) 

In conjunction with completing a Personal Leadership Development Plan (PLDP), military officers going to command should also draft a Personal Leadership Philosophy.  Others should begin to think about their personal leadership philosphy.

According to Ed Ruggerio the author of The Leader's Compass: A Personal Leadership Philosophy Is Your Key to Success, 2nd Edition.

Successful Leaders know their Personal Leadership Philosophy (PLP) and communicate it by living it passionately everyday in all they say and do. They have taken the time to determine who they are, their values and priorities. They know their course and have set their internal compass, which gives them greater self knowledge, greater self confidence, and improved effectiveness as a leader.

This is accomplished by writing a Personal Leadership Philosophy, which states the core values you live by, what you expect of your people, what they can expect of you, and how you will evaluate performance.  

Your PLP can be drafted as a short speech you will give or a memo you will distribute to the command.  It is for your use so the format is as you desire.  Clarity , Brevity and Inspiration are the keys.

One Example

The purpose of this memorandum is to inform you of my personal philosophy on what I believe to be important.  I also want to provide some guidance on how best to interact with me.  In doing so, I hope you will come to understand why I do the things I do and learn to trust my actions and know where I’m heading.  First and foremost I believe in PEOPLE.  That is what we are about and that is why we are here. 

PEOPLE defines my values:

Proficient.  We need to be technically proficient at our jobs.  Knowing what to do and how to do it is critical to the quality and service our customers’ demand.  Learning never stops. We should seek out opportunities to continue our own personal education.

Empowered.  Our people are our most important asset.  We need to ensure everyone is challenged in their work and empowered to excel in their position.  We must make sure we recognize the hard work being done and the great ideas that make us more successful.  We must hold everyone accountable to a high standard of quality and service.

Open Honest Communication.  I believe in honesty and integrity.  These values should guide all of our actions and decisions.  I take my work seriously; however, I believe that we should have fun while doing our work. 

Pioneering, innovative.  I value people that take initiative to get things done.  Seek responsibility and be accountable for your results.  I’d rather have people who take action, even if they make a mistake.  It is OK to make mistakes.  We can learn from them. 

Level and balanced.  Balance between work and home.  Take care of your family, as they will be with you always.  Balance between your physical, emotional, and intellectual needs.  Don’t neglect one at the expense of the others.

Exchange Ideas.  My door is always open.  People should feel free to talk to me about ideas that they may have to improve our group or do things in a better, more creative way.  I believe in open communications.  Do not tell me what you think I want to hear.  Just be real and honest. But above all, keep it concise.  Don’t tell me in several paragraphs what you can tell me in one sentence. 

I am a human being and am prone to err.  Try to remember that about me and I will do the same for you.  I tolerate mistakes as long as they were made in an honest attempt to improve performance and do not result in damage to the self-esteem of our people.  With this document I commit to these values and I challenge you to ensure I stick to them.

                                                                                             R.P. Fauquier III

                                                                                             Director of Inspiration

                                                                                             Think-Live Leadership Inc.