It’s all about
Leadership!
LTC Dave Jones
US Army, Retired
* Note: The views presented in this Leadership discussion are that of my own, and do not necessarily reflect that of West Point or the US Army.
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Leadership, Character and Values
…a candid and open discussion!
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Some “not so good” examples in the News
(Topics that involve issues in Leadership, Character and/or Ethics)
• Possible Abuse/Racial Tensions : Miami, Ferguson, Baltimore, NYC (2012-15)
• Celebrity Icons: Brian Williams, Bill Cosby (2015), Justin Bieber (DUIs+) (2014)
• Professional Sports – “Deflated footballs”, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Aaron
Hernandez, Oscar Pistorius, Richie Incognito, A-Rod, Lance Armstrong (2013-15)
• College Football – FSU’s Jameis Winston, NC State’s BB Gun incident (Oct ’14)
• Recent Recalls: Safety Recalls (GM, Toyota, others), Blue Bell Ice Cream
• Businesses Yahoo CEO, Scott Thompson, fired for lying on Resume (Feb ’13)
• Colleges: Sexual Assault Trends, Vanderbilt (Rape Case) (2014),
Harvard Cheating Scandal: 70 receive one year suspension (May ’12 incident)
• Trends in HS/Middle Schools: cheating, bullying, drugs, alcohol issues
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Some “not so good” examples
in the military profession
• Secretary, Veterans Affairs exaggerating his military experiences (Feb ‘15)
• Gen (R) Petraeus admitting to sharing classified info, and false statements (Feb ‘15)
• Veterans Affairs (VA) Failures (2014)
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Senator “LTC (R)” John Walsh plagiarism issue at the Army War College
USAF/USN Officers cheating on monthly NUKE Qual. exams (Jan-Feb ’14)
BG John Sinclair - toxic leader relieved (Dec ’12)
GEN (R) Petraeus/ MAJ Broadwell affair (Nov ’12)
(Jul ’14)
• Marines urinating on Taliban corpses (Jan ’12)
• Abu Ghraib – Abuse of Iraqi prisoners (2003 -2004)
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West Point’s
Mission Statement
MISSION:
To educate, train, and inspire the
Corps of Cadets so that each graduate
is a commissioned leader of character
committed to the values of Duty,
Honor, Country and prepared for a
career of professional excellence and
service to the Nation as an officer in
the United States Army.
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LEADERSHIP at the
United States Military Academy
1. “Duty, Honor, Country”
2. Intellectual, Military, Physical, Moral-Ethical Development
3. West Point’s emphasis on building “Leaders of Character”
4. Honor Code and System in concert with Respect Principles
5. The deeper concept of “Honorable Living”
6. Accountability, Ownership and Responsibility
7. Values Education – diving into the grey!
8. “No Excuse, Sir/Ma’am!”
9. Building one’s character is a lifelong journey
10. Learn from every experience (+/-)
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LEADERSHIP
in the United States Army
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The Army is a values-based, standards-focused organization!
MISSION first, PEOPLE always!
Responsibility, Accountability and Ownership
Effective Communication: Up, Down, and Laterally
Member of a TEAM: x 3!
Solution Oriented… rather than problem oriented!
Remember “25/25/50”
7. KISS Principle - Focus on the Basics… do them well!
8. Cool/Calm/Confident in crisis!
9. When in doubt take charge!
10. We are a Learning Organization
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Hierarchy of Loyalty
• Loyalty to the Constitution
• Loyalty to the Mission
HIGHEST
• Loyalty to the Army
• Loyalty to Unit /Team /Group
West Point Experiences
• Loyalty to Friends
• Loyalty to Self
Army Experiences
Life Experiences
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Hierarchy of Loyalty
in your organization
HIGHEST
Personal Values
Professional Experiences
Life Experiences
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Professional Ethics
Guiding Principles in your organization
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Now…
some thought provoking questions
for YOU to answer
What makes a GREAT Leader/Manager?
(Character Traits and Attributes)
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Effective Leaders/Managers
• Leadership is about PEOPLE; Management is about RESOURCES
… so you really have to be effective at both!
• Ensure everyone on the Team understands:
– Our Mission and Vision
“Where we’ve been, where we are, where we are going!”
– Our Guiding Principles/Values/Code of Ethics
… and each member must be a valued contributor!
• You need to lead calmly, confidently and effectively in crisis!
• Lead by example… be there, be involved, and be positive!
• Find people doing things RIGHT! (Rather than looking for wrong!)
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Teamwork!
• We not me! US not them, Our not your etc!
• Must invest in developing future leaders in your
organization! Train them to do YOUR job!
• Reinforce the POSITIVE, Extinguish the NEGATIVE!
• Build a TEAM – one that is proud, productive
and damn good!
• Define your Brand and your REPUTATION… then
make it come to life within your TEAM!
(“just good enough”… ain’t!)
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Guiding Principles/Ethical Conduct
• Clearly ID, define, establish and communicate Ethical
Standards for your organization!
• Words, (yes!)… reinforced by ACTIONS!
• Accountability/responsibility/ownership at all levels!
• This must be the core of the ORGANIZATION…
important to the leadership, subordinates, and the TEAM
as a whole!
• Education! Active, participative, innovative, interesting,
progressive-current, relevant, and applicable!
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Leadership, Character
and Values
QUESTIONS
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A Quotable Quote…
Watch your thoughts, they become your words;
watch your words, they become your actions;
watch your actions, they become your habits;
watch your habits, they become your character;
watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
Dr. Len Marrella – In Search of Ethics
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LEADERSHIP
at West Point, in the US Army
and Beyond!
LTC Dave Jones
david.jones@usma.edu
(845)938-8161
“It’s all about LEADERSHIP!”
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