The CG's new 28 Leadership Competencies

[BMCS Dennis Endicott (Ret)]

www.uscg.mil/hq/g-w/g-wt/g-wtl/whatsnew.htm

I found this in the electronic version of the Leadership News. It is a working document and some good stuff in it. Might be worth a conversation.

[BMCM Deane Smith]

I like them. I think they are pretty much right on. One in particular (I thought) was worth posting here. It hits on a topic that was discussed in earlier threads about ones own values.

It's under the category - Leading Self. The competency is - Aligning Values.


· ALIGNING VALUES

Coast Guard leaders develop and maintain an understanding of the Coast Guard Core Values of Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty. Leaders align personal values with organizational values, reconciling any differences that exist. Leaders embody the highest standards of Coast Guard Core Values; can communicate their meaning; hold peers and subordinates accountable to these organizational merits; and use them to guide performance, conduct and decisions—every day.

[BMCS Don Rogers]

Hell, I had a hard enough time memorizing Honor, Respect and Devotion Towards Duty. Now I've got to start thinking across time zones!
When we learn how to put this into a computer and have it spit out the "perfect leader" we'll be in real high cotton.
Until then we'll do what we've learned to do. Stay away from what we've learned not to do and count on our people, our record and our supervisors to give us indications as to how well we lead.

[BMCM Stuart S. Slesh]

This one had to hurt some of your feelings out there. Especially those that still feel as leaders, you no longer answer to anyone.

·FOLLOWERSHIP

All Coast Guard members are followers. The followership role encompasses initiative, commitment, responsibility, accountability, critical thinking, and effective communications. Followers look to leaders for guidance and feedback; they expect challenging tasks to both learn and develop competence. Actively involved, they seek to understand through listening, responsible questioning and feedback. Followers have the responsibility to work with leaders to ensure successful mission accomplishment.

[BMCS Dennis Endicott (Ret)]

This is the one that I think most people have difficulty with:

LEADING SELF. Fundamental to successful development as a leader is an understanding of self and one’s own abilities. This includes understanding one’s personality, values, and preferences, while simultaneously recognizing one’s potential as a Coast Guard member. Personal conduct, health and well-being, character, technical proficiency, lifelong learning, followership, and organizational commitment are elements to consider when focusing on the leadership development of “self.”

We tend to kid to ourselves about who we really are and what motivates us. "Know thyself" is a philosophical adage that is not easily attained. You think its hard to sit thru a counseling session and be criticized? Try taking 10 minutes to list your faults to yourself!

[MCPO Bob Brayman]

In the CMC course I devote a fair portion of the course to Leading Self in regards to the position of a MCPO, SCPO and in the CMC position. It's interesting to see how many folks think of themselves of omnipotent and don't realize that it's their own traits that really may be the wall that keeps them from being truely effective. Jeez, sort of sounds like that arrogant thread we were beating up of late.

[BMCS Dennis Endicott (Ret)]

Ahhhhh....but if you know that your arrogant, is it a fault????

I'm just being facetious. I really don't want to go down that road again.

[MCPO Bob Brayman]

it could be your parent's fault...you know the old "nature vs. nurture" theory.

[BMCM Deane Smith]

Not sure how many of you have looked at these 28 competencies, but those of us in the PACAREA should have by now. These competencies are the basis of the survey that we were required to have our units complete from the ULDP website. My unit took the survey before we had training on the competencies. I think we may have scored better in a few categories if we would have been through the competencies first. We didn't do bad, I just thought that the survey may have been confusing if you hadn't had training on the competencies first. Either way, they're a good leadership tool that we can use at the unit level.

For PACAREA units, our guidance is clear. Just thought I would ask again what everyone thinks of them?

[BMC Ken Gouge]

I'm sure we could all pick our favorites and least favorites from the list. You could probably list and define umpteen new ones as well.

I think they are a wonderful teaching tool. Unfortunately I also see them as the new definition for leadership, to be memorized as law and regurgitated for the next SWE.

Anytime they put a specific finite number on something like this I don't get a warm fuzzy about what will follow. Some JO receiving a lesson in leadership from a wise old Chief, and questioning it because it cant be compartmentalized into one of the "great 28" is one possibility...

I think that's actually about $.03

Ken

[BMCS Jim Madsen]

Whatever happened to the "Johari Window"? That was alot easier to memorize than the new 28 factors. I think it is more important to take what you can apply to yourself and move on. I wrote a paper on "Self Actualization" for a psych class a few years ago and it was interesting to research. You never know what you might find when you look deep inside yourself.

[BMC John Phillips III]

While I was at the Chief Petty Officer Academy we had to do a presentation on Strategic Thinking. Ironically one of my favorites.

BMCS Slesh, I would guess you like this one too.

• STRATEGIC THINKING

Coast Guard leaders react to crises immediately, and routinely solve urgent problems. In keeping with the concepts described as Stewardship, Coast Guard leaders must also consider multiple time horizons and very complex interactions. This requires thinking strategically, which consists of adopting a systems view; focusing on intent—what are we really trying to accomplish?; thinking across time horizons; creating and testing hypotheses; and being intelligently opportunistic—taking advantage of current conditions.

I especially like the underlined sentence.

[SKC Raymond Kurtz (Ret)]

Quote All Coast Guard members are followers.

I like that one. Everyone, from the President on down has someone to answer to, (well, that excludes Congress, they do not answer to anybody, especially not to the people that elected them in the first place.)

Anyways, I have always believed that I have to be a good follower to be a good leader. If I can't follow appropriately, I have no business leading anybody.

[BMC John Phillips III]

Ray, I totally agree. I spent 2.5 years as a non-rate, probably the most at any paygrade and I think it helped me to be a much better leader.

< not a fan of bootcamp to A school.