The Corps 1
The Corps
Judd Nelson
OPT 110
Professor Headache
July 1, 2009
The Corps 2
The United States Marine Corps does not create an elite force of men and women simply by barking orders at underlings or demanding grueling rounds of laps. Rather, the Corps is the master of in-depth training, nonstop motivating, and world-class leadership and management (MCO5390.2, 2007). For more than 200 years, the Marines have excelled at a task that every business leader knows is critical. Inspiring the "troops" to take initiative, accept responsibility, and truly want to go that extra mile are just a few of these. I have always been told that because of the nature of combat, our job description can be described in two phrases. We “break things” and “kill people”, and because of this, there is a vast difference between leading and managing Marines.
I believe that leadership is extremely difficult to measure because it has so many definitions. No matter how it is defined, it is extremely important to the effectiveness of any organization (Yuki, 2007, p3). For example, in the Marine Corps, leadership is the sum of those qualities, intellect, human understanding, and moral character that enables a person to inspire and to control a group of people successfully. Some organizations may have a more narrow definition that has nothing to do with morality. Additionally, for every definition of leadership, there are many different styles that may be used within them. I have also come to understand that because leaders may have different styles, they can all be effective. Leadership style is defined as the leader's behavior pattern as perceived by his Marines when he is attempting to influence, guide, or direct their activities. Therefore, your leadership style is not always determined by what you think it is, but many times by how your subordinates think you lead. A leader must be constantly aware of this perception and know how to...