Leading From the Front

Having served as a Captain in the Marine Corps, I pass on this book recommendation so you can see what two women USMC Captains accomplished and have shared in their powerful book Leading From The Front — this link also has many terrific resources. To give you some perspective on what authors Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch confronted when they choose to serve as an officer in the Marines . . .

"Of the 1,425,887 active-duty service people in the armed forces—Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines—213,224 (or 15%) are women. But only 34,796 women—or 2.5%—are commissioned officers. And the Marine Corps, where I served, has the fewest women of all the armed forces: In September 2003, there were 75,000 women in the Army, 70,000 in the Air force, and close to 55,000 in the Navy. Only 10,664 women were serving in the Marine Corps. And of the 10,664 women Marines, only 1,000—less than 1% of the entire Marine Corps—were officers." (pages. 10-11)

Today "There are approximately 14,000 female Marines which makes up about 7% of all Marines today."

Ten  leadership principles they present in this powerful book:

1.      Meet and exceed the standards you ask of others—lead from the front

2.      Make timely decisions—find the 80% solution

3.      Seek to take responsibility before you begin to place blame

4.      True leaders dedicate themselves to service—take care of those you lead

5.     Think before you act—especially before you overreact

6.     When faced with a crisis—aviate, navigate, communicate

7.     Courage + initiative + perseverance + integrity = success

8.     Don’t cry over something that won’t cry over you

9.     Say you’re sorry only when you’re at fault

10.  Always lead as you are

And, here is a brief video with author Courtney Lynch talking about principle #10:

#10 - Always lead as you are