I spent several years in the United States Marine Corps. After several years of observations and watching many types of leadership traits I learned what I feel to be the do and don’t of leadership. I also learned that there are many types of leadership, and how curtain people reacted to the different styles is completely different from each other. What I want to talk about though is a method that seemed to work for me.

Here’s a leadership definition I really like.

A Leader

A leader must listen to himself… to his own inner voice of direction, strength and conviction. When this voice is not heard he drifts aimlessly through seas of fear and doubt. When this voice is heard and not followed he betrays himself and those around him.

A leader does have fears, doubts, and failures – and conquers them. The inner voice is the foundation which holds firm against the waves of resentment and resistance.

A leader places him aside so that the needs of others may prevail. He is gentle, strong, confident and unyielding as needed, always following the tune of his inner voice.

A leader knows fulfillment when he lives the freedom of the soaring eagle.

Thomas D Willhite

As a leader I learned many leadership traits, but I share my 5 favorite lesson on leadership I learned while serving as a United States Marine sergeant.

1. Dependability – If you say you’re going to do something. You simply need to do it. It’s one thing to tell someone you’re going to do something. It even worse to tell yourself you’ll do something and you don’t do it. By lying to yourself over and over, you’ll training your subconscious mind that you’re full of shit. When you go to lead others, you’ll wear your lack of self integrity on your sleeve. People feel that, so you need to change now if you’re like this.

2. Courage – leaders are people that take risks. In order to be a leader you must have courage in yourself and in the system. Even when things seem to not be working, you need to figure out how to make things work. Courage is standing on the edge of a cliff knowing you need to get down, yet you have no ropes, so you just start climbing down without hesitating. When you half way down, you look up and you see your troops following you.

3. Decisiveness – This is simple. Leaders are fast to make decisions and slow to look back. Leaders don’t need a three days to think about things. They just decide and correct as they go. They know that if things don’t go as planned they will self correct and learn and build even more character along the way.

4. Knowledge – You must be learning at all times. Every great leader I’ve know weather it be in the marines or in business are always reading things that will make them better. You must be learning at all times.

5. Unselfishness – Learn to take care of others. As a leader you don’t need to think about always standing in the lime light and getting all the attention. Learn to share, teach and pass your assets down to the lion cubs below you, so one day they can become lions.