These are my thoughts after reading the book, "Faith of My Fathers" by John McCain with Mark Salter. It was written some years ago and I thought I would like to share.
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This is about what a leader has to be. I got this from the book "Faith of My Fathers", by John McCain with Mark Salter. The book is about McCain and his grandfather and father. They were all naval officers, and this book is about them, and what a naval officer must be like.
A leader must be "honest, brave, loyal", as stated in the book. He must have a "character above reproach". All these are in accordance with the honour code that he is expected to follow and uphold. Simply put, the honour code is "do not lie, steal or cheat". By keeping to this honour code, he shows that he has integrity, and thus earns honour as well as respect and trust from not just his fellow officers but also from the men that he leads.
Also, he must show "moral and physical courage". He "must not expect others to bear what he will not". To lead his men, he must show them courage, that he is willing to do what he is asking them to do, that he dares to do what he is telling them to do.
The next quality that he must possess is a sense of responsibility. He "must not shirk his duties", and also he "accepts the consequences of his actions". He "must not confer his responsibilities on the men under his command". A strong sense of responsibility is needed if he is to be able to carry out his duties not only to his country but to his men and to himself.
A leader must also possess a "love of life". He must realise that his duty is towards not only himself, not only towards his family, but also to his country and overall to mankind. "A man's life should be big enough to encompass duty to family and duty to country." What drives him towards the military is his love for his family, but what drives him to continue in the military is his love for his country and for mankind. He must realise that war takes away lives, and the only way to prevent the needless loss of lives is through his dedication to his duty.
A good leader must also "know his men". He expects their obedience to his orders, but their obedience is earned by the obligations that he owes his men. "We are responsible for our men. That's what forges trust and loyalty." He must possess "empathy for his men". He must know each man such that he can employ them well as well as train them in what they need.
He must also "never quit learning". Knowledge is power. Knowledge provides the officer with the basis for his judgements. Also, he "must trust his fellow officers" just as they trust him.
In short, "an officer and a gentleman". A good officer must stick to the honour code, he must have courage, a strong sense of responsibility and a love for life. He must also know his men, trust his fellow officers, and never give up learning.
Get the book from Amazon.com:
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This is about what a leader has to be. I got this from the book "Faith of My Fathers", by John McCain with Mark Salter. The book is about McCain and his grandfather and father. They were all naval officers, and this book is about them, and what a naval officer must be like.
A leader must be "honest, brave, loyal", as stated in the book. He must have a "character above reproach". All these are in accordance with the honour code that he is expected to follow and uphold. Simply put, the honour code is "do not lie, steal or cheat". By keeping to this honour code, he shows that he has integrity, and thus earns honour as well as respect and trust from not just his fellow officers but also from the men that he leads.
Also, he must show "moral and physical courage". He "must not expect others to bear what he will not". To lead his men, he must show them courage, that he is willing to do what he is asking them to do, that he dares to do what he is telling them to do.
The next quality that he must possess is a sense of responsibility. He "must not shirk his duties", and also he "accepts the consequences of his actions". He "must not confer his responsibilities on the men under his command". A strong sense of responsibility is needed if he is to be able to carry out his duties not only to his country but to his men and to himself.
A leader must also possess a "love of life". He must realise that his duty is towards not only himself, not only towards his family, but also to his country and overall to mankind. "A man's life should be big enough to encompass duty to family and duty to country." What drives him towards the military is his love for his family, but what drives him to continue in the military is his love for his country and for mankind. He must realise that war takes away lives, and the only way to prevent the needless loss of lives is through his dedication to his duty.
A good leader must also "know his men". He expects their obedience to his orders, but their obedience is earned by the obligations that he owes his men. "We are responsible for our men. That's what forges trust and loyalty." He must possess "empathy for his men". He must know each man such that he can employ them well as well as train them in what they need.
He must also "never quit learning". Knowledge is power. Knowledge provides the officer with the basis for his judgements. Also, he "must trust his fellow officers" just as they trust him.
In short, "an officer and a gentleman". A good officer must stick to the honour code, he must have courage, a strong sense of responsibility and a love for life. He must also know his men, trust his fellow officers, and never give up learning.
Get the book from Amazon.com:
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