I actually had a hard time picking a topic for my first post. I started and deleted many articles because I got halfway through and lost the train of thought or couldn’t articulate my ideas in the way that I wanted. So this first post is on Leadership and my personal beliefs on it.

Leadership in itself is hard. You have to put work into it every day and want to get better. You cannot be complacent in leadership or you will never develop beyond your current state. I think a true test of leadership is to go through something uncomfortable and be at a point where you can make two choices: give up and not care about your job/work or continue to do your job well and never give up.

Development into a better leader is never a comfortable feeling. You are thrust into new jobs and new environments. My new(ish) assignment as a company executive officer has been a good example of this to me personally. I moved from a job that I was doing well at to take on a new challenge. This challenge is not in a typical Battalion or Brigade. I went from a normal Special Troops Battalion to a HHC for the 2 Star Sustainment Command. The dynamics and way this organization is set up is something I have never experienced before this.

As this job progresses, I sometimes think it will never slow down or get easier. I am fine with that and welcome the challenge. My fears lie in that I will be tasked with so much or that I will overlook something extremely important and disappoint my Commander or Battalion Commander. I know that failure is part of developing as a leader but it’s never been my favorite way of learning.