I have been giving my leadership presentation since 2006. I am often asked why I decided to put this presentation together. As the Professor of Military Science at the University of South Alabama, I started going around to the local high schools to talk to young men and women. I would often ask them what they wanted to be, and quite often, they would tell me they wanted to be a leader.
When these young men and women would tell me that they wanted to become a leader, I would ask them what being a leader means to them and how they planned to reach their goal of becoming a leader. Far too often, I received the deer in a headlights stare upon asking. They had no idea what being a leader entailed or what it would take to become a good leader. So, I developed my leadership lecture to help explain what it takes to be a good leader.
I based that lecture on proven leadership attributes and principles from my career as a leader. This included my time in high school, college and 20 plus years of being a leader as an active duty combat arms officer in the United States Army. However, these attributes and principles can apply to a leader in any profession or setting.
I decided to write this book because it really is my passion to help as many young men and women become leaders as I can. I am lucky that I am able to do that in my day job of recruiting future officers for the United States Army. I was also able to reach several thousand more each year by visiting high schools and speaking with young men and women. However, I wanted to reach more young men and women in order to help them become the leader they aspire to be and I knew the only way to do this was to write this book.
Although I believe that some people are born with an innate ability to lead, I also believe everyone can learn to be a leader if they are willing to work hard to achieve that goal. I remind people that every great leader started exactly where they are – as a novice – and developed their leadership skills and talents over years of study and practice.
If you wish to be a leader, then follow the proven principles outlined in this book and continue to practice them. You can be the leader you were meant to be - if you decide to become one.