Leaders Eat Last

I distinctly remember, when I was doing a training operation in the Mojave Desert, during the coldest part of the year, a Sergeant of Marines was medically evacuated with hypothermia. During the frigid hours of the desert night, he had given his sleeping system and most of his warming layers to some of his freezing junior Marines. He was a leader that cared more about his underling’s safety than his own.

When I was in Afghanistan as a young Corporal, I stepped on a pressure plate connected to a 40lb IED. The only person with me was a Marine by the name of Sergeant Estrada. Instead of running, Sergeant Estrada (Now SSgt Estrada) told me to "freeze” as he began searching around my feet to check where the wires were leading to. Luckily, we discovered the wires had been disconnected from the main charge of the IED.   

What is this brand of leadership that I'm describing? The kind that makes the individuals in your charge want to work for you. It's when you as a leader show that the people in your cohort and the work is the priority. The people in your organization will work for you not because they are paid, but because they feel intrinsically driven to.   

Please watch check out this video filled with great insights on leadership by Simon Sinek. He grasped a lot of his knowledge from my Alma Mater The United States Marine Corps.