Page 217 - The extraordinary leader

194 • The Extraordinary Leader

women ultimately describe having had an abusive upbringing. All the usual
predictors of success are not generally present in this group of recruits. Yet
many of them are transformed into effective leaders after a two- to three-year
period of time and go on to display remarkable leadership skills as their careers
continue. It is for that reason we felt it important to include this description
of this organization’s success in leadership development. In short, it can be
done. Leaders can be made.

The Talent Base for Commissioned Officers

The commissioned officers of the U.S. Marine Corps are college graduates.
A few officers come out of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, but the num-
ber is usually less than one-tenth of the Corps’ need. Most officers have been
recruited from a variety of colleges in the United States.
These officer candidate recruits go to Officer Candidate School at
Quantico, Virginia. Their course roughly parallels that of the general recruits,
but with more emphasis on leadership development and other operational
skills required of an officer. Their training is equally as physically demanding,
and the hours per day are just as long. They must learn to use a rifle just like
any other Marine, and they must also pass an annual physical fitness test like
every other Marine. This group is also transformed into effective leaders. The
percentage of success and the short time involved far eclipse that of any pri-
vate-sector organization. We can learn a number of important lessons from
the Marines’ approach.

Lessons from the Marines’Approach
Development Begins with Understanding the Unique Leadership Tasks
Required. Leadership is a team effort rather than a solo performance. The
Marines’ emphasis on teams cascades through their leadership development.
They pair a highly seasoned noncommissioned officer with a newly appointed
lieutenant and allow the two of them to work together for several months. This
eliminates many mistakes. The new officer has a sounding board with whom
to think about strategies or tactics.
Jason Santamaria recounts his own experience of being put in charge of a
5
125-man combat unit. He gave orders to have the troops issued gas masks
and clean rifles in the same afternoon. That caused all of the Marines to miss
dinner. An experienced first sergeant gave Santamaria useful feedback.