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Ryan Chang
LT RUTLEDGE
Preparing to Lead
6 December 2012
Life Mission Statement Paper

According to renowned author J.R.R.Tolkien, If more of us valued food and cheer above
hoarded gold, it would be a much merrier world. His assertion demonstrates the belief that the
relationships an individual forges with the people in his life are far more important than any
material desire or possession. Personally, I share this belief and as a result, will strive to create
positive and healthy relationships with everyone I meet or lead. My mission is to become a
leader capable of creating an environment of ambition, pride, and universal respect and equality
for both my subordinates and peers by helping others to achieve their goals, being the first one to
step forward for any task, and becoming an example of resilience and hard work.
Primarily, I plan to utilize my natural talent of Winning Others Over (Gallup, Inc) that
my Strengths Quest Assessment found to relate to others on a personal level and create a sense of
trust between us. I believe that this first step is critical to my overall mission because if I cannot
establish a familiar relationship with others, then I cannot communicate with them. Fortunately,
my natural talents give me an advantage towards approaching others and initiating conversations
that will help to break the ice and earn their friendship and respect.
I will also later use my talents as a Developer to bring out the best in others. Through
my ability to see potentials, I can help to motivate others to achieve whatever goals they have,
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which will help me to establish an environment of ambition and hardwork (Gallup, Inc).
Additionally, I will focus on my talent of Consistency (Gallup, Inc). By treating everyone
equally, the people around me will understand the respect I have for everyone. In this way, I can
create a positive working environment that demands respect both from me and those around me.
My MBIT report has shown me that I am an extrovert which means that I have a
predilection for drawing energy from the forces that surround me, rather than an internal source
(Publisher Consulting Psychologists Press; Adamshick 45). However, I believe that this concept
of extraversion works both ways. If I have a preference for interacting with my surroundings
and environment to draw energy, then it is logical to assume that I can put forth my own energy
and attitude into my surroundings. Knowing this, I will always strive to set the example of the
standards that I wish to set.
One of the values I believe to be most important is courage. Courage is the value that
pushes us to face threats and fears that we perceive as a danger to ourselves. As a leader in the
military, community, or family, I wish to exemplify the value of courage. I feel that if I
demonstrate the will to face adversity, no matter what risks or fears I may have, then my
subordinates will not be able to make excuses for themselves in their own personal challenges. I
will be able to create an atmosphere that urges others to strive to accomplish their most
ambitious goals and pick themselves up if they come short.
While I was creating my Life Mission Statement, there was one main challenge that I
encountered. First and foremost, as an 18 year old plebe who has just entered the military, it is
hard to focus on the future. My initial instinct when considering my Life Mission was to list my
immediate desires, such as good grades, making the Combat Arms Team, or simply earning
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carry on. Fortunately, after reading the essay prompt, I noticed that a lot of natural reflection
occurred. I found myself thinking about what kind of person I wanted to be whenever I was
running, shining my shoes, or even just walking from class to class. I also utilized systematic
reflection and did a free write (Adamshick 67) where I wrote continuously for 20 minutes on
the topic just to organize my thoughts on to paper. Reflecting on the topic definitely helped me.
I am a First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, currently serving as an Infantry Platoon
Commander with the 3
rd
Marine Regiment in Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The bond I have with
the men in platoon is professional, yet very tight and familial. I know each one of my men on a
personal level. For instance, I might know that Lance Corporal Dun is having trouble with his
girlfriend. This interaction allows me to understand each of my Marines strengths, weaknesses,
goals, desires, and personal philosophies and views. Because of this knowledge, I am able to
successfully motivate my men through both personal and professional goals whenever they arise.
If they should fall short of their goals, the challenges I have helped my Marines to overcome give
them enough resilience to pick themselves up and try again.
Furthermore, although I may not always be literally in the front during every training
evolution or exercise, my men can confidently say that I lead from the front. I may not be the
fastest, strongest, or most skilled Marine in any given event, but the Marines that I serve with
know that I will be the first to accept any challenge. My men understand and reflect this attitude
in all that they do.
In any interaction with my subordinates, my Marines know that their social, religious,
financial, racial, and other backgrounds have no bearing on how I treat them. They know that I
value the fact that they respect everyone equally as I do and their hard work ethic infinitely more
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than their individual backgrounds. This equal respect creates an environment in the platoon
where every member is loyal to each other and can trust any one another to watch their backs.
Although my interaction is focused mainly on the leadership of my subordinates, my
superiors know that I am a capable leader through the actions and hard work of my platoon. I do
not have to convince them that we are an effective unit, because they can see that for themselves
when they look at our results.
Despite the fact that my environment and demeanor outside the Marine Corps is
drastically different, the same principles I have in leading my men also apply to the way I
interact with my family and local community. In the same way that I am able to relate to my
men, I am also able to relate to my family. I may be away or out of contact for long periods of
time, but whenever I meet with any member of my family, I am able to strike a new conversation
with them and instantly reestablish my bonds with of them. No matter whom they are or what
they have done, I promote the equal treatment of all members of the family simply because as
family members, we owe each other that unconditional loyalty and respect. By leading from the
front in this often hard endeavor, the family follows my example and becomes closer.
In the community I make sure that I teach my values of ambition and virtue to as many as
I can. I may not have a plethora of time to share, but I make sure that I make an appearance as an
assistant coach to the local highschool wrestling team as often as possible. With the young
highschool wrestlers, I ensure that I instill the courage for all of my wrestlers to step up onto the
mat and face their opponents, even if they think they are outclassed.
The goal that is nearest in my future is to pass the screener for the Army Airborne School
summer training opportunity. The screener is on the second of March, which is only a few
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months away. I believe that passing this screener and attending Airborne School is critical to my
development as a leader because it will place me in a very stressful environment that will push
me to my limits. Through this school, not only will I learn unique skills, but I will also advance
my own mental and physical abilities. Later, these abilities will help me to set the exam of hard
work and grant me the ability to always stay in front of my men as a leader even when I am
physically and mentally exhausted.
A longer term goal that I have is to earn a 3.5 or higher academic grade point average at
the Naval Academy. In the future, as an officer, I fully anticipate that my subordinates will come
to me for advice on how they can attain their own goals. For this reason, I believe that it is
imperative that I have a plethora of knowledge that I can make suggestions from. I plan to attain
this knowledge from my classes at the academy, which will be reflected in a tangible and
quantitative manner by my grades.
Overall, I am currently succeeding and on track for my physical goal of completing the
screener. I have increased my sit ups and pull ups to the maximum scoring amount for the
Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test, which is the first phase of the screener, and my three mile
time is only one minute above the maximum scoring time. Also, my participation in Brazillian
Jiu Jitsu and the Special Operations Team have helped me to harden my mind as well as my
body. However, I have not made strong start academically. My grades over the last six weeks
have suffered because I have procrastinated on some of my assignments. This is not a good way
to set an example, and starting next semester, I will improve my grades by starting my
assignments earlier, going to the library more often, and attending more Extra Instruction when I
need it.
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One of the words/principles that I desire to embody when I become a youngster is
worthy. I want to prove that I have earned my right to graduate from being a plebe and to
begin to make the transition from follower to leader. As a plebe and a follower now, I have a
very hard time respecting leaders who appear unfit or undeserving of their position. Therefore,
when my peers talk about the person I was as a plebe, I want them to remember that I did my job
as a fourth class midshipman to the utmost of my abilities and that I have done everything I
might instruct the class of 2017 to do.
I arrived at this attribute by considering my desire to lead by example. By being seen as a
worthy and suited leader, I will prove to my subordinates that I can and have done the things that
I ask of them. To me, the concept of being worthy is simply a different an example of leadership
by example. For instance, when I ask a plebe as a youngster to memorize I menu, I want him to
know that as a plebe, I did my job and memorized my rates. If he believes that when I was a
plebe, I did not know my required knowledge, it is unlikely that he will listen to my instructions
when I tell him to do something that I did not.
Another principle I hope to embody is the ability to communicate effectively with my
subordinates, peers, and superiors. Whether it is through a medium or direct confrontation,
communication is the key to understanding what the people around me think. Without the ability
to communicate with my subordinates, there is no possible way for me to understand their goals.
If I cannot understand with their goals are and the difficulties they may be experiencing, it will
be virtually impossible for me to help my plebes.
As a leader, I believe that it is my responsibility to initiate communication with my
subordinates. If I simply assume that they will come to me with all of their problems, I run the
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risk of overlooking a subordinate who might be too shy or embarrassed to ask for help. For
example, there may be a plebe who is struggling with a certain class, such as chemistry. He may
require help that I can provide, but if I do not know that he is struggling with that class, I will
never offer my assistance. His failure or success is part of my responsibility as a leader, and I
will have failed him if I do not give him the help he needs.
The third principle I want to uphold is the abolishment of complacency. Complacency
and satisfaction with an individuals current state can be dangerous, since it prevents one from
improving his character or abilities. The lack of complacency and the desire to raise ones
expectations is not a concept that can be forced on someone. Rather, it must be instilled in an
individual so that they wholeheartedly believe that there is always a way in which they can
become a better sailor.
This principle is related to my goal to be an ambitious leader. Ambition is nearly the
exact opposite of complacency. If I can convince my subordinates to never become complacent,
then I will succeed in my goal of creating an ambitious environment.
For example, there may be a particularly physically gifted plebe who can max the PRT
fairly easily. He is obviously in much better shape than the average midshipman, and may feel
that it is okay for him to not work out that much. However, no matter how many pushups he can
do or how fast he is, he can always improve his physical fitness in some manner. I hope to
encourage him to continue to improve every day even when he is already at a high level of
performance.
In conclusion, my goal is to become a leader that will earn the respect and trust of my
subordinates, whether they are in the military or not. I plan to achieve this goal by utilizing all of
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my talents to improve myself until I am worthy of becoming a leader. Once I have earned this
right, I will lead by example in matters of respect, courage, and hard work. If I can meet the
goals that I have set for myself, and live up to my own principles, I believe that I can accomplish
my goal.

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Bibliography
Clifton, Donald, Edward Anderson, and Laurie Schreiner. StrengthsQuest. Gallup Press,
2006. Print.
Adamshick, Mark, et al. Preparing to Lead. Pearson Learning Solutions, 2010. Print.