First Principles Friday: The Best Leaders Have a Ruling Philosophy

“An important place to begin in philosophy is this: a clear perception of one’s own ruling.” — Epictetus

When I reported for duty in the Navy after completion of training, it was the first real test of my leadership ability. I was assigned to be the Machinery & Propulsion Assistant, the Division Officer in charge of the nuclear machinery division of about 20 or so Navy nuclear-trained mechanics. It was daunting. Here I was, a 20-something Navy officer, with no real-world experience leading a team of highly trained subject matter experts with more knowledge on everything submarine related than me. In an effort to quickly win over the team and build trust (or at least what I thought of as trust), I did whatever I could to endear them to me. I was focused on getting them to like me and this created a trend I continued to follow. Instead of upholding standards and instilling the discipline required of the job, I worried more about being their “friend.” As you can imagine, this trend led me down the wrong path and I quickly lost my effectiveness as a leader.