Marine Corps Leadership Principles and Traits for Project Managers
Leadership in Project Management
People know The United States Marine Corps for breeding and developing Marines into leaders. With the addition of the Space Force, the Marine Corps is now the 2nd smallest branch within the Armed Services, but the Marine Leader stands out amongst the US Military.
Why is this?
From the outset of a Marine’s career, instructors and mentors instill the 14 leadership Traits and 11 leadership principles in the Marines mind. This ensures a robust groundwork for leadership within the Marine. These leadership principles then become deeply routed in their minds as they undergo testing in both academic, training, and combat.
And these principles do not only apply to Marines who lead other Marines. They are also practical leadership standards for leading peers and seniors alike.
Project Managers need to know how to lead. It is the nature of their work to lead teams as they strive towards project success. So why not get tips from the world’s premier military force, which has leadership as one of its strongest capabilities?
Even within Agile Project Management, “Servant Leader” describes the Agile Project Manager’s role on a project.
Leadership is at the heart of project management. Therefore, it would benefit Project Managers to learn from the US Marine Corps’ proficiency in leadership basics.
14 Leadership Traits and 11 Leadership Principles, USMC Style
The Marine Corps Leadership Traits
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Justice: This is being fair and consistent; whether rewarding or punishing, you must be consistent in your actions.
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Judgment: This is thinking about things calmly and orderly, allowing you to make sound and timely decisions for your team.
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Dependability: To be dependable, you must prove yourself for reliability of your duties with maximum effort.
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Initiative: Here, you take action before being told what to do.
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Decisiveness: This is when you weigh all the facts around you, taking them into account, allowing you to make a reliable decision.
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Tact: You should always treat others respectfully and never intentionally offend them. Tact is the ability to deal with people, maintain good relationships, and avoid problems.
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Integrity: Always, no matter what, be honest and truthful in whatever you say and do.
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Enthusiasm: This is where you show sincere excitement and interest in your work and your team.
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Bearing: Your manner defines who you are. To improve your bearing, be alert, competent, confident, and control your emotions.
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Unselfishness: Give credit when credit is due. Sometimes, this means taking the time to give credit to your team members rather than yourself.
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Courage: Here, you can mentally recognize fear or danger (e.g., presenting to management, briefing the CEO) and proceed to make the presentation. This is also when you stand up against what is wrong.
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Knowledge: Your professional knowledge of yourself and your employees/team members creates credibility.
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Loyalty: This is being faithful to your management, your peers, and your subordinates.
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Endurance: Having the mental stamina to withstand fatigue, stress, and hard times is a great sign of a leader.
The Marine Corps Leadership Principles
Know Yourself and Seek Self-Improvement:
A responsible leader examines themselves to understand their strengths and weaknesses. They should always be open to justified and constructive criticism of their work and suggestions for improvement.
Then, they will use what they learn from this examination to perform self-improvement tasks like reading, taking a course, or seeking a mentor.
Be Technically and Tactically Proficient:
Professionally, to be a responsible leader, you want to gain credibility by being technically and tactically proficient in your work and how you treat your subordinates.
Know Your Marines & Look Out For Their Welfare:
Coach and mentor your team – always look for their welfare and development.
Actively seek ways to find the self-improvement courses required for your team to learn who they are and how to improve themselves.
Keep Your Marines Informed:
A good leader does not keep secrets from their team. Keep your team up to speed on what the organization is doing and where they are going.
Set The Example
You cannot expect your team to be honest, hardworking, high-performing, and meet the above-stated leadership traits if you are not yourself. Setting an example is a critical principle for effective leadership.
Ensure That The Task Is Understood, Supervised, & Accomplished
Communicate effectively with your team. When assigning tasks, ensure they are understood, you supervise the action, and it is accomplished per what you communicated in the beginning. If there are changes, communicate this quickly as well.
Train Your Marines As A Team
Always look for ways to train your team together and let them learn and develop through experiences with each other.
Make Sound & Timely Decisions
When you need to decide, do not kick the can down the road; be decisive, show tact, and make the decision.
Develop A Sense Of Responsibility Among Your Subordinates
If your goal is to develop your team, you need to give them additional responsibility and challenging assignments that create an environment they can grow in.
Employ Your Command Within Its Capabilities
Returning to Know Yourself and Seek Self Improvement, know your limitations and employ your team.
Do not be afraid to say so if you get to a point where you do not know the answer. Let your team know and guide them in finding the right solution.
Seek Responsibilities & Take Responsibility
Seeking responsibilities is the only way you will grow, so seek responsibility often and challenge yourself in the process.
Whenever you are given responsibility, take it seriously, use your leadership traits, and show what type of leader you are!
Applying Marine Leadership to Project Management
Leadership traits and principles are not something you need to hold yourself accountable for achieving day after day—they are, instead, areas you can use for personal and professional goals and expectations. You use these to grow as a leader and to train your subordinates’ leadership skills.
For project managers, Marine leadership traits and principles provide a framework for becoming leaders who set the example while taking over challenging tasks and pushing their teams to complete their deliverables successfully.
When these leadership traits and principles are applied, confidence is developed with subordinates and management, building cohesive teams that can successfully complete their task.
Using these leadership traits and principles for your team framework emphasizes adaptability and decision-making across your teams. You can rely on them to make sound and timely decisions because you are making sound and timely decisions.
The Marine Corps has proven the effectiveness of these in highly stressful combat situations, meaning they can easily be used in fast-paced, highly stressful project lifecycles.
Training and Development
Capable leaders are rarely born but are developed – which is where leadership traits and principles come into play. Marines are taught and required to memorize them during initial training, but their leadership training doesn’t stop there.
Throughout their career, Marines are challenged with new leadership challenges and various leadership academies. Attending or virtually participating in this leadership training is required for promotion.
Project Managers should do the same. Earning the title PMP, Agile PM, Risk Manager, etc., is only the beginning. Sustainability education and leadership development are also needed.
Through personal and professional development programs, project managers can train.
Personal and Professional Development
Individuals striving to lead need to have their own personal and professional development plans as leaders.
Personal development tips are:
Read books on effective leadership from experienced leaders
Find a mentor
Take a course (online or in person) to upskill your leadership
This is great for both new and experienced leaders. Either way, if you find a way to challenge yourself, you will continue to grow.
Volunteer in your local community, church, and youth organizations
Professional development tips are:
Read books on effective leadership within your line of work
Read professional forums
Find a professional mentor
Talk to your leader and ask for additional opportunities to lead your team
Take on additional responsibility in your team and amongst your peers
Leadership can be natural for some people – but everyone must continue to learn.
Mentorship
In the Marine Corps, we have mentorship programs that allow junior Marines to engage with those senior to them. These programs promote growth and morale while improving future generations of the Marine Corps.
In Christopher Gross’s article, “A Better Approach to Mentorship”, he states:
The evidence is clear: 75% of executives credit their success to mentors and recent research shows that 90% of employees with a career mentor are happy at work
Finding a Mentor is one of the above personal and professional tips. Since joining the civilian world, I’ve been surprised by how much mentorship is more of a commodity than a mandatory resource.
If you are thinking about looking for a mentor or have someone in mind, check out What’s the Right Way to Find a Mentor? by Janet T. Phan. Sometimes, the easiest way to find a mentor is just asking.
If you are already a leader, you should consider becoming a mentor. You learn just as much from mentoring as you do from being a mentee.
Being a mentor can sound intimidating or like too much responsibility as it is a personal time commitment. This will all work itself out once you see your mentee succeed and you gain the greatest reward of all, the reward of accomplishing good for another person.
Wrapping It Up
So, for project managers to learn from the United States Marine Corps, they need to:
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Learn and apply the Marine Corps Leadership Principles
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Learn and apply the Marine Corps Leadership Traits
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Train and develop your leadership through personal and professional leadership training
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Find or become a mentor
Project managers can glean invaluable insights from the leadership principles and traits instilled in the United States Marine Corps. By embracing these principles and embodying the traits, project managers can establish themselves as exemplary leaders who inspire confidence and drive success within their teams.
Applying Marine Corps leadership principles and traits fosters adaptability and sound decision-making, essential attributes in navigating the complexities of project management. Just as Marines continuously hone their leadership skills through training and mentorship, project managers must prioritize personal and professional development to cultivate effective leadership.
By embracing mentorship opportunities and committing to ongoing growth, project managers can elevate their leadership capabilities and steer their teams toward mission accomplishment.
By adopting Marine Corps leadership principles, project managers can lead with integrity, decisiveness, and a steadfast commitment to excellence, propelling their teams to achieve remarkable results without stepping foot in Boot Camp.
-Russ Parker
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