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Civilian presenters included MCU s Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson; Dr. Jonathan Shay, author of Achilles in Vietnam (Scribner, 1994); Harvard University's Professor Sarah Sewall; Wars of Blood and Faith (Stackpole Books, 2007) author, Ralph Peters; Air University's Remy Mauduit; and author of Blood Stripes (Stackpole Books, 2006), David J. Danelo. Echoing a theme discussed by Col Doug Fairfield, these NCOs asserted that peer influence and followership are keys to influencing one's organization.\n The benefits of honesty always outweigh the potential for damage. * Younger Marines must realize the capacity to compromise operational security when using new technologies. * Blogging and personal networking pages3 affect the public's view of the Corps.
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The 2008 Russell Leadership Conference
Your organization competes in a dangerous, often lethal, field of endeavor. You realize that it must adapt to new threats without losing touch with the roots of its success. What do you do?
a. Gather your top executives for a strategy session.
b. Hire a consulting firm to divine the road ahead.
c. Let your newest, youngest leaders tell you how to do it.
If you answered "a," you could be an executive at any one of America's big corporations. If you answered "b," your organization could be any one of hundreds that take advice from the likes of Booze Alien Hamilton or other purveyors of expertise. If you answered "c," you could be the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Introduction
The 2008 Russell Leadership Conference resulted from recommendations of the Commandant's 2007 Values and Ethics Working Group held at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Bringing corporals and sergeants from every part of the Corps to Quantico, the conference's advertised capacity was 200 participants. Enthusiastic response among noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and their leaders in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Japan caused attendance to swell beyond 230.
Previous Russell Conferences employed groups of senior officers and senior staff NCOs (SNCOs) to address leadership issues that impacted NCOs. The 2008 Russell Leadership Conference was the first-ever conference in which Marine NCOs were not represented by proxy. Accordingly, the 2008 Russell Leadership Conference adopted a theme recently articulated by the Commandant of the Marine Corps: NCOs will win this war.
The conference included an ambitious blend of hard skills training, collegiate lecture, and gaming. Throughout the conference, the Lejeune Leadership Institute (LLI) staff took notes and actively sought out NCO perceptions on issues, such as mentoring and core values. Senior NCOs presenting at the conference included SgtMaj Carlton W. Kent; SgtsMaj Richard A. Hawkins and Charles D. "Doug" Castle, Marine Corps University (MCU); and IstSgt Jean-Paul Courville, Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island. Civilian presenters included MCU s Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson; Dr. Jonathan Shay, author of Achilles in Vietnam (Scribner, 1994); Harvard University's Professor Sarah Sewall; Wars of Blood and Faith (Stackpole Books, 2007) author, Ralph Peters; Air University's Remy Mauduit; and author of Blood Stripes (Stackpole Books, 2006), David J. Danelo.
The desired end state of the conference was to accelerate internalization of our core values among NCOs, to provide attendees the newest LLI products to use in their units, and to use conference lessons learned at MCU schools and in publications. Where the latter two parts of the end state could be achieved within days of the conference, the first required a "seed planting" effort that will result in slow but tangible change as Marines continue to grow within the culture of the Corps.
Some Lessons Learned
The conference's organizers at the LLI listened when NCOs spoke and asked them question after question, before, during, and after the conference. In the same Values and Ethics Survey administered to over 1,200 Marines in the fall of 2007, the NCOs impressed us. Conference participants expressed higher expectations of themselves and their peers, greater acceptance of the core values, and a greater sense of activism and ownership of their responsibilities than indicated by their peers in the fall 2007 survey. Some highlights follow.
Ownership of the men toring process. Mentoring and core values were the focus of two events at the conference. In the first, groups of 25 participants met with Marines from the staffs of MCRDs Parris Island and San Diego, Officer Candidates School, and The Basic School to take part in discussing how Marines instruct the core values. Underpinning their work was a desire to provide clearer, more consistent instruction.
In 202 surveys collected, Russell participants were asked to define the words honor, courage, and commitment in their own words. Their responses were organized by the occurrence of certain key words in each definition. The results appear in Table 1. A minority of responses could be considered "in the ball park," but consistency was the exception. (Note: before judging, try to recall verbatim the definition of honor that appears in Mar'me Corps Reference Publication 6-1 IB w/Change 1 (MCRP 6-11 B), Marine Corps Values A User's Guide for Discussion Leaders. Hint: it occupies about one-half page of single-spaced text!1 Do you insist that the definition of honor is shorter than that? Another definition of honor, appearing on page 2-7 of the same publication is a mere 75 words long. Although both descriptions of honor are noteworthy, they aren't very succinct and our Marines aren't taking away the same points from the fragments they can recall.)
Fifty-eight percent of those present indicated they understood and felt well prepared to instruct core values definitions. Eight-one percent indicated they were ready to evaluate Marines on their use of the core values as daily principles in life. In spite of this confidence, only 48 percent felt their subordinates understood and embraced the core values. (see Tables 2, 3, and 4.)
Activism and professionalism. The prevailing spirit among Russell participants-and, by implication, NCOs throughout the Corps-was one of activism. They enjoy challenge, welcome responsibility, and chafe at what they perceive as arbitrary restraints on their initiative. These Marines joined a wartime Corps that has struggled in peacetime to create such NCOs.
Activist sentiment permeated the conference's many discussions. Whether the speaker at the rostrum was a young academic or die Commandant, Marines inevitably voiced their desire for more audiority, more latitude, and opportunities for positions of greater trust and confidence. With these opportunities, many argued, they would be able to exert a positive influence on the Corps.
While this desire for empowerment was inspiring, more inspiring still was a frequent rejoinder from other NCOs at the conference. This group asserted that NCOs, by virtue of their rank, needed nothing more than initiative. Echoing a theme discussed by Col Doug Fairfield, these NCOs asserted that peer influence and followership are keys to influencing one's organization.2 It is my observation that most NCOs want more opportunities to lead than they are given. Many see opportunities to lead in the absence of direction and stand ready to influence their peers in this positive manner.
Shaw me. Picture a small, blue collar Missouri community whose citizens there get to work early, roll up their sleeves, get things done, and go home late. When foreign tourists pass through town, folks are polite but hold the tourists at arm's length. Missouri is, after all, the "Show Me" state, where credibility is earned. In this town there is no substitute for a proven work ethic and familiar ways.
The civilian presenters at the Russell Leadership Conference thought they were going to a venue in Northern Virginia but found themselves in a figurative Missouri. The Marines in the audience were polite and gave their full attention to the presentation at hand but voiced skepticism that appeared to be rooted in the cultural divide between the presenter and the audience. My observation is that the bond between Marines was a factor in the perceptual divide between these Marines and civilians. While cohesion between Marines is a major factor in combat effectiveness, it should not come at the expense of the Marine's bond to the civilian or, more importantly, to the Constitution.
Military officers presenting at the conference suffered much less scrutiny. They understood the culture of the audience as no outsider could. One group of presenters, however, enjoyed an even warmer reception. When SNCOs took the stage, they were immediately regarded as credible and authentic. "I believe a SNCO should have taught this class," said one NCO. "Some NCOs cannot relate to some officers when it comes to trust and looking out for one another."
Marine NCOs, like the fictional Missourans above, feel there is no substitute for leaders who have walked dieir walk, borne their burdens, and lived alongside them. My observation-as the Corps wrestles with distributed operations concepts, it must take care to recognize the vital contribution to cohesion provided by SNCOs.
Internet presence. "We've had a schedule change," said SgtMaj Doug Castle, "we're now getting on the buses at 1700 vice 1630." Although more than 200 Marines appeared motionless, the auditorium echoed with soft, staccato tones. "Put the cell phones down," Castle spoke one word at a time, slowly, like a television cop talking to a cornered gunman. Without uttering a word, dozens of the conference's Marines had warned friends and family that their training day had grown longer.
These multitasking young Marines, who came of age after 2000, are referred to as Millennial by most. Col John Keenan, USMC(Ret), Marine Corps Gazette's editor, uses another term-"Digital Natives." Keenan points out that older Americans learned the art of digital communications as adults, making them "Digital Immigrants." Digital Natives, however, incorporated these skills and behaviors as children. The implication is that immigrants need to learn the ways of the natives. Col Keenan participated in one of Russell's most talked about panels, which focused on Marines in the digital domain. During the sometimes heated discussion, many points came to the fore:
* Older Marines must acknowledge the permanent, fundamental change in communications brought on by cellular communications and Internet publishing. They must adapt to better exploit these technologies without attempting to curtail their use.
* Older Marines must strive to maintain the Corps' longstanding dedication to honesty. Internally, honesty facilitates learning. Externally, honesty maintains the strength of the bonds between the Corps and the American people. The benefits of honesty always outweigh the potential for damage.
* Younger Marines must realize the capacity to compromise operational security when using new technologies.
* Blogging and personal networking pages3 affect the public's view of the Corps. The content posted on these pages by Marines should be reviewed by seniors and considered part ofthat Marine's 24/7 conduct.
* Fragments, or "sound bites," of words written by Marines can be misused to make widespread and mischaracterized claims about their opinions.4
As one panelist observed:
The Marine Corps needs to figure out what we're going to do about the internet. Right now, it's akin to 'Don't ask-don't tell.' We must do better than this, especially when our enemy is using the internet so effectively.
Leadership. The Marine NCO s ability to lead is unquestioned. However, we should consider sentiments expressed by the NCOs at the Russell Leadership Conference and ask ourselves a few questions about leadership instruction in general and, in a few instances, our instruction on combat leadership.
Table 3. Prepared to evaluate my Marines on core values.Table 4. How well subordinates understand core values and apply them.
Although leadership is a topic covering a wide array of issues involving the influence of one person over another, the Marines at the conference displayed a tendency to discuss standards of appearance and conduct whenever leadership was the topic. They mentioned tactics and combat leadership far less frequently. Is this tendency the result of formal instruction? Perhaps not. When asked who had been to a corporals leadership course, sergeants resident course, or infantry squad leader course, fewer than 10 percent in the audience raised their hands.
One panelist at the counterinsurgency leadership panel noted that NCOs initially made several comments asserting the need to dehumanize the enemy in order to help condition Marines to kill. Although this sentiment is consistent with LTC David Grossman's focus in On Killing (Little, Brown and Company, 1995), Dr. Jonathan Shay, author of Achilles in Vietnam, would caution that dehumanizing the enemy leads to far more severe cases of posttraumatic stress disorder and becomes a factor in killing rages that underpin some war crimes.
The lesson learned is that we must remain mindful of the NCO s great capacity for learning. If we do not provide deliberate instruction and endorse formal professional military education (PME), these Marines will learn on their own, sometimes in ways that are not consistent with their personal best interests or the best interests of the Corps.
Conclusions
LLI's Leadership Programs section believes this year's theme-NCOs will win this war-ably addressed an issue that is central to the Commandant's concerns for our warfighting abilities. Although the 2008 Russell Leadership Conference's effects will be difficult to measure, the exit surveys returned to LLI indicate enthusiastic reactions to the conference. As is frequently the case, the conference's presenters intended to teach but learned much more from their audience. These NCOs impressed us and provided food for thought that we hope will influence PME and training for some time to come.
Notes
1. MCRP 6-11B, Marine Corps Values A User's Guide for Discussion Leaders, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, DC, 1998, p. 2-2.
2. Col Douglas Fairfield presented his 2007 Hogaboom Leadership Writing Contest submission, "Empowered Followership," Marine Corps Gazette, November 2007, to the Marines.
3. MySpace and Facebook are two of the more popular personal networking pages. When a panelist asked the audience who had a personal networking web page, over 75 percent raised their hands.
4. The Washington Times recently published a small portion of one Marine's comments about an Iraq deployment, turning his observation about the effects of political speech into a commentary on certain political parties.
by LtCol Michael Parkyn
LtCol Parkyn is currently assigned to the Lejeune Leadership Institute.
Copyright Marine Corps Association Nov 2008