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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – More than 40 staff non-commissioned officers from 1st Marine Logistics Group participated in a leadership workshop here, Jan. 13.
The workshop is a weeklong course, hosted by 1st MLG’s equal opportunity team, designed to sharpen the leader¬ship skills of SNCOs using role-playing games, classes and guided discussions, explained Gunnery Sgt. Craig Ranney, equal opportunity advisor, 1st MLG.
“This is the chance for us to learn from each other,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Waukita Lewis, leading petty of¬ficer, 22 Area Regimental Aid Station, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Ma-rine Logistics Group. “Everyone has a different style of mentoring their subordi¬nates. By learning the different styles of leadership and using it to figure out what works best for me and what doesn’t, I can add this knowledge to what I know and create my own style.”
One of the key points of the course is the discrimination and power exercise, where the seasoned Marines were re¬minded of what it felt like to be at the bottom of the food chain.
The exercise divided the participants into three groups - triangles, circles and squares, explained Ranney, 37, from Silver Lake Village, Ohio. The groups were set up to resemble the different ranks of the Marine Corps with each one possessing a different level of power.
“These groups are direct reflections of society and of the Marine Corps rank structure,” said Ranney. “We need to re¬mind them what they can do to help their junior Marines move forward.”
The junior Marines were represent¬ed by the triangles, explained Ranney. Triangles had no power, they weren’t allowed to talk or move out of their for¬mation unless being spoken to. Circles, were the NCOs; they were allowed to talk, but they had to stay in their seats. Squares, represented the SNCOs and were free to do as they pleased.
Like the rank structure, there’s a re¬quirement that must be met in order for an individual to move up into the next group, said Ranney. The rules of the exercise were given vaguely to participants on purpose so they could interpret it however they’d like. The squares knew the rules of the game, but it was up to them whether they wanted to share the information with everyone or not.
“This is frustrating for most of them,” said Ranney. “These are SNCOs. They’re not used to being told what they can and cannot do. It reminds them of how much power they have and how easy it is for them to abuse it once they get to the top because they don’t ever want to lose their position in the group. They keep the information to themselves to stay ahead.”
This exercise is designed to remind them how frustrating it can be as a junior Marine or sailor. Often times the young Marines don’t receive all of the informa¬tion. They’re asked to perform a task, but they don’t understand the reasons behind it and can’t ask questions, said Ranney.
“Most of the time, they are confused and afraid to ask questions because they don’t want to get yelled at or they’ve been yelled at before,” said Ranney. “The exercise stressed the importance of good leadership and communication with the junior Marines. Sometimes we forget how much power we have over them and we tend to go overboard with it. As leaders, we must know the strengths and weaknesses of our Marines so we can help them improve.”
Lewis, from Columbia, S.C., said the course was a good refresher on what SNCOs need to be doing at all times. Better communication within the unit would not only make the operation run smoother, but it would also help keep the morale higher.
“It’s a great course,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew Bilbrey, tank mechanic, Com¬bat Logistics Battalion 7, Combat Lo¬gistics Regiment 1, 1st MLG. “It opens our minds to different ways to deal with diversity as the Marine Corps is a very diverse organization.”
Attending the exercise for the second time, this time as an observer, Bilbrey, 27, from Detroit, Mich., saw it clearly from a different point of view.
“It’s definitely a lot easier looking at it than going through it,” said Bilbrey. “Be¬fore, I was mad throughout the exercise because information was kept from me, and I had no chance to advance. Now seeing it from a different perspective, I understand the reason behind the ex¬ercise. It wasn’t designed to make you mad; it was designed to show you the danger of having too much power and forgetting where you came from.”
“Rank is a tool to serve others, not a weapon to serve self,” said Ranney.
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.09.2011 12:49 |
| Story ID: | 66724 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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