On Bearing and Trump

Bearing.It's one of the Leadership Traits as taught to Marines. Bearing is how you present yourself. When you walk into a room your presence should fill it. Bearing means that you exude the qualities people look for in a leader. In a military leader it is the qualities that help to get your people to follow you into places that sane people steer clear of. In a political leader it means projecting honesty, empathy, wisdom, and the ability to get things done with subtle charm. Bearing can also be acting. Just because you come across as a nice guy without a dishonest bone in your body doesn't mean you are. The world is full of snake charmers who convinced others in hundreds of intangible ways that they were the real deal.

What did Bearing have to do with the recent election? How about now? How is President Trump's Bearing helping or hurting him? During the election he projected exactly the persona needed to bring the apathetic and marginalized out to vote and shockingly derail the Clinton's manifest destiny. Even if you don't like Trump, I don't, if you opposed her then it was a thing of beauty. 

But now the President is displaying the same #Snoflake bearing that spoiled, thin skinned, and overly protected college kids are projecting. If you are critical of him then you can stand by to be assaulted by him personally on Twitter. So, if you think that today's liberals are a bunch of whining losers who need to grow the hell up ... you better think that of the President as well.

Now is the time for him to excoriate his opponents and visciously remind the media that they are there to report the news without bias. He should embark on a scorched earth, take-no-prisoners, diatribe to point out everything he will be working to dismantle, destroy, or improve. Let his supporters see it and revel in it. Then he should tell those supporters that it is time to shift gears. It is time to extend the hand of friendship to the utterly defeated foe and give them an opportunity to grow up and get on board with (his words) making America great again.

In short it is time for President Trump to become Presidential. It is time to take his strategic plan and implement it using tactics that will work. Because even if you believe in him (and I don't) he is not going to be effective if he continues to act like the spoiled little college brats that are rioting because they are not getting their way.

Filed under #LeadershipFail 

Technorati Tags: politics Leadership

It's Time For A Political Reboot

O

h I am sooooo very sick of politics. So, this installment of Reboot America themed articles ( the first is here) will talk about the character of the people we elect. It is time, past time, to demand that our elected leaders be men and women of character. It is time to differentiate Statesmen from mere politicians. This will be a long read. So, gather your beverages, take a deep breath, and read on please.

In the sixties, I was a kid and we all wanted to be one of three things. We wanted to be President, an Astronaut, or a Marine. I got the best of the three deals. Today, I know kids who still idolize Astronauts and people in all kinds of uniform. I don’t know a kid that wants to be President. That’s pretty sad. I can’t prove it, but I think the stench of political corruption has finally permeated down to the point that even grade schoolers know that “politician” isn’t a word that inspires images of trust and selfless service.

The first thing I would propose is a Constitutional Amendment that mandates integrity and honorable character be demanded of our federally elected officials. I don’t mean something vague like “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” either. I mean an amendment along the lines of “Any elected Member of the United States Government, or Member of an Appointed Federal Judiciary suspected of violations of the current code of ethical conduct will be removed of his or her official duties during the duration of an investigation of said allegation. If said allegation is substantiated, the member shall be removed from office and where applicable referred to appropriate judicial proceedings for prosecution.”

The next thing we must lobby for is the complete revision of the rules used in each house of Congress to define and investigate ethics complaints. Like the Constitution itself, if you get to make the rules, you should at least try to live by them. Currently, the process of identification and investigation takes entirely too long. The Office of Congressional Ethics, for the 2nd Qtr of 2012, conducted 32 preliminary reviews. Of those 32, 10 were sent on to the actual House Ethics Committee for further review. The OCE was a great idea by Pelosi in order to drain the swamp as it were. But it is a ‘civilian’ committee with nothing more than the authority to tell the HEC that they should or should not pursue an investigation. So, what happened to those ten cases sent from OCE to HEC?

The House Ethics Committee has swallowed them up. There is no easy to find information of what or who the allegations pertained to or progress of investigations. The best I could easily find were three press releases on the HEC website. I read one of them and noted that Rep Waters was personally cleared of violating house rules. One of her employees was issued a “Letter of Reproof”. More on that later.

Finally, even in cases of egregious misconduct, House Members are rarely hit with more than a “Sanction”. For all it’s ominous sounds, a sanction is nothing more than a public slap on the wrist. From there it is up to the Justice Department to determine if they wish to pursue a criminal action.

For brevities sake I omitted the Senate. I strongly feel that we need an amendment to remove the self-policing action of either house, the judiciary, or the executive branch. The process needs to be brutally swift, decisive, and draconian on those who violate the peoples special trust and confidence.

Remember Rep. Waters employee who received a “letter of reproof”? I’d say that the wrong person was punished. I’d say that as a Leader, Rep Waters is responsible for everything done or not done in her name. I’d say that her employee is accountable to her, and to the law when required, but that she and she alone should bear the official blame.

To be a Leader, one must strive to be unique in that matters of character do not surface. Each of the uniformed services clearly sets a standard for every leader from the most junior (Corporals, Petty Officers) to the most senior (Generals, Admirals). Amazingly the standard is the same. If we can expect such a high level of performance from our 19 year old Corporals, we damn sure should expect it from our elected officials. Leadership Traits for Congress as well as Leadership Principles for Congress explores the military leadership standard and how it can translate to better elected leaders. I submit that if we are people of integrity we will want to hold our elected leaders as close to these standards as humanly possible regardless of party affiliation. I actually dare you to read the two articles, then do a mental matchup and see how your current Presidential favorite stacks up. If he or she doesn’t measure up; do you have the moral courage to not vote for him or her? Remember, voting in the lesser of two evils is still supporting evil.

The final part of this reboot involves the President of the United States personally. He or She really isn’t the long term leader of the nation. That is Congress. He or She cannot really influence the law. That is the Judiciary. But, He or She has their finger on the button. The POTUS is the person who determines when, where, and how your friends and neighbors die all over the globe. The POTUS determines when, where, and how our enemies and the noncombatants they hide behind die all over the globe. The POTUS has the power to unconditionally pardon mass murderers if he so chooses. Someone with that much immediate power must be held to an even higher standard than those under his command.

I propose another Constitutional Amendment. This time it is for a vote of no confidence and removal from office to be initiated by the States themselves. I envision any state drafting a letter of no-confidence. Then the letter is sent to all the other state legislatures via the senior of the two Senators. Why? Because per the Constitution, the Senate is the voice of the States as opposed to the people.

Once this letter is received, each state legislature and Governor will debate it and either approve, ignore, or reject it. If a supermajority of States approve the letter of no confidence then it is delivered to the Congress stating that the President has been declared unfit for continued service. At that point the Amendment would grant the House of Representatives the option of drafting Articles of Impeachment. If the House declined or ignored the States declaration (silence equaling contempt or consent), then the States themselves would convene its’ own version of the Senate court to try the President with the ultimate penalty being removal from office. It would require a three-fourths majority to convict. And, as in the case of impeachment trials now, would not be subject to judicial review.

There’s a point to the alternate impeachment amendment, or simply revising the relevant parts of Article I, II, and III. It’s purpose would be to ensure that a partisan Congress could not ignore egregious violations from the executive by virtue of numbers in office and political party affiliation.

I would leave you with one last thought. It is often said we get the government we deserve. It is said that the government is a reflection of the people and the times. If this is true; what does it say about us?

If there is not a Disqus comment box at the end of this post, click the title and one will appear.

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Integrity

Integrity matters, more than any other single leadership or character trait that I can imagine. Lack of integrity leads to misery, ruin, and sometimes people die. Lack of integrity is a hallmark of our elected officials. Lack of integrity is also a hallmark of our military leaders that have been placed into the media spotlight for sexual misconduct of all types. My question to everyone is why we tolerate this state of affairs? How is it that we accept such poor examples for ourselves and our kids?

Having integrity means that you can trust someone to have your back. And lack of integrity means that while you're moving forward you have to constantly be scanning around you to make sure the person guarding your back is still there. Look at your elected officials. Do you actually expect them to tell the truth, mean what they say, and execute the promises that they made before you elected them? If you do, great, you are not falling for the tyranny of low expectations. If you don't, then you need to evaluate the standard to which you hold your leaders to. If there is not a Disqus comment box at the end of this post, click the title one will appear.

For more information: Integrity Politics

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Americans Elect 2012 Review and Comments

I'm always spouting off about being or getting involved. Even if you don't agree with me you should be engaged in your world and the movers and shakers. A new, to me anyway, method is Americans Elect 2012. I looked it up and signed up just to see what it was all about.

Essentially the site is going to do the things needed to get a non-partizan candidate for President and Vice-President on the ballot in all fifty states. It will do this by havign registered voteres sign up, answer questions about thier views, and vote in an online convention. The winner of the vote will be placed on the ballot in all fifty states. The site believes it will break the gridlock of partisan politics.

Overall I think the site has merit. I think that if their sales pitch actually works it could, over time, become a focus of a growing debate. So, I will see it through just to find out if I am right or not.

After answering 136 questions (there are more but my clicker was asking for overtime cash) I stumbled across one that floored me. Remember that everyone on the site is supposed to be a registered voter. That means they care and actually participate in the process. Your answer, weighted based on priorites you establish, is factored into all the other answers so you get a national and state average.

The Question was: Which of the statements below is closest to your personal view?

The results were:

Option and % Of Answers	Answers
A 13%	It is very important to stick to principles
B 18%	It is more important for politicians in Congress to stick to the principles and values on which they campaigned
C 67%	It is more important for politicians in Congress to work with members of the other party and make consensus policy
D 2%	Unsure

That tells me that I am wasting my breath talking about character. It appears to me that 67% of the registered voters who have been to the site would knowingly elect crooks and liars as long as they reach across the aisle and come to a consensus.

It's no wonder that an Ethics Challenged for Speaker who moonlighted as a Serial Adulterer is gaining in the polls.

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Character Counts in Politics

The Presidency is not merely a political figurehead. The person holding the office is supposed to be a leader. And, if you cannot trust the fundamental character of a leader you need a new leader.As a child, it used to be common for kids to say "I want to be President when I grow up". The President was someone we were supposed to admire for all the right reasons and chief among them was the persons character. A list of Leadership Traits and Principles used to train Marines quantify the importance of character in a leader.

To put a point on it, the name of the game is character. The word itself has positive and negative aspects. If you say, "That George, he's such a character" the impression is often good. But, tell someone that they are not real, they are "just playing a character"; and depending on context it could be a bad thing. Then there is character in the form of the gestalt of personality traits and quirks that often defines if one is perceived as a good and moral person.

Mitt Romney, as a person, appears to be a man of character. I've seen nothing to indicate that he is anything but a loving father and husband. He is devout in his faith. As a person of high morals I'd say that he is a man of good character. Politically I cannot endorse him since he reminds me of the typical chamelion politician. But that is a professional observation.

Newt, on the other hand, is the opposite of Romney. Newt is a great politician. But, his character stinks. He is a serial adulterer, his ethics are atrocious, and a he's moral hypocrite to boot. I used to be a fan back in the day until his (now) obvious character flaws came to light.

Ron Paul appears to have the character of Romney in his personal life. Politically, his character is one of consistency over about thirty years. So, I can vote for him instead of simply against President Obama.

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Leadership over Politics - Please

We are clearly in the opening rounds, the preseason if you will, of the 2012 Presidential race. Whoo hoo, so far I like the NFL preseason better. Right now we need to be looking at the candidates and deciding if anyone is a true leader as opposed to a politician. Let the rant begin.

Who in the field will step up and tell the Congress to stop the petty nonsense and deliver some results not tied to a lobbyests wet dream. Anyone? Bueller... Bueller...

So far I have a small bit of faith that Ron Paul could be such a leader. But, I have very little faith that the middle of the country will vote him in. Most just don't care as long as thier pet tax break or program is unimpeded. The other candidates so far appear to be merely politicians to me. But, I am slowly learning more on each in order to be fair.

If you are reading this I have a challenge for you. Figure out your top three issues and sell them to three people in your neighborhood or workplace that you don't talk politics with. If you can sell them on your passion to the point that they call, write, or email the alleged statesmen who has an influence.... then you are among the very few Americans who actually cares what is going on in government today.

Your issue can be local, state, or federal. It can be liberal or conservative. As long as it is real enough to raise your body off the sofa and do something it'll be great.

Get involved. Demand that those who represent you be leaders and statesmen instead of political mouthpieces. Your grandkids might thank you for it.

Here are some interesting links that made me write this rant in the first place.

• Greta says to email the President and the Attorney General.
• These guys justify the media ignoring Ron Paul. Heh. I can smell their fear. What they want is business as usual politics to continue. 
• And finally, Forbes nails it here with four simple bullet points on American Politics.

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How to Budget Congress

It isn't the deficit, it's the debt. I keep hearing that. But in reality it's the first step in killing the debt. A deficit budget guarantees a higher debt. We must balance the budget and include debt reduction as part of the spending plan. Here is the short and sweet method of balancing your budget. It works for families, it works for business, and it will work for any government or government agency.

Forecast Revenue: Figure out how often you are going to stop and count your money. For most of us it is weekly or monthly. For a business it might be quarterly. For the Treasury it is annually. Using that as a base, take your best guess on how much cash you will have. Then subtract about five percent as a fudge factor.


Prioritize Line Items: List everything you are going to spend money on during the period you just forecast. Each item is "Need to spend", "Good to Spend", or "Nice to Spend". Simply put, "Need" means that bad things will happen if you don't fully fund that item and commit the cash. "Good" means that bad things could happen but it's just short of certain. "Nice" means you can postpone it without anything truly bad happening.

Revise Your Revenue: On the prescribed day, count the actual cash on hand.


Revise Line Items: For each item listed as "Need", skip to writing the checks. Total the cash remaining. Let's pretend you now have forty dollars. Will the forty dollars pay off the "Good" items? If it will, write the checks. Is there any left over? Let's say you have ten dollars remaining. Ten is 10% of the original $100. So, pay ten percent of each remaining line item. This way, nothing is totally left out. But, at the same time the truly important (in relation to the other items) stuff is fully funded.


Write Checks: I think we all know how to do that.

I'm not going to try to write the official procedure and the flowchart of tasks needed to accomplish this at the federal level. I also get that our elected neighbors will scream that every item they sponsor is a "need". That exact lack of integrity is what gets us to deficit spending in the first place. You and I must elect someone who can be honest and say that while it would be nice to provide Americorps, the world won't end if we don't. It's a hard call and will take enormous amounts of character and moral courage.

By now you may have noticed that I switched gears in a clumsy ham handed way. Politics is supposed to be the art of getting it done. It takes Statesmen and all we are seeing is the basic professional pol. From the Vice President and others that denigrate the Tea Party by calling them terrorists, to would-be Presidents that use words like "Tar baby" and "Boy" in just the right way to invite screams of racism no matter the intent; We face a deficit of Statesmen. Until we fix that, the debt will never be paid.

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Politics Burnout

My problem with politics as a whole is that none of them live up to what I was taught a leader is. Most of y'all are older than I am by a minute or two and so you have more life experience. Me, I was a military brat and then in the service my entire adult life. Hell I've only been a civilian for a couple-three years now. So, I still judge the world by a really uncompromising set of standards.

To put a point to it, none of the likely candidates for President measure up. As usual, I am settling for the lesser of X number of unworthies.


Our system of government isn't perfect. And, the only office that could possibly elect a statesman vice a pol is the Presidency. If you elect a statesman to Congress he or she will be buried under the crapola and unable to be effective.

Take Ron Paul for example. He appears to be the exception that proves the above paragraph true. I haven't researched him in depth yet but from what I have noticed he seems to be a constitutional conservative He acts according to the Constitution. I mean, he actually says "There is nothing in the Constitution that allows (fill in the blank). Frankly I am surprised that he keeps getting reelected.

I think GWB would actually be less popular with Republicans if 911 had not occurred. His domestic policies are far too moderate to sit well with the conservative middle. But, in his defense, he never said he was a hard right conservative. He always said what he intended to do, and he did it. But, his forthright statements were lost in the war.

He never asserted that closing the borders was his idea of good action. He has always supported NAFTA on the grounds that it did the most good for all. He has ALWAYS tried to include the other side (except where the opposition was intractable, CIP
: Iraq) as a major part of the team. He ran on that platform if we take the time to remember clearly.

The fact is that the winner of the 00 election would have been reviled and hated no matter who was sworn in. Had Gore been selected, the republicans would have eviscerated him. And just like the liberal left and democrats in general, the republicans would have balked, stalled, lied, cheated, and otherwise been as obstructionist as possible. In the intervening years has anyone noticed that with all the hatred we never really reformed the election process to avoid a repeat?

I'm glad that folks are passionate about the politics of the USA. But frankly, I am getting bored since it isn't anything new, original, or unique. Same ol Same ol.

Leadership Principles for Congress

A short while ago I published the individual traits that political leaders should aspire to. Now is the time to take those traits and turn them into tasks. Again, I am drawing from my career as a US Marine to try and point our new Congress into a successful direction. In order to shorten the length of the post I will print the principles verbatim, and my interpretation of them as they apply to politics. The link at the end will allow you to see the "official" version as applied to Marines. Remember, if you think these standards are too tough for politicos, the Marines live them daily. BTW, I am not slamming the other services. But, since I am a retired Marine I reserve the right to work from my comfort zone.

Know yourself and seek self-improvement.

Sounds easy doesn't it? Can you remember the traits and figure out which go into making this important? You cannot be a leader without a style. If your leadership style is fake, it will fail over time. The point is that no one is perfect and you must look inside yourself and identify your strong and weak points. As an elected official you need to be able to face your voters and tell them not only how good you are, but what you are doing to improve yourself.

Be technically and tactically proficient.

Remember the trait of knowledge? Here it is. Technically proficient means that you have the skills to complete a task. Tactically proficient means you can employ those skills in the real world. As a leader you are also supposed to be a mentor or a teacher. You are supposed to groom your replacement. To do that you must be an expert. BTW, this doesn't mean that you must be a certified expert at every possible task. It means that in some areas you have a working knowledge which will allow you to supervise the detail experts without getting the wool pulled over your eyes.

Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates.

You cannot be an effective leader without teamwork. As you assign tasks, prioritize the fires to be put out, and carry out the business of the office you must delegate tasks to your subordinates. They have to own them. When the cats away..... is a truism if you are not a leader. People dodge the boss. People strive to earn the approval of a leader who not only gives you a task, but the latitude to make that task your own.

Make sound and timely decisions.

In the last post I quoted Patton. For an Army guy, he was alright :) This is where judgement, justice, knowledge, decisiveness, and integrity come into play. Just to reinforce the point... "A good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite point in the future." Attributed to General George Patton Jr

Set the example.

This in my humble and professional opinion is the single most important of these principles. There is nothing like a positive example to help someone rise to a higher level. It demonstrates by the most influential of communications, deeds, the courage of your convictions. Once upon a time a child could aspire to be the President and it was considered an honorable goal. Now, most folks don't consider politicians honorable at all. There is a saying that deeds, not words, define the person. By openly setting the example of honor, courage, and commitment you (the freshman congress critter) may just cause a bit of a sea change.

Know your Marines and look out for their welfare.

This is a very close second to setting the example. In this instance you are looking out for your staff and your constituents. You need to know the attitude of your constituents on virtually everything. It doesn't mean that you have to do it thier way. Because, we both know that you don't truly work for them. But, by applying your courage, integrity, and knowledge you will vote and do what you believe to be the best thing. And you will be able to explain it without coming across as a hair-splitting politician. By looking out for your subordinates, you will earn trust and loyalty. Remember, they are the ones making you look good or bad. And so you must repay that loyalty and effort with your own.

Keep your Marines informed.

I don't recall. I didn't know. Didn't get the word? Those statements can be the precursor to disaster. Remember that you are responsible, and accountable for everything your subordinates do or fail to do. So, keep them in the loop. If it is a dirty little secret, then you do the dirty work.

Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.

Here is another conundrum. If you seek responsibility you will find it. But if it goes wrong, and something will, you must place yourself in the bullets path. Don't blame a staffer that did something wrong. Remember, if you are observing and practicing the next three principles, then they are speaking with your voice. So, stand up in public and take your medicine. Then if correction or discipline is required do it in private hold them accountable to you.

Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.

Pretty simple right? Then why do people screw up the tasks they are given. If you keep em informed, and make sure they understand the task it should be gravy right? Here is how to do it. Make each task a personal mission. A mission statement requires three elements.

First is a Task. A task is a clear statement of the results required. Example:Provide a listing of registered voters to me. Second is Conditions. List any conditions attached to the task that add to or take away from execution. Example: During normal business hours using only government approved sources. Finally is the Standard: The standard will tell the subordinate exactly how he or she will be "graded" or success and failure measured. Example: No later than close of business Friday and the list must be accurate to within 90 days.

So for the above example you would create a short concise paragraph that incorporates all three requirements. For example: Bob, I need you to provide me a list of registered voters. Do all the legwork during normal work hours and use only approved government sources. This has to completed and on my desk by 5:00 pm on Friday and must be current as of the last 90 days.
Bob now has a mission. It is personalized to him so he can take ownership of it. Your final step is to ensure Bob actually delivers it on time and within the standard.

Train your Marines as a team.

It's common knowledge that any politician must have a staff. With all the minutia of the .gov it's a sure bet that his staff is going to accomplish things in his name and not always with his knowledge. In addition to being clear and concise with your expectations you must know that your staff has to coordinate things in your name. You must ensure that they can work well together. Picture a sports team. Many specialized positions working together to score points. Each member of your team must mesh with everyone else. Remember, they will speak with your voice. Everything they do or fail to do is your responsibility. Begin by pair them off and assigning the pair a mission as outlined above. Continue adding moving parts and more people until they work as a unit.

Employ your command in accordance with its capabilities.

Take the last couple of principles and then look in the mirror. Be objective. Figure out the strengths and weaknesses of yourself and your team. Do not set them or yourself up for failure by biting off more than you can chew. That doesn't mean you are always going the easy way either. You only get better by stretching yourself. So, look at what appears to be the limit, and push it: Hard.
For the Voters: That's it. Sounds easy doesn't it? I mean, our guys and gals in harms way live these or variants of these every day. As a realist, I don't believe any politician is 100% worthy when measured by these standards. But, I submit that if you can evaluate which traits and principles your guy publically demonstrates you are a lot closer to a vote that is intellectually and morally honest. Thanks for reading.
For the Pols: I bet you think you are living up to these. Well, maybe you are or aren't but I submit that if you can at least make an honest attempt it will show in public even without an events manager to stage them for you. You now have the ball, it's time to score some points. Thanks for reading.

The USMC Leadership Principles page

Leadership Traits for Congress

What makes an ideal member of Congress? I intend to explore what mix is needed to get the perfect Senator or Representative. For my discussion I will be referring in this post to the official list of Leadership Traits from the Marines. They worked well for me for 22 years. Right up front I admit that I am skeptical of whether a politician really can live up to the lot of these. But in all fairness we expect our Marines to live up to them on a daily basis.


Leadership Traits are nothing more than personality or character traits that make up a person. When you combine leadership traits into tasks you get leadership principles, which we will cover in a day or three. At the end of this post is the official USMC page devoted to this topic. I left the definitions intact along with the suggestions for improvement. I added a Congressional Spin to each.

JUSTICE

Definition: Justice is defined as the practice of being fair and consistent. A just person gives consideration to each side of a situation and bases rewards or punishments on merit.

Suggestions for Improvement: Be honest with yourself about why you make a particular decision. Avoid favoritism. Try to be fair at all times and treat all things and people in an equal manner.

Congressional Justice: While each Member is part of a party, justice requires that you consider the opposing view and weigh the pros and cons based on facts and not who contributed to your campaign or which committee appointment you would like.

JUDGMENT

Definition: Judgment is your ability to think about things clearly, calmly, and in an orderly fashion so that you can make good decisions.

Suggestions for Improvement: You can improve your judgment if you avoid making rash decisions. Approach problems with a common sense attitude.

Congressional Judgement: Good Judgement means that you make the best decision you can within the time allotted based on all the facts. Like Justice, your decision or your good judgement will come from a strong sense of your own core values, the facts at hand, and a healthy dose of reality.

DEPENDABILITY

Definition: Dependability means that you can be relied upon to perform your duties properly. It means that you can be trusted to complete a job. It is the willing and voluntary support of the policies and orders of the chain of command. Dependability also means consistently putting forth your best effort in an attempt to achieve the highest standards of performance.

Suggestions for Improvement: You can increase your dependability by forming the habit of being where you're supposed to be on time, by not making excuses and by carrying out every task to the best of your ability regardless of whether you like it or agree with it.

Congressional Dependability: You simply have to be there to do your job. Adopt the attitude that all votes are key votes. Don't make the mistake of believing dependability means you can always be counted on to follow the party line.

INITIATIVE

Definition: Initiative is taking action even though you haven't been given orders. It means meeting new and unexpected situations with prompt action. It includes using resourcefulness to get something done without the normal material or methods being available to you.

Suggestions for Improvement: To improve your initiative, work on staying mentally and physically alert. Be aware of things that need to be done and then to do them without having to be told.

Congressional Initiative: This should be the easiest trait for a Politician to master. You got elected at least party based on issues. So, attack those issues. Find out what is being done and get involved. If nothing is being done, don't follow the herd, start the stampede.

DECISIVENESS

Definition: Decisiveness means that you are able to make good decisions without delay. Get all the facts and weight them against each other. By acting calmly and quickly, you should arrive at a sound decision. You announce your decisions in a clear, firm, professional manner.

Suggestions for Improvement: Practice being positive in your actions instead of acting half-heartedly or changing your mind on an issue.

Congressional Decisiveness: Like the definition above says, weigh everything you have access to and make the call. Sometimes things will change and you will have to adjust. OODA is a military acronym for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. It is a never ending cycle. When you begin to Act you are simultaneuosly Observing and preparing to re-orient yourself to the changing reality. The best quote that exemplifies being decisive is: "A good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite point in the future." Attributed to General George Patton Jr

TACT

Definition: Tact means that you can deal with people in a manner that will maintain good relations and avoid problems. It means that you are polite, calm, and firm.

Suggestions for Improvement: Begin to develop your tact by trying to be courteous and cheerful at all times. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Congressional Tact: If I had to lose one this would be it. You are required to tell the absolute good, bad, and ugly without being deliberately offensive. Do not undermine courage, integrity, or judgement due to tact. For the Congress, this means that while politeness is a mark of bearing, don't become so enamored of a well turned phrase that you lose the message.

INTEGRITY

Definition: Integrity means that you are honest and truthful in what you say or do. You put honesty, sense of duty, and sound moral principles above all else.

Suggestions for Improvement: Be absolutely honest and truthful at all times. Stand up for what you believe to be right.

Congressional Integrity: This is it, the single most important character trait of a leader. If you have no integrity, then everything you do is tainted. Integrity means that the truth is more important than politics as usual. It also means that you don't parse your words so that you can "Lie the Truthful way". IF you ask about the definition of "is", then you might need to work on this.

ENTHUSIASM

Definition: Enthusiasm is defined as a sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of your duties. If you are enthusiastic, you are optimistic, cheerful, and willing to accept the challenges.

Suggestions for Improvement: Understanding and belief in your mission will add to your enthusiasm for your job. Try to understand why even uninteresting jobs must be done.

Congressional Enthusiasm: This should be obvious. Why be an Elected Representative if you don't love it? How stupid is it to do something you hate continuously? If you don't love getting up every day and going to work (which philosophically speaking is the peoples business) then go home. Enthusiasm is contagious and is like a shot of Nitrous to the other traits.

BEARING

Definition: Bearing is the way you conduct and carry yourself. Your manner should reflect alertness, competence, confidence, and control.

Suggestions for Improvement: To develop bearing, you should hold yourself to the highest standards of personal conduct. Never be content with meeting only the minimum requirements.

Congressional Bearing: Being presidential in both appearance and deportment is a must. Being able to do what is needed while radiating calm, and confidence is inspiring. In other words do not lose your bearing and tell a member of congress to fuck off on or off the record

UNSELFISHNESS

Definition: Unselfishness means that you avoid making yourself comfortable at the expense of others. Be considerate of others. Give credit to those who deserve it.

Suggestions for Improvement: Avoid using your position or rank for personal gain, safety, or pleasure at the expensive of others. Be considerate of others.

Congressional Unselfishness: I'm not sure that any pol can be unselfish. It is so culturally ingrained to make the deal, get the money, etc. It's not realistic to expect it yet. But I think it is realistic to put out the requirement and then make a focused effort to train them to standard.

COURAGE

Definition: Courage is what allows you to remain calm while recognizing fear. Moral courage means having the inner strength to stand up for what is right and to accept blame when something is your fault. Physical courage means that you can continue to function effectively when there is physical danger present.

Suggestions for Improvement: You can begin to control fear by practicing self-discipline and calmness. If you fear doing certain things required in your daily life, force yourself to do them until you can control your reaction.

Congressional Courage: There's not much I can add to the official line. A Congressman must have the courage of his or her convictions no matter what the party line is. The song says that you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. Tests of courage for elected officials is to see who or how they explain negative publicity. Other tests are when they break ranks because it's the right thing to do (not just seeking soundbytes).

KNOWLEDGE

Definition: Knowledge is the understanding of a science or art. Knowledge means that you have acquired information and that you understand people. Your knowledge should be broad, and in addition to knowing your job, you should know your unit's policies and keep up with current events.

Suggestions for Improvement: Suggestions for Improvement: Increase your knowledge by remaining alert. Listen, observe, and find out about things you don't understand. Study field manuals and other military literature.

Congressional Knowledge: To the Freshman Congress Critters: Learn everything you can about anything at all related to your job. It means that you must know the ethics manual cold, you must know the key provisions of bills you vote for/against. It means that you must burn some late night oil boning up on events so that you cannot later claim you were fooled.

LOYALTY

Definition: Loyalty means that you are devoted to your country, the Corps, and to your seniors, peers, and subordinates. The motto of our Corps is Semper Fidelis!, (Always Faithful). You owe unwavering loyalty up and down the chain of command, to seniors, subordinates, and peers.

Suggestions for Improvement: To improve your loyalty you should show your loyalty by never discussing the problems of the Marine Corps or your unit with outsiders. Never talk about seniors unfavorably in front of your subordinates. Once a decision is made and the order is given to execute it, carry out that order willingly as if it were your own.

Congressional Loyalty: This is a conundrum. I've been saying all along that party loyalty is second to some of these traits. And yet, if you (as an elected official) are not loyal to your constituents and to an extent your allies, you may lose the next election. I would caution that you place your loyalty after due consideration of the effect it will have for you to do well by your constituents. Once you've placed your loyalty out there, don't back down unless it would require you to breach your own integrity.

ENDURANCE

Definition: Endurance is the mental and physical stamina that is measured by your ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship. For example, enduring pain during a conditioning march in order to improve stamina is crucial in the development of leadership.

Suggestions for Improvement: Develop your endurance by engaging in physical training that will strengthen your body. Finish every task to the best of your ability by forcing yourself to continue when you are physically tired and your mind is sluggish.

Congressional Endurance: Means you stick to it until you get it done. You go the extra mile and slog it out. It might mean reading the last hundred pages of a bill to (fill in the blank) in order to satisfy yourself that it is right and proper because the vote is first thing in the morning.

Please remember that I don't honestly believe any pol can live up to these standards. But I damn sure expect them to try. The reason I am actively trying to throw out ideas to help the current office holders succeed is that I want results. I and the rest of the McUSA family are pretty disgusted at the last Congress who had a clear majority and did nothing with it. Just politics as usual isn't a leaders path. Instead it is a well worn rut.

"Because it is important to always be able to remember the basic leadership traits, the acronym "J.J. DID TIE BUCKLE" is used. Each letter in the acronym corresponds to the first letter of one of the traits. By remembering the acronym, you will be better able to recall the traits." - From the same website where I pulled the above traits.


The USMC version