Monica Ashley free essay sample

Why do you think that Monica Ashley was so interested in pushing so hard to implement Project Hippocrates? What made her interested in the project? At first Monica was not interested in leading Project Hippocrates, she intended on moving up in the ranks within her company. However, she was known for intensity and energy when working on a project and figured that she would throw herself at the project and perhaps after one more high-profile success she could move out of program/project management. Also, Monica believed that the President Gary Dorr wanted her to run the Hippocrates project and knew her as a go-getter, who would challenge anyone and analyze extensive data to back up her arguments. It seemed that the leadership she respected entrusted her with this project and she was not going to let them down. Why was Monica driving so hard to meet her self-imposed deadlines? Monica struggled to meet her deadlines because she believed that meeting those deadlines, and presenting factual data would be the way to win over leadership when it came down to making key decisions regarding the data that she was presenting. We will write a custom essay sample on Monica Ashley or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She wasted no time making political connections, instead focused all her energy on meeting deadlines to achieve the greater goal of garnering senior leadership buy-in behind her and her ideas. Who were the key players that Monica needed to interact with to make Project Hippocrates Successful? How did each of them view the project? Who was supportive of Monica and the project and who was not? What was important to each of the players? The key players were Gary Dorr, President, Ralph Parker, VP of Signal Processor Design, Dan Stella, VP of Maj. Production Line Design, ED Kane, a manager reporting to Ralph Parker. Gary Dorr viewed the project as key to the organization and trusted Monica to achieve success as she had before, but during the project he switched his view drastically as she did not heed his advice regarding her confrontations with Ralph Parker. As President, Gary probably expected Monica to build a relationship with Parker, however she never attempted to, instead confronted and responded directly to Parkers direct confrontations. The project’s success was key to Gary, and his relationships with the customers and with his leaders are also important. Ralph Parker had a different way of getting to the end result, and due to that variation and his attitude which was known to be rough, Monica never approached him to build a relationship prior to running the project. She actually went against his approaches building a case with data, instead of asking his opinion during and prior to key decision points. Ralph never liked Monica’s style or approach, and did not believe that her outsourcing answers were right for the business. He was a barrier to Monica at each meeting and encounter. ED Kane was taking direction from Ralph and of course fighting for his team’s product and his team’s voices to be heard. Monica had taken an approach of exclusion and therefore Kane was not bought in. He was a tough adversary as he was knowledgeable and vocal, and was fighting for his living in the company. Dan Stella, Monica’s boss was passive yet overall supportive of Monica. However his communications to her were interpreted as vague and while he supported her he did not coach Monica on building relationships and garnering buy-in from key parties and stakeholders prior and during the project. Dan was a hands-off leader who would benefit greatly from project success. What were Monica’s strengths and weaknesses in managing Project Hippocrates? What did she do well and where did she go wrong? Monica had many strengths in managing the project. She quickly realized the need for change and wasted no time in analyzing all available data and determining a path. She could multi-task well, was focused, and exuded confidence. She was hard on herself which is a strength but only to a point. Monica’s main weakness was that she did not understand or seem to want to understand the people behind the project. She was so data driven and did not take the time to engage the key players, or build a sense of cohesiveness around her ideas and data. She focused well on the small picture but lacked the big picture focus that was needed for a cross functional project this size. Monica also relied on a few relationships to carry her through the project, a mistake since these relationships would have backed her as they had previously had she gone through the necessary politicking. What could Monica have done differently to make the implementation process for Project Hippocrates less contentious? Monica had great ideas, but she could have instead gathered her staff and Parker’s staff and had a brainstorming session perhaps listing out the pros and cons of each potential project track with all key players in the room. Then everyone could voice their opinions in a non-partial forum. Of course Monica and others could present data, and their beliefs, but whatever decision was made at this lower level, it would at least have more buy-in due to the nature of the discussion. Monica could have spent more time building relationships with key leaders and presented her data in a less aggressive manner. What are the implications for Monica? Should she look for a job with another company? I most likely would look elsewhere. Monica’s reputation is tarnished for the time being. Yet, she is an excellent employee, with great ideas, and has learned the ins and outs of leadership from this experience. Her skills could be highly valued elsewhere and if she spends time building key relationships as well as focusing on data and maintaining her work ethic, she could be invaluable to another organization. She would leave her reputation at Heal, inc. , and move on. It might also be a good time for her to look for a leadership role, whereas Heal, inc. might not jump to put her in such a position.

An Update About Deforestation in Canada

An Update About Deforestation in Canada Deforestation, or the loss of forests, is progressing at a fast pace worldwide. This issue gets much attention in tropical regions where rainforests are converted to agriculture, but large swaths of boreal forests are cut each year in colder climates. Canada has long enjoyed an excellent standing in terms of environmental stewardship. That reputation is being seriously challenged as the federal government is promoting aggressive policies on fossil fuel exploitation, dropping climate change commitments, and muzzling federal scientists. What does Canada’s recent record on deforestation look like? An Important Player in the Global Forest Picture Canada’s use of its forest is significant because of the global importance of its wooded lands – 10% of the world’s forests are located there. Most of it is boreal forest, defined by stands of coniferous trees in subarctic regions. A lot of the boreal forest is far from roads and this isolation makes Canada the steward of much of the remaining primary or â€Å"pristine forests† not fragmented by human activity. These wilderness areas play important roles as wildlife habitat and as climate regulators. They produce large amounts of oxygen and store carbon, thus reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is a key greenhouse gas. Net Losses Since 1975, about 3.3 million hectares (or 8.15 million acres) of Canadian forest were converted to non-forest uses, representing about 1% of the total forested areas. These new uses are primarily agriculture, oil/gas/mining, but also urban development. Such changes in land use can truly be considered deforestation, as they result in permanent or at least very long-lasting loss of forest cover. Cut Forests Does Not Necessarily Mean Lost Forest Now, a much greater amount of forest is cut each year as part of the forest products industry. These forest cuts amount to around a half million hectares a year. The main products issued from Canada’s boreal forest are softwood lumber (typically used in construction), paper, and plywood. The forest products sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP is now only slightly more than 1%. Canada’s forestry activities do not convert forests into pastures like in the Amazon Basin, or into palm oil plantations as in Indonesia. Instead, forestry activities are done as part of management plans prescribing practices to encourage natural regeneration or the direct replanting of new seedling trees. Either way, the cutover areas will return to forest cover, with only a temporary loss of habitat or carbon-storing capabilities. Around 40% of Canada’s forests are enrolled in one of the three leading forest certification programs, which require sustainable management practices. A Major Concern, Primary Forests The knowledge that most forests cut in Canada are managed to grow back doesn’t detract from the fact that primary forest continued to be cut at an alarming rate. Between 2000 and 2014, Canada is responsible for the greatest total loss, acreage-wise, of primary forest in the world. This loss is due to the continued spread of road networks, logging, and mining activities. Over 20% of the world’s total loss of primary forests occurred in Canada. These forests will grow back to, but not as secondary forests. Wildlife necessitating large amounts of land (for example, woodland caribou and wolverines) will not come back, invasive species will follow the road networks, as will hunters, mining prospectors, and second-home developers. Perhaps less tangibly, but just as importantly, the unique character of the vast and wild boreal forest will be diminished. Sources: ESRI. 2011. Canadian Deforestation Mapping and Carbon Accounting for Kyoto Agreement.Global Forest Watch. 2014. World Lost 8 Percent of its Remaining Pristine Forests Since 2000.Natural Resources Canada. 2013. The State of Canada’s Forests. Annual Report.

Blade Runner And Fifth Element Cityscapes Film Studies Essay

Blade Runner And Fifth Element Cityscapes Film Studies Essay Blade runner greets the viewer with a fascinating opening scene where the camera hovers over a vast industrial mega polis called Hades. The year is 2020 and overpopulated Hades is trying to reinforce itself. The place is filled with corroded skyscrapers which shoot flame and gases into the environment creating a sense of hazy and polluted atmosphere. Also, in this shot and in subsequent shots flying cars, called spinners, are seen moving around the cityscape. The entire Hades cityscape was a forced perspective miniature set with larger miniature elements in the foreground which get smaller and smaller as we approach the horizon. Special photographic effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull and his crew constructed the whole set on a plywood table which was about 20 feet wide at the back and 5 feet wide in the front. The actual horizon on the screen is just 15 feet away from the camera. They designed the table according the focal length of the camera, which provided them the base in accor dance to field of view of the camera. This sort of careful planning enabled them to build the miniatures just inside the field of view without wasting valuable production time and money. Chief model maker Mark Stetson relied primarily on etched brass cutouts as elements to create buildings in the shot. But because these cutouts were two-dimensional, they had to stack a number of them together and stagger them across randomly to create depth in the whole shot. states that by using this technique Trumbull was soon posed with a problem: â€Å"But as we got into putting the thing together, we realized quickly that the etched metal stuff would have given away the trick if we’d use it too close to the foreground.† They overcame this by building foam cast models and put them in the foreground. Those models were highly detailed and separately mounted using C-Stands. They were positioned carefully so that the camera could fly right in between creating depth. Another hurdle was creating the atmospherics in the cityscape. Director Ridley Scott wanted smoke and haze in the distant background to add to the drama of the whole scene. Douglas Trumbull created this effect using studio fans and smoke detectors. He first contained the set using black cloth all around it and set up the smoke detectors to trigger the fans. So when they fed smoke into the contained set, fans powered up and pushed the smoke around creating a natural progression of smoke in the environment. Describing his perception of the Hades cityscape, Mark Stetson states: â€Å"I just had this scheme, I just wanted to do it as a series of silhouette and smoke. I wanted the smoke to really be the light and the light to light it up. Everything about that miniature had to be lights.† The way light was used in this shot to create volumetric effects and reflections played a major role making it look real and credible. About 20,000 fiber optic cables (about 7 miles long) were used to light the H ades cityscape. The light cables were threaded up from beneath the plexi glass, on which the brass etched cutouts were mounted. They also mixed and experimented with a lot of interactive lights like axial, blinking, etc which created variety and helped improve the overall aesthetics of the shot.

Observation of Participational Cinema in Action Essay

Observation of Participational Cinema in Action - Essay Example Dramatic films are generally shot from a third person 'voyeur' perspective, which allows the audience to observe the unfolding events from a distance. In order to accomplish this state of awareness and acceptance from scientific films, researchers spend a great deal of time with their subject population prior to shooting any footage at all. This is meant to encourage the indigenous community to ignore the filmmaker completely and to return to their normal everyday activities. However, this idealized approach - the 'invisibility' of the camera and it's director - raises new ethical, technical, and artistic issues. The foremost argument against this style of filming lies in defining between 'research' film and 'ethnographic' film: the parameter's of the first ideally contain an undisturbed recording of environmental behavior (which can be used to deduce or extrapolate information); the latter classification is designated by it's editing, which is chosen be the filmmaker to create a narrative. Thus, as MacDougall notes, the fallacy of the all observing camera eye is itself misleading, for the camera is ultimately directed by the filmmaker's choice and/or opportunity. The camera essentially decided what small section of reality is recorded. Along similar lines, the goal of a director's self-effacement from the project is a further removal from reality: many of the filmed communities are remote and isolated to pretend that the director's physical presence has absolutely no effect on the subjects (and a feedback effect on the project itself) is ludicrous. Along this principle, subjects reactions t o cameras depends on their level of familiarity with the media itself. Filming Live with the Herds (1972), MacDougall's silent film camera became accepted by the natives on the premise that he was shooting all of the time (and would therefore present an accurate overall account); when he brings out a still camera near the end of his sojourn, his subjects automatically stuck photogenic poses (MacDougall, 1973) A Ghana director named Braun, discovered a similar effect while shooting footage in his childhood village during carnival time: when a girl noticed him shooting from a rooftop, she began to perform. She grew angry when the camera's attention no longer focused on her, leading Braun's narrative to hypothesize about the power relationship between the camera and its subjects (Pink). Cerezo, Martinez and Ranera, three anthropologists recording African workers in Spain, showed some of their footage to their subjects. Because they had access to television, the workers objected to their own images as being ugly and impoverished, which has resulted in the anthropological argument that visual footage cannot be taken without the express consent of the subjects (Pink). Yet MacDougall takes this argument one step further. In requesting permission to film a community while simultaneously denying them any information to the direction of the film of footage that has been shot, the director "withholds the openness" he requires from his subjects. While this may be rooted in the director's fear of influencing the community's behavior, it also denies him the input of the community information which may prove inaccessible any other way (MacDougall, 1973

Withholding and withdrawal of Medical treatment decisions from Case Study

Withholding and withdrawal of Medical treatment decisions from Children and neonates - Case Study Example Parents, doctors, the health care team have a common goal in ensuring good health and sustaining the life of children and neonates. Although advanced technology makes it possible to prolong life, prolonging life beyond a meaningful point in some neonatal and children's cases involves making difficult decisions on when and how life sustaining treatment is to be withheld or withdrawn. The Ethics Advisory Committee of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (EAC - RCPCH) has defined five categories in which the withholding or withdrawal of life sustaining medical treatment can be done.With holding or withdrawing does not even mean that the child will receive no care. Such a decision is followed by palliative care for the child. The withholding and withdrawing decisions is made by only experienced senior doctors. Clinical situations of these decisions include Non-resuscitation of a baby at birth with congenital abnormalities like anencephaly, making the child incompatible for su rvival; Non- resuscitation of a baby born with a gestational period of twenty three weeks or less making the baby neurologically impaired; withdrawal of ventilation from the baby with birth asphyxia leading to brain damage.The frequency of selective non treatment of extremely premature, critically or mal formed infants in Level III intensive care nursery (ICU) and the reasons documented by neonatologists for their decisions to withdraw or with hold life support has been well documented (Wall, 1997). They reviewed all the medical records of 165 infants who died at a level III (ICN) during 3 years. One hundred and eight infant deaths were found to be due to withdrawal of life support and thirteen deaths due to withhold of treatment. End of life decisions in new born with incurable diseases are difficult for pediatricians. In Netherlands, deliberate ending of life can be acceptable choice if a life full of severe and sustained suffering that cannot be relieved by any other means is expected of the child (Verhagen 2005). During a study for the period from January 1988 through December 1991, of 529 neonates admitted in Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 524 had been found dead of which 28 were due to the disease and 24 cases due to withdrawn or withheld treatment. In 15 of the 24, treatment was withdrawn due to severe congenital anomalies; in 9 of the 24, treatment was withdrawn because of serious complications. But in all the cases withdrawal was done unanimously after lengthy discussions between doctors, nurses and the parents (Hazebroek, 1993). Withdrawal of treatment in pediatric intensive care units accounts for between 43% and 72% of deaths in U.K (Mcmillan 2000). The Law:- All such professional decisions are done within the framework of law. The children Act (England and Wales 1989) safeguard the children's welfare. The Act also introduces the concept of parental responsibility. A number of judgments on withholding or withdrawing life sustaining treatment have proved that there is no obligation on part of the doctors to give treatment which is futile and burdensome and such a treatment could be treated as an assault. They have also given enough scope for the treatment goals to be changed in case of a dying child. These judgments have legalized the withdrawal of feeding and medical treatment In such cases in the best interests of the children. Withdrawal of life sustaining treatment in appropriate cases is not active killing, nor does it breach the article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Decision Making: Initially the medical team must wait for enough information about the clinical status of the child. The decision making process involves all members of the Health Care Team and the parents. In practice, a decision to withdraw treatment is usually a matter of consensus. However such major decisions always require a second opinion, legal as well as clinical.

Why Should I Read? Essay -- Teaching Writing

Why Should I Read? â€Å"Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself.... You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.† Angela Carter (1940–1992), British author. Why read? Why should I read the book before it comes out in cinema? Why is settling down with a good book better then sitting on the couch watching The Simpson’s reruns? I have often pondered the merits of reading, but you don’t realise the advantages until you actually begin reading. Until I unlocked my first real book I couldn’t have dreamed of the wonders and marvels that it opens to you. It’s just that when you do read you discover how exquisite the delights of reading are. Books can transport you to different places, worlds, times, people, anywhere you can imagine without leaving your own room. Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are. Picking up a book is like picking up a world that is waiting to be explored. Whether fiction or fact they can take you away with them, engulf you and make you apart of their environment. They can scare the wits out of you, make you cry, make you laugh, the more pages you read the harder it is to shut the book. Every book is a great adventure. Within the pages lie stories untold, places never ventured and new people to meet. No book is alike, no story the same. Reading is not strange. It seems that many people do not want to read or do not think it is necessary. They believe that people who read are â€Å"nerds†, â€Å"geeks†, or ‘bookworms’. This is not true. I read because it is something that passes the time peacefully and it alleviates ignorance. Reading for fun is normal; it improves a person’s imaginati... ...ge themselves with that. Novels are great space fillers in my suitcase whenever I go on holiday. There’s nothing like sitting on a beach with the sun blazing down on you reading the adventures of Moby Dick, although maybe Jaws wouldn’t be a good one if you intend on going swimming. Books can help pass time, at airports, on train journeys, on flights, when your grounded, anytime, anywhere you can pull out a book and become immersed in it. So bring a book wherever you go just in case you happen to get the urge to read. They’re portable, they’re handy, and they’re a whole world within a few pages and a cover. A book can take the reader places they only dreamed of, it increases vocabulary without the reader having knowledge of it, and they can teach a vast majority of subjects to alleviate ignorance. And remember a book is not just for Christmas, it’s for life.

Leadership Traits and Principles

The United States Marine Corps has been one of the most powerful military branches in the world for more than twenty-three decades. The most important things that have kept this organization as prestigious and powerful as it is are the famous leadership traits, leadership principles, corps values and the leaders that uphold those traits. Without these structures, this leadership hierarchy this â€Å"gun club† would not have lasted this long. The next thousand or so words will help explain those traits, principles and corps values that we hold so high. The first leadership principle that will be discussed is one that was first thought to me through Drill Instructors training us for PFT’s and CFT’s or whenever we would feel like giving up. That leadership principle is â€Å"know yourself and seek self improvements†. This principle was always an important one; it meant that there is always something you can do to make yourself better. It involves knowing your strength and weakness’ and working on making them better. Knowing ones strength and weakness is the basis of formulating a reliable, bullet proof strategy that will get you in and out of any situation. For example the recent evens that occurred have made me look deeper into this principle, into my character, into my ability to improve myself more on the maturity domain. The Second principle that is also important is â€Å"Set the example† this principle is one of the bases of stability and leadership. Setting the example is a hard thing to do at times, it involves doing the right thing when no ones looking and when everyone’s looking. Setting the example is an important principle to have, because to become a leader you need to have the respect of your peers, they have to know they can trust you to do the right thing at the right time. And by my actions I demonstrated a lack of understanding of this principle and it is something I have to work on very hard because now, most of my peers and none of my superior trust me to do the right thing. The third leadership principle we are going to talk about is â€Å"Make sound and Timely decisions†. Being able to make sound and timely decision may be the difference between life and death for you or the Marines under your leadership or even your peers or superiors. Being able to make those kind of decisions require maturity, the understanding of right and wrong and the ability to weight consequences and the risk. If I had the maturity level necessary to stop myself from putting those chevrons on in the first place I would not be in this situation. Decision are what defines your character to others, it is what shows them who you are and what kind of though process you have and ultimately how reliable you are. â€Å"Be technically and tactically proficient† First off it means to know your job. As a Marine you must demonstrate your ability to accomplish what was assigned to you, and the ability to accomplish what was assigned to you, and to do that you must be capable of answering questions and demonstrate competence in your job specialty. Respect is the reward of the marine who shows competence. Tactical and technical competence can be learned from books and from job training. Seek a well rounded military education by attending service schools; and seeking off duty education. Seek out and associate with capable leaders. Observe and study their actions. Broaden your knowledge through association with members of other branches of the military. Seek opportunities to apply knowledge through the exercise of command. Good leadership is acquired only through practice. Prepare yourself for the job of leader at the next high rank. You are not done training for war once you've earned the title Marine, you are just getting started. These are things to keep in mind when trying to be proficient. â€Å"Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates† Another way to show your Marines that you are interested In their welfare is to give them the opportunity for professional development. Assigning tasks and delegating the authority to accomplish tasks promotes mutual confidence and respect between the leader and subordinates. It also encourages the subordinates to exercise initiative and to give wholehearted cooperation in the accomplishment of unit tasks. When you properly delegate authority, you demonstrate faith in your Marines and increase their desire for greater responsibilities. If you fail to delegate authority, you indicate a lack of leadership, and your subordinates may take it to be a lack of trust in their abilities. To develop this principle you should operate through the chain of command. Provide clear, well thought directions. Tell your subordinates what to do, not how to do it. Hold them responsible for results, although overall responsibility remains yours. Delegate enough authority to them to enable them to accomplish the task. Give your Marines frequent opportunities to perform duties usually performed by the next higher ranks. Be quick to recognize your subordinates’ accomplishments when they demonstrate initiative and resourcefulness. Correct errors in judgment and initiative in a way which will encourage the Marine to try harder. Avoid public criticism or condemnation. Give advice and assistance freely when it is requested by your subordinates. Let your Marines know that you will accept honest errors without punishment in return. Assign your Marines to positions in accordance with demonstrated or potential ability. Be prompt and fair in backing subordinates. Until convinced otherwise, have faith in each subordinate. â€Å"Know your Marines and look out for their welfare. † This is one of the most important of the principles. You should know your Marines and how they react to different situations. This knowledge can save lives. A Marine who is nervous and lacks self confidence should never be put in a situation where an important, instant decision must be made. Knowledge of your Marines' personalities will enable you, as the leader, to decide how to best handle each Marine and determine when close supervision is needed. To put this principle into practice successfully you should put your Marines' welfare before your own correct grievances and remove discontent. See the members of your unit and let them see you so that every Marine may know you and feel that you know them. Be approachable Get to know and understand the Marines under your command. Let them see that you are determined that they be fully prepared for battle. Concern yourself with the living conditions of the members of your unit. Help your Marines get needed support from available personal services. Protect the health of your unit by active supervision of hygiene and sanitation. Determine what your unit's mental attitude is; keep in touch with their thoughts. Ensure fair and equal distribution of rewards. Encourage individual development. Provide sufficient recreational time and insist on participation. Share the hardships of your Marines so you can better understand their reactions â€Å"Keep your Marines informed. † Marines by nature are inquisitive. To promote efficiency and morale, a leader should inform the Marines in his unit of all happenings and give reasons why things are to be done. This, of course, is done when time and security permit. Informing your Marines of the situation makes them feel that they are a part of the team and not just a cog in a wheel. Informed Marines perform better and, if knowledgeable of the situation, can carry on without your personal supervision. The key to giving out information is to be sure that the Marines have enough information to do their job intelligently and to inspire their initiative, enthusiasm, loyalty, and convictions. Techniques in applying this principle are to whenever possible; explain why tasks must be done and how you intend to do them. Assure yourself, by frequent inspections that immediate subordinates are passing on necessary information. Be alert to detect the spread of rumors. Stop rumors by replacing them with the truth. Build morale and esprit de corps by publicizing information concerning successes of your unit. Keep your unit informed about current legislation and Regulations affecting their pay, promotion, privileges, and other benefits. Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished. † This principle is necessary in the exercise of command. Before you can expect your Marines to perform, they must know first what is expected of them. You must communicate your instructions in a clear, concise manner. Talk at a level that your Marines are sure to understand, but not at a level so low that would insult their intelligence. Before your Marines start a task, allow them a chance to ask questions or seek advice. Supervision is essential. Without supervision you cannot know if the assigned task is being properly accomplished. Over supervision is viewed by subordinates as harassment and effectively stops their initiative. Allow subordinates to use their own techniques, and then periodically check their progress. The most important part of this principle is the accomplishment of the mission. All the leadership, supervision, and guidance in the world are wasted if the end result is not the successful accomplishment of the mission. In order to develop this principle you should ensure that the need for an order exists before issuing the order. Use the established chain of command. Through study and practice, issue clear, concise, and positive orders. Encourage subordinates to ask questions concerning any point in your orders or directives they do not understand. Question your Marines to determine if there is any doubt or misunderstanding in regard to the task to be accomplished. Supervise the execution of your orders. Make sure your Marines have the resources needed to accomplish the mission. Vary your supervisory routine and the points which you emphasize during inspections. â€Å"Train your Marines as a team. Every waking hour Marines should be trained and schooled, challenged and tested, corrected and encouraged with perfection and teamwork as a goal. When not at war, Marines are judged in 15-26peacetime roles: perfection in drill, dress, bearing and demeanor; shooting; self-improvement; and most importantly, performance. No excuse can be made for the failure of leaders to train their Marines to the highest state of physical condition and to instruct them to be the very best in the profession of arms. Train with a purpose and emphasize the essential element of teamwork. The sharing of hardships, dangers, and hard work strengthens a unit and reduces problems, it develops teamwork, improves morale and esprit and molds a feeling of unbounded loyalty and this is the basis for what makes men fight in combat; it is the foundation for bravery, for advancing under fire. Troops don't complain of tough training; they seek it and brag about it. Teamwork is the key to successful operations. Teamwork is essential from the smallest unit to the entire Marine Corps. As a Marine officer, you must insist on teamwork from your Marines. Train, play, and operate as a team. Be sure that each Marine knows his/her position and responsibilities within the team framework. When team spirit is in evidence, the most difficult tasks become much easier to accomplish. Teamwork is a two-way street. Individual Marines give their best, and in return the team provides the Marine with security, recognition, and a sense of accomplishment. â€Å"Employ your command in accordance with its capabilities. † Successful completion of a task depends upon how well you know your unit's capabilities. If the task assigned is one that your unit has not been trained to do, failure is very likely to result. Failures lower your unit's morale and self esteem. You wouldn't send a cook section to â€Å"PM† a vehicle nor would you send three Marines to do the job of ten. Seek out challenging tasks for your unit, but be sure that your unit is prepared for and has the ability to successfully complete the mission. â€Å"Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. † For professional development, you must actively seek out challenging assignments. You must use initiative and sound judgment when trying to accomplish jobs that are not required by your grade. Seeking responsibilities also means that you take responsibility for your actions. You are responsible for all your unit does or fails to do. Regardless of the actions of your subordinates, the responsibility for decisions and their application falls on you. You must issue all orders in your name. Stick by your convictions and do what you think is right, but accept justified and constructive criticism. Never remove or demote a subordinate for a failure that is the result of your own mistake. The leadership principles are proven guidelines, which if followed, will substantially enhance your ability to be an effective leader. Keep in mind that your ability to implement these principles will influence your opportunity to accomplish the mission, to earn the respect of your fellow Marines, juniors and seniors, and to make you an effective leader. Make these principles work for you. There are fourteen leadership traits that a Marine must have. They are Bearing, courage, decisiveness, dependability, endurance, enthusiasm, initiative, integrity, judgment, justice, knowledge, loyalty, tact and unselfishness. Bearing is the ability to create a favorable impression in carriage, appearance, and personal conduct at all times. The ability to look, act, and speak like a leader whether or not these manifestations indicate one's true feeling. Courage is a mental quality that recognizes fear of danger or criticism, but enables a Marine to proceed in the face of it with calmness and firmness. It is also Knowing and standing for what is right, even in the face of popular disfavor. Decisiveness is the ability to make decisions promptly and to announce them in a clear, forceful manner. The quality of character which guides a person to accumulate all available facts in a circumstance, weigh the facts, choose and announce an alternative which seems best. Dependability is the certainty of proper performance of duty. It is a quality which permits a senior to assign a task to a junior with the understanding that it will be accomplished with minimum supervision. Endurance is the mental and physical stamina measured by the ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship. Enthusiasm the display of sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of duty. Initiative is taking action in the absence of orders, being a self starter. Integrity is the Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principles. The quality of truthfulness and honesty. A Marine's word is his bond. Judgment is the ability to weigh facts and possible courses of action in order to make sound decisions. Justice is giving reward and punishment according to the merits of the case in question. Knowledge is the Understanding of a science or an art. The range of one's information. Loyalty is the quality of faithfulness to country, the Corps, and unit, and to one's seniors, subordinates, and peers. Tact is the ability to deal with others without creating hostility. Unselfishness is Avoidance of providing for one's own comfort and personal advancement at the expense of others. In September, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's most prestigious military award, to Sgt. Dakota Meyer, the marine who saved 36 of his comrades during an ambush in Afghanistan. Meyer was born June 26, 1988 in Columbia, Kentucky where he grew up and attended school. In 2006, after graduation from Green County High School, he enlisted in the Marine Corps at a recruiting station in Louisville, Kentucky and was sent to recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. After completing training to be a United States Marine he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007 as a Scout Sniper with 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines. He gained national attention for his actions in Afghanistan during his second deployment in Kumar province with Embedded Training Team 2-8. On September 8, 2009, near the village of Ganjgal, Meyer learned that three U. S. Marines and a U. S. Navy corpsman were missing after being ambushed by a group of insurgents. He charged into an area known to be inhabited by insurgents and under enemy fire. Meyer eventually found all four dead and stripped of their weapons, body armor, and radios. With the help of some friendly Afghan soldiers, he moved the bodies to a safer area where they could be extracted. During his search, Meyer â€Å"personally evacuated 12 friendly wounded, and provided cover for another 24 Marines and soldiers to escape likely death at the hands of a numerically superior and determined foe. † On November 6, 2010, the Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos told reporters during a visit to Camp Pendleton, California, that a living Marine had been nominated for the Medal of Honor. Two days later, Marine Corps Times, an independent newspaper covering U. S. Marine operations, reported that the unnamed individual was Meyer, citing anonymous sources. CNN confirmed the story independently two days later. On June 9, 2011, the Marine Corps announced that two other Marines on Meyer's team in Ganjgal would receive the Navy Cross, the second-highest award for valor a Marine can receive. Capt. Ademola D. Fabayo and Staff Sgt. Juan J. Rodriguez-Chavez were recognized for their roles in retrieving the Marines and corpsman. When President Barrack Obama's staff called Meyer to set up a time for the President to inform him that his case for the Medal of Honor had been approved, Meyer was working at his construction job and asked if they could please call him back when he was on his lunch break, which they later did. Dakota then returned to work. Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor in a ceremony on September 15, 2011. When a White House staffer contacted Meyer to arrange the ceremony, the former Marine asked if he could have a beer with the President. He then received an invitation to the White House the afternoon before the ceremony. Meyer also requested that when he was honored, simultaneous commemorative services should be held at other associated locations to honor the memory of his colleagues who died or were mortally wounded during the ambush. Sgt Meyers by his actions demonstrated all fourteen leadership traits, all the leadership principles and gave an excellent demonstration of the corps values. I cannot compare myself to a man like that, he single handedly demonstrated, corps values, leadership principles and traits, and the leadership skills that are required of a Sgt of Marines, all of which I have failed to demonstrate or am still learning. As previously mentioned, the leadership traits and principles are guidelines. Guidelines that have helped the Marine Corps be part of the most powerful military in the world. Each of these principles, of those traits, corps values are set to help Marines be the best, be part of the best, and do their best in any given situation at any given time. Lack of these guidelines result in Marines making dumb, regrettable and unwise decisions. But it is the ability to learn from mistakes and grow from it. I have made a grave mistake; I have let down my instructors, my peers, and also myself. But I am also learning from my, understanding why something that didn’t look that grave, actually be that big, that important. I am learning that being an NCO is about more than just putting on chevrons on a collar, it is a state of mind, it is the ability to lead, t involves a higher level of maturity, it involves watching and studying your elders it is something you acquire through long years of blood, sweat, tears, dedication and more. I may not fully grasp the meaning, or the feeling of wearing these chevrons, but I believe that someday when I reach this rank through blood and sweat, I’ll realize how insulting it must have been to dare put these chevrons on.