John Carver Show - General Charles Krulak - Some People Aren't Nice

"You cannot lead by memo, you cannot lead by shouting, you cannot lead by delegation of your responsibility -- you must lead by example." Gen. Charles Krulak, US Marine Corps.

Krulak was appointed the 31st commandant of U.S. Marines Corps on July 1, 1995, a post he held until his retirement June 30, 1999. As the senior leader of the Marine Corps, he was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with overall responsibility for recruiting, training, operational readiness, and welfare of more than 220,000 active and reserve forces and 20,000 civilian employees. During his tenure, he annually increased the USMC share of the Department of Defense budget by $1.5 billion to initiate a modernization effort that continues to benefit troops today. He also instituted the Marine Corps Fighting Laboratory, lengthened and strengthened recruit training, and fathered the concepts of "Three Block War" and "The Strategic Corporal" to help Marines better understand and prepare for warfare in the 21st century.

The most important leadership trait is to be a man or woman of Character. Here, I define Character as

1) being selfless,
2) having moral courage and 
3) having Integrity.

Most leadership traits are "gifts"...either heredity or, if you believe in God, they are God-given. Character is a choice. You choose to be a man or woman of character. Leaders are in the inspiration business and anyone who seeks to inspire must have the character to inspire.