          |
|
Ahmeti Announces Leadership Philosophy
I am Cadet Captain Valon Ahmeti, 2004/2005 F-troop Company Commander. My ultimate goals as commander are to achieve a high state of readiness within the company and to create a command climate where all cadets have an equal opportunity to excel. The following paragraphs outline the command philosophy I have developed which I believe will lead to the successful achievement of these goals. Specifically, they list the individual cadet, leader, and unit attributes that I believe are essential in order to ensure success in this year.
The purpose of my command philosophy is to communicate to, and focus, all leaders and cadets of the company on those things that I feel are important. In the absence of orders, my command philosophy is my command intent – designed to ensure that all members of the company understand what I expect of all cadets and leaders of the company, how I expect missions to be executed, training to be conducted, and the normal day-to-day operations of the company to be performed.
MISSION
F-troop will conduct in the best way day-to-day operations outlined on the cadet training schedule posted on the company board. Our Mission is to strive for excellence with the cohesive fighting force of teamwork and discipline.
COMMANDER’S EXPECTATIONS OF F-troop CADETS AND LEADERS
Cadets:
LEADERS : In addition to the above listed expectations, I have the additional expectations of F-troop leaders.
What do troopers have a right to expect from your Company Commander?
“The man who commands efficiently must have obeyed others in the past, and the man who obeys dutifully is worthy of being some day a commander.” Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Legibus (52 BC)
- Unit Standards : This Company will have high standards, and will set standards for the second battalion, therefore for the regiment. We will be the example in the Corp of Cadets. I want the company to achieve excellence on everything we do, academics, military activities, extracurricular activities, intramurals, etc. Teamwork is essential element of this standard, so I want to see a joint cooperation to achieve excellence. - Training: We will train hard in order to achieve excellence. We will take the training seriously, and when we train we will give 100% effort on it. When we don’t train, we’ll have fun. I want the training to achieve our objective. PERFECT TRAINING MAKES US PERFECT. I want the attention and effort of everyone while training for any event such as Practice Parades, Rifle Drill, Plt competitions, March over to stadium, or any other military or citadel training. I want everyone to take it SERIOULSY. Seriousness is my pet peeve. - Drugs and alcohol: There is NO TOLERATION for alcohol and drugs in the company, no matter the class, gender, background, and ethnicity. Everyone will be treated fair. The Citadel’s Policy on Alcoholic Beverages and Drugs is defined in The Blue Book, Chapter 3 – Cadet Life, beginning on page 13. - Weight control: The Citadel’s weight-control program is designed to meet two important goals: To ensure that all cadets meet the physical fitness requirements described in the White Book, and to ensure that all cadets present a proper military appearance. I don’t want to see any overweight cadet. This is a military college and there are not supposed to be fat people. I’m not very happy when I see a lot of fat people in the corps, especially in the company. - Physical Fitness: PT is one of the important subjects on the cadet life in F-troop. My expectations for PT are high. I expect to have between 97 to 99% passing the PT Test. I expect the test to be to the Army standards, that means the performance will require correct push-up and correct sit-up, otherwise it won’t be counted. I will have Army and Marine contracted cadets as graders on the PT Test. There will NOT be cadets taking push ups and sit ups in one day, and the run the other day. We will have the diagnostic PT test in the beginning of each semester, and will split people on ability groups for the PT until the PT tests. - Academics: The outmost priority for the company this year. I want to see the best GPA-s in the corps for every class. ESP will be enforced to the standards of enabling people to study quite in their rooms. NO video – games, people hanging on the galleries, including talking on the phone outside, making any king of noise during the ESP. The ESP is designated for study time, and I want everyone to have common curtsies not to bother anyone else, or otherwise the Academic Officer will enforce it. - Discipline: I want to maintain discipline on everything we do. The self-discipline will take part on many occasions. I want discipline in ranks, in formations, in parades, and every event we participate. The chain of command will be responsible to maintain discipline on their perspective squads and platoons. This is the big issue in our company, so take it seriously because I’m pretty hard on discipline. - Uniform appearance: The F-troop cadets will have pride on personal appearance. All cadets will be ready for an unannounced inspection at anytime. I expect everyone to have haircuts and shave at every formation, have military creases on your shirts, pressed pants, shined shoes, no core frames, shined buckle and name tags, no stains in the uniforms. I want the F-troop cadets to set the example for every one in the battalion - Awards: I would like to see every single one of you to have some kind of awards. It will bring the credit to the company if single individuals are recognized for their good work and excellence. We will give the credit to everyone who does something for the company or archive something on individual bases. I’m trying to have more OPDs for you, so that way will be recognized your good work, and if you get couple of them, you can get an overnight in every two weeks. I really want to stress the awards system - Intramural sports participation: we will participate on every event in intramural sports and we will try to win couple of them. The goal is to win the intramural cup, so we don’t have to win every sport event, but we need to win couple of them, and score high enough in others, like second or third place. Everyone in the company wants to have win a cup, to be recognized by the school, and have a streamer in the guidon. Everyone knows that we’re the best company, so let’s make it official that we’re the best. - Communications: This is another important issue that I want to stress. Use the chain of command for your problems. I’m holding the chain of command responsible for you. Your Sergeants, PLT STG, and PLT Leader will take care of your problems. I’m holding them accountable for your entire actions 24/7, so if you screw up they will be also responsible of the consequences of your actions - Quality of life in the barracks: We have new barracks, so it’s a privilege and honor to live in PT barracks. I don’t want to see any stains in the walls, any dip spit in the galleries, or any trash in the galleries. I want to see the galleries neat. I want every one to have common courtesies not to bother people who live next to you. - Maintenance of rooms: Every piece of furniture in your rooms is new, so for any single damage you will cost your pocket. I don’t want to see any heal and soul in the floor. Your room should be in MRI order every morning. We’ll have unannounced inspection from TACs and LTC Carrow, so be ready for that. You should know how the room looks in MRI, so please meet the standards; it’s not hard I promise.
- This company is a winner, not a loser. Here are my differences between winners and losers : The Winner is part of the answer. The Loser is part of the problem. The Winner says, “Let me help you.” The Loser says, “That’s not my job.” The Winner sees an answer in every problem. The Loser sees a problem in every answer. The Winner has a program. The Loser has an excuse.
The Winner says, “It may be difficult, but we can do it.” The Loser says, “It may be possible, but it’s too difficult.”
The Winner sees something wrong and fixes it on the spot. The Loser sees something wrong and procrastinates.
Consider some famous leadership quotes:
Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops. Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.
Valon Ahmeti Cadet Captain F-troop, SCCC Commander |
