1. INTEGRITY. The stakes of life are too high to gamble leadership on a dishonest person. Would you accept a report from a person who had been known to lie? Of course you wouldn't. All your statements, official or unofficial, are considered by others to be plain unadorned fact. Make sure they are. When you give your word, keep it! There are people depending on you to come through with the goods.
2. KNOWLEDGE. Know your job, your equipment, and the techniques to be used. Master your training materials. Be able to pass that knowledge on to others. Your can't bluff them. They are expert at spotting a fake. If you don't know the answer to a question, admit it. Then find out. Most important, know your associates. Learn what caliber of performance to expect from each of them, Put confidence in those whom you can. Give closer supervision to those who need it.
3. COURAGE. This comes in two kinds: Physical and Moral. If you are in a tight place and feel fear, recognize it. Then get control over it and make it work for you. Fear stimulates the body processes. You can actually fight harder, and for a longer time, when you are scared. So don't let a little fear make yo panic inside. Keep busy when under fire. Fix your mind on your mission and your associates. Courage grows with action. When things are really tough, take some action, even though it might be wrong. Positive action on a poor decision is better than a half hearted attempt on the best possible one.
As for moral courage, know what's right and stand up for it. People are not plaster saints by any means. But they serve God, Country and each other---in that order. The Ten Commandments are still a pretty good set of regulations, and they haven't had a change published for almostfour thousand years. A person with the morals of an alley cat will never command the loyalty and respect of others. A project leader must also be a moral leader.
When you're wrong, say so. Don't try to weasel out of your mistake. Everybody makes a mistake now and then. The trick is not to make the same one twice. When a job is left undone, true leaders don't harp, they fix the breakdown, not the blame!
4. DECISIVENESS. Get the facts, all of them. Make your mind up when you've weighed them. Then iisue your order in clear, confident terms. Don't confuse people by debating with yourself outloud. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Make up your mind in time to prevent the problem from becoming bigger, but don't go off while still at the "half cock" position. If the decision is beyond the scope of your authority, take the problem up the chain of command to the person who gets paid to make that decision. But if the decision is yours, make it. Don't pass the buck.
5. DDEPENDABILITY. If only one word could be used to describe good leaders over the years, that word would have to be "Dependable". They get the job done, reguardless of obstacles. At first they might not have argreed with the ideas and plans of their seniors. Being dependable, if they thought they had a better plan, they tactfully said so. But once the decision was made, the job was done to the best of their ability, whether or not it was their own plan which went into effect. Orders were followed to the letter, in spirit, and in fact. The mission came first, then the welfare of their men, then their own requirements.
Dependable leaders are solid citizens. They're always on time, never make excuses, and stay hot on the job until its done. They're aboard when needed and out of the way when not needed. Duty demands that they often make personal sacrifices. They sense what has to be done, where duty lies. Others at all levels and their men need and get dependability.