Leadership is an ever-evolving capability. It started in my household, evolved at work, and transcended in the military. My father previously served in the Army. His service made him a good leader and our family pride made him a very hard worker. He provided me a job when I was ten years old hauling trash or transporting goods. I started off at ten dollars per load. We normally did two to three loads per day, three days a week. The faster I worked the more loads we did. This taught me the importance of hard work and provided my most memorable experiences with my father.  This established a morality that enabled me to differentiate good from bad work. 

My work as a prep chef and machinist taught me the importance of productivity. However, my position as a manager in a Bread Store taught me that every race, faction, and creed have a plight which every leader must be sensible. Also, egos must be either bolstered or challenged to keep workers engaged. A good leader knows how to effectively delineate the two. My theory is something that I have effectively used throughout my career as a leader. As a manager at Interstate Brands (Bread Store) in 2005 I had a temporarily contracted worker who was thirty-six. I was eighteen and a direct employee of Interstate Brands. The worker was very disturbed by his position under a teen. During this period, I was also working at a different job. Considering my distracted mindset caused by age and the other job, I had an abnormal problem. I had never been in charge of someone older than me and there was a cultural gap. The worker had demonstrated a habit for inflating his position and also seemed to be less productive in my presence. So, I created a grandiose title for him and began limiting my physical presence by working remotely.  The worker’s air of independence resulted in a continued trend of the store winning the annual award granted by the metric of sales and customer satisfaction in a district of four stores. Upon quitting the position to join the military, I requested the worker be permanently hired and assigned as manager of the Bread Store. 

The military greatly expanded my approach to leadership. Progressing through unwinnable odds continually is outrageous. Members would constantly fall to anxiety related mental illness. As a result, I am very appreciative of workers and am a strong advocate for awarding their service. Motivation and rewards give workers a sense of pride.