t opside V olume 79 , I s s u e 2 P a ge 4
From the Desk of the Commodore , continued
4 . You are responsible , even though you don ’ t want to be .
There are some of days where your personal life is overwhelming and you just don ' t want to put on that Auxiliary uniform . Whatever your concerns , you push them aside and you force yourself to " think Auxiliary " because you have responsibilities . You have other members counting on you and you have Auxiliary goals you want to achieve and accomplish . There are some that don ’ t make it into their uniforms , and just push those tasks aside for another day , but not you . This is called being responsible . Auxiliary Leaders need be responsible when no one else wants to be .
5 . You treat everyone equally despite how you feel .
Whether it is at meetings or at training events , you treat people equally regardless of your feelings . Being a leader in Team Coast Guard means that you must be able to treat everyone with respect , even if you are having a bad day . If you are the kind of person to leave your personal life ’ s luggage at the door of the Auxiliary event , that is impressive . Not many can do that .
6 . You are confident but are never afraid to ask for help or support .
Great leaders are not perfect . They are confident in the choices they make but they are not afraid to ask for help if they need it . If you have found yourself stuck in a rut and ask someone else for support , that ' s working as a team , that ' s a good thing . You are human and though you may know a lot , you don ’ t know everything . If you accept this and move on with an open mind , consider yourself leader material .
7 . You help others without expecting anything in return .
Have you found yourself conducting tasks because it needs to be done not because you have been asked ? Or mentoring a new member just because ? Great Coast Guard leaders do things to help others and not expect anything else in return from anyone .
If you found yourself thinking , “ I do that ” with a few of these points , you may just be a leader . All you need is a little confidence and initiative to make it happen . There is nothing in this world stopping you from being what you want to be in the Auxiliary , except yourself . If you want it , work for it . You already have got the traits of a leader and the Coast Guard Auxiliary could always use another great one .