Career

Exploratio
n Project
Nathan Valentine
Judith Dutill
Introduction to Communication
3/31/2014
Area of Communication:
Group and team communication.
Position Description:
1st Lieutenant in the United States Marine
Corps
A first lieutenant is the second rank that
a marine officer can achieve, upon
completing their training, a cadet is
commissioned at the rank of 2nd
lieutenant.
Required education and experiences:
There are several different routes to
attaining one's commission. All require
a Bachelor's Degree and a form of
military training. Either attend
college and complete OCS (officer
candidate school which is a 6 week
training course) or attend NROTC (naval
ROTC which is like a field of study in
college) or attend the Naval Academy.
Required skills:
Must be in prime physical condition and
meet the rigorous physical requirements.
Must complete proper training and
education.

There are 11 leadership principles that
one must learn to excel in their career
as a marine officer
1. BE TECHNICALLY AND TACTICALLY PROFICIENT
Maintain a high level of competence in your Military
Occupational Specialty. Your proficiency will earn
the respect of your Marines.
2. KNOW YOURSELF AND SEEK SELF-
Use the leadership traits to evaluate your strengths
and weaknesses. An accurate and clear understanding
of yourself and a comprehension of group behavior
will help you determine the best way to deal with any
given situation.
3. KNOW YOUR MARINES AND LOOK OUT FOR THEIR
WELFARE
You should know your Marines and how they
react to different situations. This
knowledge can save lives. Knowledge of your
Marines' personalities will enable you, as
the leader, to decide how best to employ
each Marine.
4. KEEP YOUR MARINES INFORMED
Informed Marines perform better and, if
knowledgeable of the situation, can carry on
without your personal supervision. Providing
information can inspire initiative.
5. SET THE EXAMPLE
Set the standards for your Marines by personal
example. The Marines in your unit all watch your
appearance, attitude, physical fitness and
personal example. If your personal standards are
high, then you can rightfully demand the same of
your Marines.
6. ENSURE THE TASK IS UNDERSTOOD, SUPERVISED AND
ACCOMPLISHED
Before you can expect your Marines to perform,
they need to know what is expected from them.
Communicate your instructions in a clear,
concise manner, and allow your Marines a chance
to ask questions. Check progress periodically to
confirm the assigned task is properly
accomplished.
7. TRAIN YOUR MARINES AS A TEAM
Train your Marines with a purpose and
emphasize the essential elements of teamwork
and realism. Teach your unit to train, play
and operate as a team. Be sure that all
Marines know their positions and
responsibilities within the team framework.
8. MAKE SOUND AND TIMELY DECISIONS
Rapidly estimate a situation and make a sound
decision based on that estimation. There's
no room for reluctance to make a decision,
revise it. Marines respect the leader who
corrects mistakes immediately.
9. DEVELOP A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY IN YOUR
SUBOORDINATES
Show your Marines you are interested in their
welfare by giving them the opportunity for
professional development. Assigning tasks and
delegating authority promotes mutual confidence
and respect between the leader and the team.
10. EMPLOY YOUR UNIT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS
CAPABILITIES
Successful completion of a task depends upon how
well you know your unit's capabilities. Seek out
challenging tasks for your unit, but be sure
your unit is prepared for and has the ability to
successfully complete the mission.
11. SEEK RESPONSIBILITY AND TAKE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS
Actively seek out challenging
assignments for your professional
development. Seeking responsibilities
also means that you take the
responsibility for your actions. You
are responsible for all your unit does
or fails to do. Stick by your
convictions and be willing to accept
justified and constructive criticism.
(Marines.com)
Interview
1st Lieutenant Steve Sullivan
1. What is your favorite thing about a
career in the Marine Corps?
Many people go through their career
wondering if they made a difference.
Marines don't have that problem.
2. What is the biggest challenge of a
career in the Marine Corps?
The biggest challenge of being in the
Marine Corps is the large amount of
time spent away from my family and
putting everything in my personal life
on hold. When I go off the grid I'll
go without talking to my family for
months at a time, as my daughter grew
up I would often miss big milestones
in her early life.
3. What made you want to become a
Marine officer?
I wanted to reach a higher level of
excellence, become a visionary, and
have a more effective seguay into the
professional world. I chose to make my
MOS (Military Occupational Specialty)
Aviation Combat Element, I have the
option to get my commercial flying
license in the civilian world.
4. What path did you choose to rise to
your level?
I chose to gain some experience as an
enlisted man for 4 years before I
decided to pursue my bachelor's. I
initially intended to just remain
enlisted. But either way I felt that I
could better gain the respect of my
Marines if I spent time living amongst
them, learning what to look for in an
officer.

5. Did you see yourself as an officer
long ahead of time?
No not at all. When I went to college
I had no idea I'd be doing this. I
wasn't sure it was happening until
they were pinning the bars on my
shoulder.
Conclusion:
Even though a Marine Officer may
not be in the typical field of
communications, I feel that this
career requires communication
skills just as much as it
requires knowledge, and mental
and physical alacrity. I'm not
sure that I will ever have a
career in the Marine Corps but I
have a deep admiration and
appreciation for these noble
people.
WORKS CITED

"Leadership Principles." Marines.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr.
2014.http://www.marines.com/being-a-
marine/leadership-principles

"Commissioning Programs." Marines.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
http://www.marines.com/becoming-a-
marine/commissioning-programs