My Leadership Values

I am currently a student studying leadership philosophy at the United States Army Command and General Staff School. As I continue to learn more about leadership, I would like to share how people in my life have shaped my values.

When I accepted my commission, I essentially promised to live up to the moral and ethical standards of past military officers such as General Colin Powell and Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. In addition, I learned the seven Army values and proper professional and ethical behavior for registered nurses. Most of these “codes of honor” or cultural norms I was introduced to as a child. My father, MSG(R) Roosevelt Portee, retired from the Army after 26 years of service. He disciplined me and my siblings according to his version of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice. As a result, I was very familiar with wall-to-wall counseling and the strict moral code that soldiers must live by.

I learned my first lessons in values while I was in grade school. My older brother and I were rough housing and we broke one of my mother’s pieces of crystal. When my mother asked who the culprit was, my brother’s name seemed to roll from my tongue. Later when my brother and I were alone, I learned that integrity came with a price…I paid dearly! As time passed and my wounds healed, I played various sports and developed a sense of “team” or loyalty to an organization. Learning to encourage and cheer for my teammates taught me followership. At the time, I was unaware of how valuable this lesson would be in my adult life. Something as simple as following instructions and encouraging others to do well continues to elude the youth of today.

As I grew into a young man, the next major influence in my life was my JROTC instructor LTC(R) Richard Snittjer. Richard was my mentor and taught me a sense of duty. He provided me with a number of learning opportunities developing my sense of responsibility. Every task I completed whether it was successful or an utter failure, he suggested a better or more efficient way of accomplishing the task. During my last three years of high school, he devoted a great deal of his personal time to my growth and development. He helped changed me from a misguided youth into a responsible young adult. Richard passed away before I received my commission; I never got to thank him.

Cheri, my wife of eighteen years, has influenced my value system the most. She is a veteran, a former Captain in the Army Nurse Corps, exudes selfless service, respect, and loyalty. I don’t know of anyone who has something negative to say about her behavior or character. When I deal with people, I often ask myself what she would do in this situation and I try to emulate how she interacts with people. All the successes in my life thus far, I owe to the people mentioned above. They have forever shaped my value system and I will carry these lessons with me the remainder of my life.

MAJ Anthony Portee

DISCLAIMER: “The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.”