I did the following analysis for an organizational psychology class a few years back. I have not written much about the character discipline in the blog yet because much of what I believe is contained in the following articles. I am updating and republishing the paper here as a frame of reference for future discussions about the character discipline.

Part 1

Not only is the Marine Corps leadership philosophy just as applicable in the civilian world as it is on the battlefield, it is even more applicable than some popular nonmilitary thinking on the subject. Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, acknowledges that the Marine Corps played a vital role in shaping his life. He has also noted the business achievements of other Marines in the corporate world. In a 2001 article in the Legacy newsletter, Smith states, “nothing has prepared business leaders better for their roles in business and society than the lessons they learned in the Corps—lessons of discipline, organization, commitment and integrity.” (2001)

Common Stereotypes about Marine Corps Leadership
Many people have the common misconception that Marine leadership is characterized by gravel voiced Marines barking orders at impressionable young people who follow orders blindly. This stereotype is perpetuated in movies like, Full Metal Jacket, and The Boys from Company C. While the movies are not inaccurate, they depict a leadership style that is limited to training environments. Consider the following example: In April of 2002, 80 MBA students of The Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania went to Quantico to participate in two-days of Marine Corps leadership training. The event was called, “Learning leadership and decision-making under uncertainty and complexity.” Events of the training are reported in the Financial Times by Paul Sheppard who attended the training (2002).

Throughout the two days, the MBA students underwent obstacles and training normally reserved for Marine officers in training. These obstacles included navigating an 18-foot wall and raiding a machine gun nest. During the course of the training, the students were under the stern supervision of Marine Corps drill instructors. When comparing corporate leadership to military leadership, Paul Sheppard, a Wharton MBA, had this to say:

What lessons in leadership did the business school students learn from the event? There are obvious differences between military and corporate leadership. Modern managers could never adopt the drill sergeant’s approach to instilling discipline, nor do they expect employees to subjugate their individuality to that of the team. However, my classmates felt that they had learnt some valuable lessons (Sheppard, 2002).

A training environment like the one the MBA students underwent is indicative of the stressful training all Marines undergo during the beginning of their Marine Corps experience but in no way captures the scope and scale of the leadership training that a Marine receives during the course of their careers. Specifically, drill instructors are required to assume an abrasive, confrontational leadership style in order to get recruits and officer candidates used to operating under stressful conditions. This leadership style characterizes specific training environments that are a small part of the Marine Corps leadership philosophy, usually just the beginning part. After boot camp, Marines become exposed to a more universal leadership philosophy that works in any environment, both military and civilian. The “obvious differences” that Paul Sheppard referred to are far more subtle after boot camp, and it’s the subtle differences in how the Marine Corps prioritizes its leadership objectives that gives it its key distinction from popular leadership teachings which is also its strength.

Part 2, “The Marine Corps Leadership System” coming soon