Hello, all. First, thank you for helping out on these motivational statements. Please have a look at my statement. I'm having a hard time closing it. Note that some information is redacted for opsec reasons. All suggestions are welcome:
I have always had a desire to serve my country. It was first instilled when my mother sat me down to watch the first space shuttle launch in 1981. That showed me just how awesome our country is. I wanted to be a part of that when I joined the Navy as an enlisted sailor. Now that I have a college degree and years of professional experience, I am happy to be in a position to offer my services once more as a Naval Officer.
When you select me for Officer Candidate School, you will be getting a man with an extensive education, excellent leadership skills, and a passion and insight into what people want in their leaders. I have worked for some really great leaders in the past and paid attention to what set them apart. These are all traits that I have incorporated into my leadership style:
• They inspire action in those they lead. They are able to paint a vision of the future that inspires people to do whatever it takes to get there.
• They are able to learn the strengths of their followers and use those to great result.
• They are optimistic and able to lift others out of the gloom. They can see the positives in their people and help them overcome their own self-doubts.
• They have great integrity. This is a key trait that people look for in a leader. If the leader lacks integrity, then there is no trust.
• They are good communicators. They keep everyone in the chain up-to-date with the latest information, as well as what has been good and what needs improvement. This engenders a feeling of belonging to the team in the follower.
• Effective leaders are decisive. They take available time to evaluate the information and then commit to a course.
A few years ago, I took the Clifton Strengthsfinder test. This is a useful tool from the Gallup organization to help people succeed by utilizing their strengths. My top five strengths are Command, Strategic, Responsibility, Futuristic, and Ideation. I am proud of these strengths. They perfectly describe what I am capable of.
• Command: Whenever possible, I am happy to step in and take charge when I see that I am the most competent in the situation to do so. This was me in the Boy Scouts where I rose quickly through the ranks to Senior Patrol Leader and Lodge Chief in Order of the Arrow and ultimately earning the rank of Eagle Scout. It was me aboard the <ship> where I naturally and easily filled the position of LPO of the electrical safety program. It was me as I participated in the <civil board> Board and quickly became its chairman. It is still me in the <community group> where I have just accepted the position of Treasurer and planner of some extracurricular activities. I step up to leadership positions without fear of confrontation.
• Strategic: I can see a clear direction through complex situations. This is because I am very observant and remember large amounts of information and position it into their relative places of importance. I use my professional and personal experience to judge how different scenarios will play out and know which ones are going to have the best chance of success.
• Responsibility: I follow through on my commitments. It does not matter what that commitment is, once I say that I am going to do it, then I do it to the maximum of my ability and effort. Often times, I’ve discovered that I end up doing better than I originally could have because I will learn a new skill or synthesize new skills from others that I already possess. I grow and adapt and exceed all expectations in the effort.
• Futuristic: I always have an eye on the future driving today’s success. This is being displayed right now in my time at <place of employment>. Our entire mission is to create the technologies and innovations that will keep the US military capabilities superior to our adversaries. This is one
of the primary reasons that I joined this organization. I want our men and women to have the best resources at their disposal to safely and effectively do their jobs.
• Ideation: I am able to see the underlying concepts that unite disparate ideas. Ever since I was a kid, I used to love solving riddles and lateral thinking puzzles. I have a great ability to pull out seemingly useless pieces of information and piece together the narrative that binds them together.
When I was ship’s crew aboard the <ship>, one of my favorite positions was as a trainer for the Damage Control Training Team (DCTT). I cared about the life and safety of every sailor working around me and I wanted to make sure they got the proper training they needed. I was tough at times, but I was fair and those under me respected that. That made me feel incredible. I knew that I was helping those sailors to be the best they could be and the success we enjoyed in drills validated my technique and approach.
Unfortunately, my career in the Navy was cut short for family. While I was in Hawaii for my knee surgery, my father passed away. This made it necessary for me to head back to <hometown> because he was the one who was caring for my mother who was ill with Multiple Sclerosis. It was unfortunate that I could not continue on in my career, but my family needed me. I went home.
Over the next several years, I stayed close to my hometown to be there for my Mom when she needed me while achieving my personal and professional goals. First, I earned a degree in Computer Engineering from <school> and was hired by <employer>. I became a subject matter expert in <field>. I reached out to my community and championed worthy civil rights causes. I earned a law degree from <school> to further my education.
I now live in <hometown> and am again free to tap in to my passion to serve my country. As soon as I got here and saw our mighty ships in the harbor, I felt that familiar leap of excitement in my heart. I knew that I had to again be a part of the Navy so within a few months of settling I started my application process for OCS. To reacquaint myself with the Navy while waiting for the selection board decision, I accepted an offer to work for <employer> under the ... Program. I now have a <level> security clearance and am working on developing advanced ship systems.
