This blog post is the 10th in a series titled “Dialogue with the MCPOCG,” written by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Steven Cantrell. As the Coast Guard’s senior enlisted leader, Cantrell is responsible for advising the Commandant on workforce issues, and advocating for military benefits and entitlements. He will periodically use this platform to pass information to the Coast Guard workforce.
Written by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Steven Cantrell
A few months back, I announced a leadership video contest, in which I asked you to take the conversations we know many are having at the unit level and show us what leadership looks like to you. We asked you to reveal your own personal definitions of leadership, share the best leadership advice you’ve ever received, or explain how you employ this advice in your role as a leader in our Coast Guard.
We got several submissions back. Some were deep and introspect, while some were funny. Some involved only one or two people, while some involved the majority of the crew. Some even had original music written specifically for the project!
But, every one explored leadership through a slightly different optic because they came from different folks who have had different experiences. So, thank you for teaching me a few new quotes, a few new anecdotes, about leadership.
But, this was a contest, so it’s my pleasure to announce the best video came from AMT3 Sammy Torres, of ATC Mobile.
AMT3 Torres scripted the video himself with help from his wife, Maya. The video was principally filmed and edited by Torres, except the additional rescue swimmer footage by AST2 Gabe Humphrey.
Thanks again to everyone who submitted for sharing your creative and insightful perspectives on leadership, communication and integrity.
I’ll close with a rundown of the other submissions, and list their contributors.
Semper Paratus!




