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Thirty-four men have held the position of Commandant of the Marine Corps. Their official pictures show them looking official, according to the fashion of the time. Thirty-three pictures show Marines in their dress uniforms many with rows of ribbons.

But one picture shows a Commandant wearing the everyday utility work uniform of a Marine in the field. That's the picture of Al Gray.

He enlisted in the Marines in 1950 and rose to the rank of Sergeant before he was commissioned in 1952. He fought in Korea and in Viet Nam and had a distinguished career filled with innovation and operational commands.

But it seemed a good bet that he would retire as a Lieutenant General from his post as Commanding Officer of the Fleet Marine Force Atlantic. He didn't fit the mold of the successful, mid-Eighties career Marine officer.

After Viet Nam, the Marines seemed to start a long slide into careerism and playing it safe. By 1987, scandals were rocking the Corps as well.

The bombing of the Marines' barracks in Beirut raised questions about the Corps' competence. The sight of Oliver North, in full uniform, calmly admitting lying to investigators raised questions about ethics. And the espionage trials of several Marines assigned to guard the US Embassy in Moscow, had people asking if the Marines were really "always faithful."

The Secretary of the Navy in 1987 was Jim Webb. He had a unique perspective on what was needed.

Webb, now the senior Senator from Virginia, is Naval Academy graduate. He was a Marine platoon leader in Viet Nam, where he received the Navy Cross, a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. Everyone wanted him to pick their candidate for Commandant.

The current Commandant lobbied hard for his assistant. Other Marines and politicians had other favorites. Nobody thought Gray had a chance at the job. After all, he's spent most of his career outside Washington and, according to an unnamed source in a Washington Post story, he "lacks the smooth edges you normally see in Washington."

Webb must have thought some rough edges were needed. He nominated Alfred M. Gray to be the twenty-ninth Commandant of the Marine Corps. After confirmation by the Senate, General Gray assumed his post on July 1, 1987.

Less than a month later, he gave a speech to an audience of Marines. There was no doubt what the new Commandant wanted.

He said that Americans saw the Marines as an elite force. They expected excellence from Marines. "I don't think we're that good," he told the officers, "But we're going to be."

"I warn you, the basics mean a lot to me."

Gray thought that the Marines had lost focus on their mission and on the values embedded in their tradition. He wrote that the Marine Corps should be "organized for warfighting and adapted for peacetime, rather than vice versa."

So Marines quit running in jogging suits and went back to running the obstacle course in full combat gear. And they started paying attention to quality of leadership in a big way.

Gray told his offices to listen to the people in their units so they don't miss the good ideas that will "bubble up." To walk that particular talk, Gray spent a lot of time out of Washington, talking with Marines of all ranks.

In 1988, Gray established the Commandant's Reading list, making recommendations for all Marines. He created a research center where officers were to look ahead a decade or two.

And he wrote the document that is now the primary Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP-1), later published as Warfighting . It's as superb an introduction to leadership and strategy as you will ever find.

When Gray retired, in 1991, the Marine Corps was different and better. It wasn't perfect. No organization ever is. But if the test of leadership is making a positive change for an organization and its people, Al Gray has passed with flying colors.

Boss's Bottom Line

Basics meant a lot to General Gray and they should mean a lot to you. Accomplish the mission. Care for your people Develop yourself.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.