What does it mean to be a Servant Leader in a profession such as the military? Most civilians wouldn’t necessarily think of military leaders as servants themselves. Many would think of the archetypes they have seen in movies; the calloused Drill Sergeant who demands push ups for minor infractions, or the cold General who is only concerned with the battle as a whole and not the individual Soldier. While these types of leaders do exist in the military, there are a larger number of Servant Leaders than you would expect in the service.
Within the U.S. Army there exists the Non- Commissioned Officer (NCO) Corps. These are your enlisted leaders from the rank of Sergeant to Command Sergeant Major. The NCO corps is responsible for the well being of the individual Soldier. They ensure that everything from the physical fitness, to the financial health of the Soldier is in good order. In order to take care of the well fare of the Soldier it is imperative that you operate as a servant leader.
In order to be a Servant Leader you have to “serve” those who you lead. This in practice means attempting to make things easier on your subordinates, ensure that you are taking care of their needs, setting them up for success. As a servant leader you have to make personal sacrifices for the betterment of your subordinates. This may seem contradictory to what people perceive as normal military leadership. In reality it is integral to a well maintained force.
There are a few ways in which you operate as a servant leader. The Textbook “Leadership” by Northouse breaks down Servant leadership into 10 key characteristics; Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Listening is one of the most important characteristics as an NCO. You bust be perceptive and listen and see the needs of your Soldiers. Additionally conceptualization and foresight are some of the most useful skills an NCO has. This is due in part to the large repsonsibility of taking care of soldiers an NCO has. You can utilize your conceptualization to tackle more complex problems and your foresight to try and prevent issues from arising early.
Overall it is imperative that an NCO in the U.S. Army be a servant leader. This is because your Unit and the Army as a whole is only as effective as its people. The Army will not operate effectively if it is comprised of Soldiers who are not taken care of. The Army can not be expected to win Americas wars and defend the homeland if it cant even maintain its own force. Every chain is only as good as the weakest link, it is my job as an NCO and servant leader to ensure that I am checking for faults in my links and improving them in every way that I can.