Leadership

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I always picture the leader as the guy who is in the front. I always picture the leader telling others what to do. I always picture the leader barking orders and getting his way again and again.

But when I became a leader, my picture changed. Leadership is about so much more than running about barking orders. Good leaders know that leadership is about being a servant.

Service to your men, service to your country, and most importantly, service to God are what I’m talking about. Without these three elements, a leader is nothing.

My rude awakening came one day when I was preparing my platoon for another field exercise. The field exercise is supposed to prepare us to do our job in case of a war. We had been in the field for a few days and everyone had filthy gear. All the gear had to be cleaned for inspection. My troops were grumbling. I grabbed one of the new guys' gear and took it over to the wash-racks and started cleaning it.

My troops came around and started working in their gear too. Soon all the grumbling and grousing became laughing and joking. It is always better to do your work with a smile on your face.

That simple act, above all else, is what earned me their respect. It means more than any exulted rank or countless medals. But what I did was nothing compared to the ultimate leader.

The example is Jesus. Jesus was the one who washed his disciples’ feet; even though He was the son of God. Imagine what good we could do if we could be leaders like that. Imagine “service to mankind” as our credo. Imagine leading from the front with troops who want to be there. I can; I just follow my leader and the rest works out.

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