Early one morning this week, I watched the entire change of command between the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Berger, to the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Eric Smith. As an aside, if you have not seen a change of command before, it illustrates the discipline of Marines and their respect for one another like few other things visible to the public. I digress. The purpose of this post is really about General Berger's leadership. The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, who served as a General officer himself spoke of General Berger’s humility, and in General Berger’s remarks he spoke of servant leadership. Here is the Commandant of the Marine Corps talking about how he tried to serve Marines. I know my fellow Devil Dogs are not surprised that a Marine understands the import of servant leadership, but I think that some outside of the Marine Corps would be surprised – at least in my circle of clients, colleagues, and friends. Some conflate “servant” with “servile” and that could not be further from the truth. In fact, the record is clear about the tough decisions that General Berger made impacting the future of the Marine Corps; being a leader is not binary, one can be “tough” and a “servant” at the same time. Fair winds and following seas, General Berger; Semper Fi.
Thought Leadership
Servant Leadership Lessons From a Marine Corps Commandant
General Berger's change of command shows a leader can be both tough and a genuine servant to their people.