What I Learned in Two Days on a U.S. Army Base
I recently had the privilege of spending two days at Fort Jackson (Victory Starts Here), the U.S. Army base in Columbia, SC. Fort Jackson holds the distinction of being the Army’s largest training post for new soldiers. Over 50% of all Army recruits (and over 60% of all female recruits) receive basic combat training at Jackson. In addition, all U.S. Army chaplains are trained here. In all, some 50,000 soldiers receive training at Fort Jackson each year.
Last Monday I joined approximately two dozen other Nazarene ministers for a few hours with the Commandant of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School. COL Jeff Hawkins, Chaplain, was our host and our presenter. His presentation – “The Three C’s of Servant Leadership” – was engaging, insightful, and inspiring. Here are his “Three C’s”:
1. Character – Are you good? Followers want to know, “Does our leader have a good heart?” (Traits: spirituality, humility, authenticity, loyalty, duty, respect, selflessness, honor, integrity, personal courage, empathy, discipline)
2. Competence – Are you skilled? Followers want to know, “Can you do what we need you to do? Does our leader have a good head?” (Skills: preaching, teaching, pastoral care, administration, motivation, vision, leadership, development of others)
3. Connection – Are you relational? Followers want to know, “Does our leader relate to us?” (Behaviors: visibility, affability, accessibility, bearing, confidence, resilience, winsomeness)
It was obvious that the Servant Leadership Model espoused by the U.S. Chaplain Center and School is the same kind of servant leadership we want South Carolina Nazarene ministers to model.
On Thursday, I joined a small group of persons who were privileged to participate in a “Come Meet Your Army” day at Fort Jackson. The tour highlighted the ten-week journey during which civilians become soldiers. It was fascinating. We viewed reception, how recruits are fitted for uniforms, the barracks where they live, the physical training they receive, the classrooms they learn in, the confidence course they navigate, and the graduation they celebrate. Along the way we got to fire M-16s in a simulator and tour the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum.
We also learned about The Army Values (loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, personal courage) and how the training new recruits receive is designed to produce certain outcomes: character, discipline, physical and mental readiness, combat marksmanship, critical combat skills, and proud team member. All this happens over a highly intentional 70-day period during which civilians are transformed into soldiers. Those ten weeks are highly regimented – from the way you dress to the milk you drink (studies have shown that when recruits drink milk daily their bones are 5% stronger).
There are four lines in The Soldier’s Creed, that every Nazarene minister should adopt:
· I will always place the mission first
· I will never accept defeat
· I will never quit
· I will never leave a fallen comrade
As a life-long learner always seeking to improve both my own leadership and the leadership of others, my takeaways included:
- The importance of standardized, fundamental training for all (the power of a shared, unifying experience), followed by specialized training according to assignment
- The importance of cultivating a culture that shapes behavior, attitude, and expectations
- The importance of ceremonies and celebration
- The importance of knowing your organization’s history
I wonder what difference it might make in the world if we had an intentional process for seeing people transformed into fully devoted followers for Christ in a 10-week process, a 10-month process, and a 10-year process.
Having just observed Veteran’s Day, I am grateful for the contributions our military makes - not only in keeping the peace, but also in sharing what they are learning about leadership and the development of leaders.