As Mark Twain often is reported as having said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” And so it is with leadership principles, which, though timeless, frequently are reinterpreted, reinvented, personalized, and reframed. Even so, they promote unity in organizational purpose, form foundational values, and establish a common narrative and vision. My own leadership philosophy is simple, but its basic themes offer a framework for discussion. I have told this story countless times, and I tell it again here in hopes it will be of value.
In 2012, I was a midgrade commander approaching a fork in the road. With a couple more years before becoming eligible for retirement, I had had numerous discussions with family and senior leaders to help me decide between a last assignment in preparation for transition versus a challenging and uncomfortable path for which I had very little experience. Then–Rear Admiral William “Dean” Lee, Commander, Coast Guard District Five, was one of those who spent time to provide his perspectives on career, profession, service, family, and sacrifice. Among the countless nuggets of wisdom he conveyed, what he said at the conclusion of our visit had the most impact:
He asked me to look at the nameplate on his desk and tell him what it said.
“Admiral, it says, ‘William Dean Lee.’”
“That’s right,” he replied. “I’ve had that nameplate for many years, and it’s always been important to me that people see my name. Just my name, not a title like admiral or a position like district commander, but just the person. Now, Sam, please come behind my desk, and tell me what’s written on the back.”
I got up, walked around, and read what was inscribed on the back: “Serve First; Lead Second; Be Humble.”
“Sam, that’s the real reason I’ve kept that on my desk for so many years, as a constant reminder of why I do what I do,” the admiral explained.
The influence this meeting had on me was profound. The event is as clear to me today as it was ten years ago, and it became the Polaris that guided me through four more tours, each of which presented me with increasingly challenging and complex leadership tests.
My family and I moved from the East to West Coast, where I spent three years as executive officer for one of the Coast Guard’s two Intelligence Fusion Centers. During those three years, and four follow-on tours, Serve First; Lead Second; Be Humble became a mantra that provided strength, focus, and presence during tests of character, service, leadership, and humility. I cannot count the number of times I have intoned these three core elements in response to the most mundane to the most challenging leadership and service scenarios:
I came up with that strategic idea, not her!
How am I going to lead this command through this pandemic?
I worked on that stakeholder engagement plan for six weeks, and now it’s been canceled!
I don’t know how much longer I can work with this person. He is the most difficult individual I’ve had to deal with, ever!
Do I have the strength to tell this family their son has drowned?
Does he have any idea who he’s talking to? I would never have spoken to a senior person that way.
Do I have the expertise and knowledge to lead the port through a pre-hurricane port closure? And then ensure it is reopened as quickly and safely as possible?
There are so many questions. . . . This is so complex. . . . There is so much apprehension. . . . I don’t have even 10 percent of the answers.
There are a lot of people a lot smarter than I am for this mission, but I’m supposed to be in charge—how do I do this?
I was the one who should have been selected for that . . . fellowship . . . school . . . promotion . . . opportunity . . . program.
And so on. Each time, Serve First; Lead Second; Be Humble helped me deal with and grow through the school of life and hard knocks.
With the privilege and honor to be appointed to my own command in 2020, the time came to develop the guiding principles that would characterize my leadership team’s priorities, focus, and conduct. I was unable to articulate a more compelling and succinct philosophy than what Admiral Lee had offered me so many years ago.1 Just as he has continued to guide, mentor, and lead countless men and women since his retirement, so do the timeless principles engraved on his nameplate.
Serve First
Service is not unique to the armed forces; firefighters, law enforcement personnel, medical and health professionals, first responders and emergency managers, public servants . . . all Serve First. But while the ways we serve and the reasons we do it may differ, the commonality is putting something or someone above self: mission, country, community, command or organization, people, stakeholders, or partners.
A career in the armed forces is a purposeful and voluntary act, but the path is frequently challenging. Serving first demands a strong work ethic and commitment to excellence, unwavering professionalism, a constant pursuit of challenges, and a willingness to embrace mistakes as a path to continual learning. Service is sustained by a desire to work collaboratively and to earn and maintain the trust and confidence of those you lead. Sincere care for your people and their families creates bonds and organizational esprit de corps that will withstand the most difficult challenges. Most important, our families also wear the cloth of our nation, and it is through them that we succeed.
Lead Second
From the first day we pledge to support and defend the Constitution, we are leaders, and from the most junior to the most senior, we never stop being leaders. Senior to subordinate leadership is the most conventional framework and easiest to identify, but it might not always be the most effective or impactful. More often, leadership involves peer-to-peer relationships alongside our colleagues, or leading up by presenting seniors new ideas or providing them with candid feedback, or leading collaboratively within the joint and interagency operational world, among those over whom we have no organizational or positional power.
Each of us leads by demonstrating civil and respectful discourse, by showing moral and ethical courage, by promoting fairness and respect across a diverse workforce, by ensuring accountability across our organizations and services, and by generating hope and positivity even amid the most adverse circumstances. In other words, it is not only what we do, but how we do it. If our actions are guided by unwavering integrity and character, they hopefully will inspire crews long past our leadership assignments.
Be Humble
Ego and humility are antipodes in the spectrum of leadership, but one cannot exist without the other. Ego is the source of drive, professional ambition, courage, confidence, decisiveness. But left unbridled, it can quickly transform into toxic, selfish, self-aggrandizing, and close-minded behavior. Even the best leaders can forget the reasons for their service and lose sight of the people, not who serve them, but whom they serve.
The antidotes for unbridled ego are simple but require genuine vulnerability. Seek out, learn to accept, and then act on feedback derived from formal and informal mechanisms. How often do you conclude providing feedback to subordinates by seeking the same from them? At first, it might be uncomfortable, and they might even decline your invitation. But over time, candid, unvarnished feedback is the stuff of personal and professional growth. Maintain intellectual curiosity, admit when you do not know, and remember that the higher you climb the mountain of knowledge, the grander your vistas of ignorance. Hold fast to basics such as saying please, thank you, and I’m sorry. Practice listening to understand, instead of listening to respond; shine the spotlight on your people for their accomplishments; admit your mistakes; and be kind and good to people. The list is long, basic, but surprisingly difficult to execute.
A Leader’s Duty
Trust in and public expectations for the armed forces remain higher than for most any other organization in the country. But the “manners” of our profession will continue to be tested and strained in today’s challenging times, by both external threats to our country and divisions within our society. The country needs leadership and public servants more than ever, and I believe inculcating the three bases of service, leadership, and humility into our organizational frameworks will provide much-needed reinforcement to our nation and the people we serve.
Serve First; Lead Second; Be Humble.
1. Vice Admiral Dean Lee continues to Serve First, Lead Second, and Be Humble, and six years after retiring as the Atlantic Area Commander in June 2016, remains as dedicated to these principles as the day I met him. Through the countless women and men he’s influenced during his 35-year career, he continues to be among the service’s greats. VADM Lee biography, www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Notable-People/All/Article/2195858/vice-admiral-william-dean-lee/.