The

The ‘Corps’ of Servant Leadership: One Marine’s Story

Teresa Habib | 2020

Abstract

Every Marine is a leader, and each lives the motto – never leave a Marine behind, which is a true indication of how Marines instinctively understand the meaning of selfless service. Although leadership training has become more state of the art, many military leadership courses fall short on embedding Servant Leadership principles as a foundation. It is the middle managers who are the backbone of the Corps, and who are key for building rapport and nurturing relationships needed for success. Therefore, their leadership training should include more than the standard Marine Corps’ fourteen leadership traits. The training should also embed those traits into the seven Servant Leadership Constructs of Love, Humility, Altruism, Vision, Trust, Empowerment, and Service. Through story-telling, which is one of the oldest arts and historically effective for sharing experiences, this leadership handbook merges the seven constructs and fourteen traits in ways that are easy to understand. While this manuscript provides significant insight into the world of Servant Leadership and how it intersects with Marine Corps values and leadership traits, it is also a valuable tool for any leader seeking to implement Servant Leadership into secular organizations. Moreover, this handbook demonstrates how leading with the heart can impact teams and organizations to maximize performance, commitment, empowerment, and organizational success; critical objectives for all individuals and organizations.