Leadership 1 command phil:inter

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Windhorst_LDR-601S Leadership Philosophy / Commander Interview Essay By LCDR Nathan Windhorst Leadership and Command I (LDR-601S) 5 September 2023 Air University Global College of Professional Military Education Maxwell AFB, Alabama Part 1: Leadership Philosophy 1

Windhorst_LDR-601S My leadership philosophy for this organization is to adopt the philosophy of servant lead- ership, and have that model permeate throughout the organization both up and down the chain of command. Too often, we in the military are so focused on the chain of command as a one way street, in that we only focus on obeying and serving those above us. However, the chain of com- mand should be a two way street. Following the idea of servant leadership will allow a command to not only prosper, but also for its sailors to grow as well. I came to that philosophy by observing it in action and experiencing the negative effects of a leader that specifically does not serve those under him. I have seen good leaders do every- thing in their power to enable those under them to make decisions, forge their own path, and suc- ceed, all while creating an environment where they are free to do so. They accomplished this by pushing back against policies handed down from above that were counterproductive to what the command or team needed to accomplished. When they could not fully escape the overreach of their superiors, good commanders have done all they can to lessen the impact of negative im- pacts of micromanaging, oftentimes toeing the line between malicious compliance and contempt. The idea of stepping out of one’s comfort zone to stand up to superiors, often who sign your FITREP, is central to the success of servant leadership. There is an old analogy of a specific refuse always rolling downhill. The easy thing to do is to step aside and allow it to continue to roll down to the next level, eventually ruining the lives of whomever has the unfortunate position of being at the bottom. However, if a leader steps up, and positions themselves to block excre- tions from rolling down past them, their subordinates will be all the better for it. The 16 Personalities (MBTI) assessment that I scored was that of an ITSJ or Logistician. According to the assessment, an ITSJ is relatively composed and carries out their actions with care and a methodical purpose (“Logistician”, 2023, https://www.16personalities.com/istj-per - sonality ). The carefulness that an ITSJ executes their actions is aligned with what a servant leader should do. Additionally, an Logistician prides “themselves on their integrity. People with this personality type mean what they say, and when they commit to doing something, they make sure to follow through” (“Logistician”, 2023, https://www.16personalities.com/istj-personality ). Going back to the excrement rolling down hill example, a true servant leader will commit to serving those under him, no matter the cost or personal inconvenience incurred. As a man of faith, the first example that I go to in becoming a servant leader is that of Je- sus and his actions towards his disciples and everyone he came in contact with during his time on the earth. A specific example of this is when he washed his disciples feet. Seen as an act of servi- tude, normally performed by the host’s house servants, Jesus took a place of humility when he washed the road dust off of the feet of those subservient to him (John 13:5, English Standard Version). Even though one is in a position of authority, does not mean that they should cease to serve those below them, both in actions and attitude. Additionally, as a Naval Officer, a prime example of servant leadership was in my former Commanding Officer of VT-4, and one situation will always stick with me. As CO of a training squadron, students were the main source of con- sternation and difficulty, as they were stretching their wings for the first time in their personal and professional lives. When one such student encountered a severe personal issue and needed emergency leave, my CO took it upon himself to ensure that they got the leave, even though it was contrary to the Commander’s guidance signed by the Admiral, two echelons above. Motivat- ing the efforts of the Department Heads and myself, the Assistant Student Control Officer, we were able to draft a request for exception to policy, which required the approval of our Com- modore, and route it to the admiral. spending two full days personally seeing the process through, my CO was able to secure the approval of the Admiral and send the student on emer- 2

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