What Is Real Leadership?

  I mentioned in my first blog that I wanted to write a political blog. This may not start as a political post but read along and see if you can come to the same common sense logic I did.
Today I had the privilege of attending the memorial service for David Rodriguez. The truth is I barley knew the man. A brief hello and handshake at church was pretty much the extent of our interaction. To be honest I went more for the support of my church family and the pastors that had to speak, then for my own grief. During the ceremony one theme came up time after time in reference to David and that was he had lived his life as a, "servant"(Not to be confused with a slave). By all accounts he was a man that would give you the shirt of his back and would be the first to help in any situation. He volunteered for the church regularly. His daughters entire swim team was there because he was their inspiration. He was at every practice and swim meet. He was a soldier at Ft. Drum and served his nation over seas. There were many soldiers there for the ceremony and all the ones that spoke talked about a man that helped in every way possible. One young sergeant spoke of the mess her life would have been without the guidance of this man. David Rodriguez wife said that David's life was happiest when he was, "serving God and others."
 Before I went to the ceremony I picked up my mail and I had a letter from Congressman Bill Owens. Congressman Owens (D) represents the 23rd District here in NY. I had written an email to the congressman earlier in the week in reference to my disappointment with the VA medical system. He told me in the letter that he appreciated the fact that I would contact him and he had already started to inquire about my situation. He then said he would, "be in touch" as soon as he had any updates. This is not the first time I have contacted the 23rd District congressman and each time I have been pleasantly surprised.
 By now you are probably wondering how does David Rodriguez and the letter from Congressman Owens connect? I had a thought today at the memorial service that true leadership is nothing more then serving. When we talk about people in the military we say they served in the armed forces. We use the term public servants to describe fireman, police or other local officials. When we refer to a politician we say they served in the Senate or some other governmental capacity. Being a great leader just means you are the biggest servant.
 I learned this lesson in the military. I remember Christmas Day 2004 in Baghdad, Iraq. I was on duty and I had been up all night. It had rained all night and it was very cold, yes you read that right. I was exhausted and all week our 1SG had promised we were going to have a huge Christmas dinner. I have to tell you after that long cold night I was aching for some turkey mashed potato's and gravy. Just about the time my shift finished the Battalion Commander drove into our location and our 1SG let him and his Personal Security Detail eat a good portion of our Christmas meal. It wouldn't have been a huge deal but the Battalion Commander and his boys got to go back to the base that evening and eat at the good chow halls. This was our Christmas meal in our little hell hole. When I got off duty my buddies and I went to get some chow but it was mostly gone. We scraped up a few things and went to the bombed out building we slept in. I will never forget what happened when I walked in that building. My platoon leader. Lt Calderon was there as well as the platoon sergeant SFC Bass and both were clearly angry. When I asked them if they had eaten both of them said no because they wanted to make sure we all were fed first. Their anger was directed to the leadership that had taken advantage of their soldiers. That experience told me the kind of men they were. They placed their men above their own needs and desires, even Christmas dinner. I never forgot that example. Over the course of two deployments I gauged leadership not by wisdom, courage or tactical expertise, although that was important, but simply by whether the leadership put their men first.
 I wonder what would happen if we expected the same of our politicians; servant type leadership. I wonder how many people would actually run for office if this is what was expected and demanded? See it doesn't do any good to just complain, after all we voted them in. The truth is how many of the people that complain about government have actually taken part in our democracy by calling or emailing their representatives? How many grumble and complain but don't even know the names of the people they are complaining about? Or my personal favorite is when people take the time to complain but won't take the time to support when they can.
 I have recently changed what determines who I vote for. I no longer vote for a party but for a man or woman that understand what it means to be a public servant. I ask myself these questions. Do they put their self interest first? Is the position they are holding a ego trip or do they really want what is best for their constituents and the country? You will find a lot of time a little homework will reveal all you need to know about them and their leadership style.
 I learned a lot today about a great leader that I didn't really know and I am beginning to learn about one that is representing me in Washington. So thank you David for the life lesson of what it means to lead through being a servant. Congressman Owens I look forward to hearing back from you and you can be sure you will be hearing from me more often. If you lead like David Rodriguez you will have my support and vote.

Thanks For Reading
Steve