Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Modernization. Most times we think of military modernization in terms of equipment upgrades. However, in today’s military, modernization is much more than that. We have a chance to modernize and build innovation every single day at the troop level. It starts with communication and ends with shared understanding. This week, I was fortunate to speak with Anselm Beach, Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of the Army for Equity and Inclusion, about the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and how the impact of his legacy of innovation and leadership helps optimize talent in our force.
Remembering Dr. King
His impact still resounds through our ranks today. While many remember MLK Jr. as a prominent Baptist minister and activist, Beach remembers him as a true leader whose relevancy has a direct tie to how we hope our leaders lead in our military today. “It’s how we understand each other. It’s how we have these shared experiences,” said Beach. “He didn’t tell people to go do something that he did not do.”
I believe that communication is the foundation of education and understanding differences. It’s important to learn about cultures and backgrounds that are different than ours. Particularly when we are working to build a diverse and effective force. The military provides both individual and large group learning opportunities that further this goal. Much like how we conduct physical training to get stronger, we must put time into training and learning about other cultures to improve our understanding of ethnic backgrounds. People are our most precious resource. What doesn’t divide us strengthens us. When leaders normalize these discussions, they break down barriers and create a strong, diverse force with the ability to navigate tough conversations.
Beach also teaches the “Who Model”; a way for leaders to connect with their subordinates. It asks these key questions:
- Who are my people?
- How do my people show up?
- What do they bring?
According to Beach, leaders today can learn a lot from Dr. King. His leadership style can be categorized as a servant leader: focused on the well-being of others, upholding standards, but with dignity and respect for all. Beach added that Dr. King led with empathy and shared experiences.
Another leadership lesson we can learn from Dr. King is the concept that what happens to one indirectly happens to many. When you consider this in a military context, think about how one person can impact the outcome of an entire military operation. If you didn’t have confidence and camaraderie with your Operations or Intelligence personnel, what kind of gap would that leave in the mission?
I personally believe that we focus too much on the big things, when often the little things are just as important. When we generate conversation amongst ourselves and create this understanding, we are breaking down barriers that degrade communication among our force.
We must do our part to build upon MLK Jr.’s legacy and create innovation through understanding in our military.
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