The Leadership Blog

Do you experience “ah-ha” moments when something you have been pondering suddenly comes into focus? I do. My most recent ah-ha brought clarity to my thoughts about the difference between commitment and engagement and delivered a greater sense of appreciation for my work in higher education over the past 30+ years.

Ask any Marine what he or she does for a living and you will hear the same simple answer, “I am a Marine.” Ask others in the military, and you might get responses like, “I am a pilot,” “I am in the Infantry,” “I serve on the USS George Washington,” or “I am in Special Forces.” The same can occur in business or any other setting. But in the Marines, officers and enlisted alike are simply Marines. That lesson was taught to me in boot camp well over 30 years ago, and it has been impacting me ever since.

You see, in the Corps there are no “special Marines.” They are the only military service where officers and enlisted share the same title. You quickly learn that all Marines are special, and their commitment is to each other and the Corps. Thinking about that concept, my ah-ha moment happened.

While both engagement and commitment are good, commitment is a sense of belonging. It’s the feeling that your place of employment is more than a job — it’s a cause. Those who attended the 2008 Leadership Symposium heard Judith Bardwick tell us exactly that. More than 80 years ago, the Marine Corps Commandant, General LeJeune, was quoted as saying that the difference between officer and enlisted should not be a superior/subordinate relationship but more like teacher/scholar. Most people understand that being subordinate to someone puts you at a lower level, but most would agree that teachers and scholars are more equal.

Putting my thoughts together as I prepared for an upcoming Senior Leaders Institute, I gained a greater understanding of what has guided my thinking for more than 30 years in higher education. I am both teacher and staff member, but my primary focus in both roles is serving the students. In a video recorded several years ago, faculty member Terry Boyd said, “Being at Franklin is a cause, not just a job.” I have thought about his comment many times. To me, it confirms that we are all serving students, which makes us equal because we all share this special bond — this commitment.

ah-ha!

Tell us about an ah-ha moment that impacted your leadership style or philosophy.