On this Memorial Day we remember and honor the sacrifices of those who gave their last full measure of devotion to their country. General George S. Patton wrote, “The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.” Soldiers exemplify character in their sacrifice, courage, service and duty, respect, integrity, among many qualities. Consider though what may be the most people-centered lesson we can learn as leaders from those who serve (or have served) in a branch of the armed forces.
A leader’s most important asset is their people. We might start out thinking our talent, wit, wisdom, intuition or resources qualify us to lead, but over time it is the relationships we invest in that ultimately defines our leadership. Some learned this principle through their military service. The characteristics of duty to country, commitment to mission, and loyalty to their fellow man are three leadership principles that soldiers understand at a deep level. These are principles that cannot be mandated. They must be demonstrated, in relationships both in training and on the battlefield.
If you visit a gravesite this Memorial Day, you might see signs of military devotion left on some of the tombstones. These will be in the form of coins of various denominations. Don’t disturb them. This practice dates back as far as the Roman empire, when soldiers would place a coin the mouth of a fallen brother as a prayer for them to cross into the afterlife. Each coin has a specific meaning. Leaving one on a tombstone tells the deceased soldier’s family that someone stopped by to pay their respects.
A penny means you visited.
A nickel means you and the deceased veteran trained at boot camp together.
A dime means you and the deceased veteran served together in some capacity.
A quarter means you were present when the veteran died.
This practice in the U.S. became much more common during and following the Vietnam War. They coins don’t remain indefinitely. Occasionally, a cemetery staff member will collect them and the funds are traditionally used to help with the burial expenses for soldiers and to maintain the military graves. When you see coins on military graves, note what they say in terms of how close others were to the deceased. The coins reveal the relationships, and are a demonstration of the duty, commitment and loyalty of our soldiers. May our leadership in some small way reflect these enduring values.
One trait we often look for in leaders is the ability to multitask. Smart, capable leaders can handle multiple tasks, priorities and decisions at once, right? No, actually, that’s wrong. There is a limit to the number of things any leaders can process at once.