Leadership Excellence and the Christian Officer

Lieutenant General Bruce L. Fister, U.S. Air Force, Retired

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Real leadership cannot be mandated or appointed; it is given to leaders by those who choose to follow.

The term excellence is most often associated with duty performance, that is, being the best possible soldier, sailor, airman or marine. For the military officer, excellence in technical skills and duty performance are extremely important.

However, since officership is generally equated to leadership, an officer's focus must always be excellence in leadership. An officer is called to lead; to set the example and to convince subordinates and peers alike to take responsibility for the work at hand and accomplish the mission.

Critical to those requirements of the profession of arms is an officer's dedication to ethical leadership. Although every officer is called to ethical conduct, such conduct is particularly important for Christian officers, whose convictions should positively impact their duty performance, priorities, and leadership.

Leaders in today's volunteer military, with its high-paced, stressful environment, will continue to face the challenges of difficult demands, limited resources, and problems with retention.

Despite these concerns, officers in our armed forces must demand of others and of themselves performance that reflects the highest professional standards. In fact, two of the core values of the United States Air Force remain "service before self" and "excellence in all you do."

When officers are commissioned, they commit themselves to defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Because of this, a special trust exists between military officers and the people of the nation, as well as between officers and their superiors and subordinates.

To effectively uphold their commissions, officers must live and lead in ways that sustain such trust. This demands adherence to biblical standards of conduct.

The quest for excellence in military leadership and conduct has a special importance to the Christian officer because it is related to that officer's eternal values and the eternal life of those with whom he or she serves. Christians enjoy a personal relationship with God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

We know we are working for the Eternal Commander-in-Chief, who is the all-powerful, all-loving, all-righteous Master of the universe! Since we know this as a fact, we recognize that nothing short of our best will serve to honor Him.

We must perform our military duties in a manner deserving of the King, no matter what the assignment or the nature of our tasks, or who our earthly commanders may be. Christian officers should work to make both superiors and subordinates successful; however, their fundamental motivation (to please the King) is what distinguishes Christian officers from others.

As Christian officers, we believe we are called to the profession of arms and placed in our assignments by God. Because God places and directs Christian officers, there are serious implications for such service. Christians are, first and foremost, soldiers in the army of the Lord even as we serve our country. Consequently, our service must conform to God's laws.

This implies that our service in the Armed Forces must be a witness for our Lord. Serving under God's laws and being effective witnesses requires that we set the right priorities. This, in turn, means knowing what God wants us to do and acting upon His direction. Through prayer, we ask God to lead us in establishing a career and creating an outstanding record of duty performance.

Then we trust the career results to God, whose sovereignty extends to selection for higher schools, for command, and for promotion. Achievement of high rank is not necessarily a direct indicator of the quality of one's service. Rather than be concerned about our next promotion, we must look to serve in a Christ-like manner, wherever we are placed. God's direction to a Christian officer will always be consistent with His Word in Scripture.

Obedience to that direction is the necessary first step. Thus the Christian officer should think, speak and act consistently in the workplace, in social engagements, and in religious activities. Those who have families must insure that the needs of spouses and children have the right priority. Those who are single must insure that their personal relationships and actions are consistent with their Christian beliefs. In short, a Christian officer's words and deeds will be consistent in all areas of life.

Earlier in this article, I mentioned that duty performance is what most officers think of when considering professional excellence. However, our ultimate excellence as officers will find its true expression by our actions in setting an example for and leading our subordinates, and in our relationships with peers and superior officers.

Thus an officer's primary focus throughout a career should be in the area of leadership. It is imperative for Christians to understand that we can be appointed to positions of authority, but we must exercise leadership.

Therefore, whether you are in a position of command, a staff officer, or technical expert, as an officer your first priority must be exercising leadership. Men and women choose those whom they will follow willingly and real leadership cannot be mandated or appointed; it is given to leaders by those who choose to follow.

For the Christian officer, the principles of Scripture provide the foundation for godly leadership. Jesus said, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them...But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves" (Luke 22: 25-26).

In other words, we lead to serve and serve to lead. We serve those whom we lead by exercising a genuine and appropriate care for our troops (and, indeed, for all those around us). We also serve them and our military chain of command by making responsible and ethical decisions, establishing high standards, conducting tough, meaningful training, setting the right example, taking fair and consistent disciplinary actions, and accepting responsibility for the consequences of all our actions.

As Christians lead in this manner, we should also be prepared to explain why our priorities in life and in leadership are sometimes different from those of others.

Leadership excellence for the Christian officer, then, is more than being a great infantryman, pilot, sailor, acquisition officer, supply officer, weapons officer, or commander. As Christian leaders, we will listen for God's Word and direction and act accordingly.

We will do our very best in every situation in the light of that knowledge. We will never doubt that if our work is done for the glory of the Master we will be effective witnesses and our leadership will help to accomplish what God wants done. As we face specific challenges or think about the future paths of our careers, we can rest in the assurance of this fact-He is sufficient!

Lieutenant General Bruce L. Fister, United States Air Force, Retired

General Fister entered the Air Force in 1964 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and retired from active duty on October 1, 1996 as Commander, 15th Air Force, Travis Air Force Base, California. Other significant assignments during his career included combat duty in Vietnam, extensive duties in test and evaluation of military airlift tactics and equipment, experience in joint exercises with Army and Navy special operations forces, and command of a squadron and a wing.

General and Mrs. Fister are longtime members of OCF. He is president of Fister-Gregor, Inc., a consulting firm involved in various defense projects. He and his wife, Melissa, live in Niceville, FL.