[March 16, 2025] I knew I could choose from a long list of topics for my new leadership website more than a decade ago. One early article was on U.S. Army core values. And one value seemed an afterthought: selfless service.
My question was whether selfless service was a proper value. I believe it is important, and I could argue it is the most crucial for the most successful leader. Many leadership experts say, “Hey, just fake it.” But this is one value that cannot be faked because it’s easy to see through a fake leader.
“SELFLESS SERVICE: Put the welfare of the nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service is larger than just one person. In serving your country, you are doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain. The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a little further, endure a little longer, and look a little closer to see how they can add to the effort.” – U.S. Army
A common complaint about leaders, especially senior leaders, is that they are “in it for themselves.” We often hear that senior leaders are both too career-oriented (and thus play it safe) and have consciously removed themselves from the everyday, dirty business that makes things work.
True enough. Whether by design or neglect, these complaints reflect an all-too-common reality. What this means to the average worker is that their leader doesn’t care about them. Good leaders are aware of and make adjustments to compensate for this. The best way is to adopt the strategy of selfless service.
The higher I rose in the ranks of the U.S. Army, the more effort I made to ensure I practiced selfless service, and visibly and with a bit of flare. How did I do it? I made myself available to my troops in person or by telephone or VTC and kept my schedule as flexible as possible to accommodate planned or off-the-cuff talks. Officially, this was known as an “open door policy.”
It does take more. It takes a proactive approach—aggressively proactive. This means going where the people are located, at the place they spend their workday, lunchrooms, break rooms, and anyplace team-building occurs. In the Army, we had weekly team sports and physical fitness tests, and I made it a point to be there and participate, not just be there.
An often-asked question is whether it is possible to be a good leader yet place your main efforts on others. I think so. I’m convinced there is no other way. It’s hard and complex and takes long hours and the work can be frustrating. I found these difficulties speed bumps to great leadership.
Yes, selfless service is a proper value.
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Please read my books:
“An often-asked question is whether it is possible to be a good leader yet place your main efforts on others. I think so. I’m convinced there is no other way. It’s hard and complex and takes long hours and the work can be frustrating.” — Gen. Doug Satterfield.
Learning more everyday that the world exists in harmony only when strong men are in charge. If you want chaos, violence, poverty, misery, then put a woman in charge. She will be compassionate but won’t do a damn thing about those problems. Case in point … Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton.
Drew, the ladies are going to hate you for telling us the truth out loud.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 TRUTH 🧐🧐🧐🧐
—- and, yes, I would expect a Western woman to do exactly that. And if they are American, then they are really off the rails because they’ve been spoiled and entitled and treated so good, they expect that kind of deference all the time. They believe strongly in anything they believe at the moment and expect others to accommodate them. This level of entitlement is destroying the West all the while they see it as “liberation.” Of course, all they are doing is enslaving themselves to an old Marxist ideology.
Thank you, Gen. S. Always a pleasure to read your articles, usually in the morning for me, just before I go to work. While working, I can see what you are writing about. Crazy!!😜
Right, Gen. Satterfield, I hear it all the time too that leaders are only inthe game for themselves (money, power, fast-tracking career, fame, etc.) but I’m not so sure. Maybe, just maybe, they are not showing their devotion to others like we expect them to.
“ Army value of selfless service vital to ensuring mission success”
https://www.army.mil/article/238212/army_value_of_selfless_service_vital_to_ensuring_mission_success
In a nation founded on individual rights, the Army Value of selfless service sets the standard of how those rights co-exist alongside the need for the betterment of society as whole.
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“Selfless service is the value of looking beyond yourself.” — Army Chaplain (Col.) Mike Klein
Good quote, thanks. I know Chaplain Klein.… great man.
Hi Gen. Satterfield, a throwback post today. Excellent.