PLCY201 Final Paper: Pick a Leader
14 December 2020
Four-star General James Mattis served the Marine Corps for over four decades and commanded forces during the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan. As he rose in rank, he commanded the U.S. Joint Forces Command, served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, and later commanded United States Central Command. After retiring from the military, General Mattis was nominated by President Trump to become the 26th Secretary of Defense from 2017 until he resigned from the position in January 2019 ("James N. Mattis”). General Mattis’ leadership and military skill is recognized as impactful by both the Department of Defense and the individual Marines he worked with. General Mattis’ leadership style emphasized servant leadership, a sense of mission, and strong values, but his most effective leadership strategy was caring for his Marines and the subsequent loyalty from his followers.
Servant Leadership
General Mattis was seen as a servant to the Marine Corps, his fellow Marines, and to his country, gaining him respect from those around him. Servant leadership is a term coined by Robert Greenleaf and refers to a leader who is a servant first, ensuring that other peoples’ priority needs are being served (Greenleaf 19). Mattis was a servant first, starting his military career as many do, commissioned as a second lieutenant. With his skill and commitment quickly recognized, he climbed his way in rank up to general and eventually became a four-star general. Mattis was a servant to those above him in rank, which allowed him to serve those below him as he was promoted.
General Mattis’ need for knowledge is evident of servant leadership. Servant leaders are constantly looking to the past experiences of others in order to understand how to improve the lives of those one serves (Greenleaf 20). Mattis firmly believes in reading history for the better development of his own strategy. He often required those who worked with him to read books of military strategy, specifically those of ancient Greek and Roman generals. Mattis was known for saying, “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren't broad enough to sustain you” (Mattis 42). Mattis executed servant leadership in honoring those who came before him by reading their books, and serving those he led by applying that knowledge. Mattis leads his troops efficiently using the experiences of his own and of those who came before him.
Mattis’ servant leadership can also be defined by his hands-on attitude. In the military, rank plays a large role in the respect one receives as well as the duties one performs. There are countless stories of Mattis stepping in to help troops, disregarding his own high rank. One such event took place when Mattis was serving at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico. On Christmas day of 1998, the Commandant checked on the officers on duty and was surprised to see that General Mattis had been standing on duty and slept in the barracks instead of the Major who was assigned to that role. Mattis took the Major’s duty so that he could spend Christmas with his family and children, while Mattis, despite his high rank, stood watch (Szoldra “Here’s”). Mattis ignored typical conventions of rank to instead help someone who worked for him, showing his servitude to all who he cares for.
Even as Secretary of Defense, General Mattis put the prestige of the position aside to assure the needs of his service members were met. When Mattis was appointed as Secretary of Defense, he sent a letter to every member of the Department of Defense stating, “It’s good to be back and I’m grateful to serve alongside you as Secretary of Defense” (“Message to Department”). As a servant leader, General Mattis understands more than just how to serve others, but rather he knows how to serve others by serving with them. He concluded the letter by writing, “I am confident you will do your part. I pledge to you I’ll do my best as your Secretary” (“Message to Department”). Showing confidence in his subordinates depicts that Mattis acknowledged every member of his team. His own statement of his intentions to do good work shows the servant relationship between himself and the service members. For Mattis as a leader, servitude is how he gains loyalty and must be a two-way relationship.
Shared Vision
General Mattis was skilled at creating and sharing a vision, but allowed his troops to act upon that vision on their own, promoting their own growth and skill. As part of his own training as a senior officer, Mattis learned a great deal about how to strategically run a team and eventually developed his own style in doing so. In his book, Call Sign Chaos, Mattis explains that one must “clearly state your intent and unleash their initiative” (44). He then acknowledges that once the vision is interpreted by the subordinates, they must be “trained and rewarded for exercising initiative, taking advantage of opportunities and problems as they arise” (Mattis 45). Conveying a shared mission is an effective leadership trait, but Mattis goes even further to focus on the development of those below him. This care shows his followers that their needs are important and acknowledged.
Mattis created his visions for war from knowledge and strategy, but ultimate success would be determined by how his troops interpreted and executed the mission. Mattis is known for emphasising the quote, “no better friend, no worse enemy” (Mattis 42), which meant that his Marines must treat allies with reverence and combat enemies with force. As he led his troops through Baghdad in 2003, Mattis once again emphasised this message as he sent his troops to battle. Mattis recounts that during a mission, one of his lieutenants commanded his troops to avoid a certain house because there were women and children inside, and that they would return later (Mattis 54). This Marine put his life and the lives of his fellow Marines at risk, but did so with their leader, General Mattis’, intent in mind. With Mattis’ goals clear to them, Marines used their own judgement to make decisions and led as they felt was best.
Strong Values
General Mattis is a leader who lived by his values and encouraged his followers to do the same. In November of 2003, as Mattis was told he was to lead his battalions back into Iraq, Mattis’ values, particularly in war, became most apparent. Mattis was demanding of his troops, as he outlined in his book that, “Marines do not fail” (120). His expectations, though, were that a Marine must uphold their own values and the values of the United States to be successful. For Mattis, values were what guided his own leadership and also motivated his troops.
When leaving for war, Mattis worked to assure that even those at the homefront understood the importance of him upholding values for their sake. On multiple occasions, Mattis sent letters to all troops heading out to war assuring them that war would be tough, but that the values of freedom, saving the innocent, honor, etc. would be what motivated them to continue (119). In February of 2004, Mattis sent a letter to the families of those deploying to the Middle East. This letter thanked and recognized the families for their service as well as explaining the need and reasons for the deployment. In sending this letter, Mattis actively displayed the reason his values, especially during times of war, were necessary.
Mattis always emphasises his values when he speaks with others, but more importantly, he is willing to act to assure his values are upheld. His most recent public display of his values was his resignation as Secretary of Defense. Many theorized that while Mattis did not support President Trump, he initially accepted the role of Secretary of Defense because he supported protecting America and the Constitution, not loyalty to the president (Newman “Former”). However, on December 20, 2018, Mattis’ values were being challenged too adamantly and he resigned from his prestigious position. In his resignation letter, Mattis explained that his views on treating allies with respect and knowing the players on the international stage did not align with Trump’s opinions. He wrote, “Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position” (Mattis 246). Mattis’ response treated President Trump with great respect as his Commander in Chief. Many leaders would have continued to act in accordance with the President in order to hold onto their high ranking position and power associated with it, but Mattis knew his values and views on the subject were more important than any level of authority. General Mattis is a leader who showed his values to himself and others through his actions, which serves as a powerful example for those he works with.
General James Mattis is a highly effective leader in the many roles he has held throughout his career. Mattis is a servant leader, can create a shared vision amongst his team to promote growth, and someone who upholds his values to inform his own actions and the actions of those around him. Ultimately, though, his strength as a leader stems from his deep care and commitment to every aspect of his work. Whether it be care for the individual Marines he interacted with, the wellbeing and attitude of the U.S. military, or the status of the United States as a nation, Mattis was able to lead with the loyalty and trust of those he cared for.
Works Cited
Greenleaf, Robert K. "Servant Leadership." Leader’s Companion, Year, 18-23.
"James N. Mattis Biography." Defense.Gov, 2020,
/. Accessed 14 Dec. 2020.
Mattis, James and Bing West. Call Sign Chaos. New York, Random House Publishing, 2019.
"Message to the Department of Defense from Secretary of Defense James Mattis". U.S.
Department of Defense, 2017,
epartment-of-defense-from-secretary-of-defense-james-mattis/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2020.
Neuman, Scott. "Former Defense Secretary Mattis Issues Stunning Rebuke Of Trump."
NPR.org, 4 June 2020,
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/04/869255813/former-defense-secretary-mattis-issues-stunning-rebuke-of-trump. Accessed 9 Dec 2020.
Szoldra, Paul. “Here's What Legendary Marine General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis Is Really Like,
From People Who Served With Him”. Business Insider, 23 December 2018,
https://www.businessinsider.com/general-mattis-stories-2016-12. Accessed 10 Dec. 2020.
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