By Dave Bushy, PCC
Most people have heard the words “servant leadership” but how many leaders know what that means?
Leadership, from my experience, is service — service to others — not service to oneself. I was honored to work with two leaders who epitomized such service. One was in the U.S. Army, the other at JetBlue.
My days as a young U.S. Army officer allowed me to see servant leadership early in my career. I worked for a vibrant, passionate, caring leader named Gordon Sullivan.
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Sullivan never asked someone to do something he wouldn’t do. Wherever he went, he engaged each of us, personally, with genuine caring and eye contact. Often, late at night on a firing range or on maneuvers in Germany, I would barely be awake in the wee hours of the morning in the top turret of an M-60A1 Tank. Up would pop an officer in a watch cap and wide grin, speaking in his native Boston accent. It was LTC Sullivan. Sleep was something he willingly gave up to spend time with his troops. He talked with us, not to us. He never acted like he was above anyone or anything. Even though he held a much higher rank, he used it as a position that allowed him to give to others more than he ever received.
LTC Sullivan inspired us to be the best combat battalion in the U.S. Army. He had a vision that armor units could be highly maneuverable and keep the enemy off balance in the process. He made us proud of our ability to pick up stakes late at night and move without lights to a position 40-50 kilometers away. He did this repeatedly, ensuring that our unit was never caught flat-footed in our practice maneuvers – thereby ensuring that we would know such practices in actual combat.
Sullivan and his 4/73rd Armor Battalion earned high praise from our evaluators, and the Opposing Forces Commanders actually accused our brigade of painting 4/73 markings on all of its tanks! Such stories became legend in the battalion, as we walked with pride and knowledge that we were teaching new lessons to the U.S. Army, led by a man of vision and capability. And led by a man who served us so that we could serve our nation’s needs in the future.
There was one other time I experienced such servant leadership.
David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue, often said, “We serve our employees so they can serve our customers.” David lived that philosophy every day, cleaning the gate areas and airplanes, speaking to crewmembers individually and in groups and never, ever acting like a person who was above anything or anyone.
David gave of himself all the time. And it wasn’t just in his actions. It was the way he lived and modeled behavior. He was a walking, talking visionary who motivated his people to believe in something bigger than oneself. He envisioned “Bringing humanity back to air travel,” and he succeeded in ways that people are still studying.
Customers don’t fully recognize it, but David’s inspiration made each of us want to come to work each day and to get better in our jobs and service to others. Each of us became servant leaders, helping those around us at JetBlue, whether they were employees or the customers who paid our wages.
It was a fun time to be at JetBlue and it cascaded from the very top. David’s “joie de vivre” was incredible and his passion for what we did, in my estimation, has seldom been equaled in American business. David cared in a way that I have only seen a few times in 40 years of management experience.
Sullivan and Neeleman – both servant leaders. Neeleman moved from JetBlue and went on to start a successful company called Azul in Brazil. He is now successfully running Breeze Airways, disrupting and innovating the industry all at once. And his service to others lives on in the hearts of those who served with him.
Sullivan? Well, he was recognized for his leadership and helped shape Army doctrine for the future. He eventually rose to become a four-star general in charge of the entire U.S. Army and was named the chief of staff. Sadly, he passed away in 2024.
It was a privilege to serve with both Neeleman and Sullivan. And an honor to experience and learn servant leadership from them. My own leadership style as a manager and as a senior executive was shaped by examples like theirs.
Dave Bushy of Boston Executive Coaches – bostonexecutivecoaches.com – is a an ICF-certified coach who was trained at the Gestalt International Study Center (GISC). Dave is a former U.S. Army officer and senior airline executive who works with leaders throughout the world.
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay