Serve to Lead: The Officer
The Officer has to be all things to all people. It is a mantle only the select few can carry.
Leadership is much misunderstood. There are those who feel that when they are given power they can wield it as if a bludgeon, but the paradox of leadership is that leaders should be servants over whom they have authority. No one understands this better than the army officer, specifically the British Officer.
The moment the Officer began his training, he understood this philosophy of service — service not only to the nation but to the institution he serves. The beret of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst shows the cypher of the monarch with a ribbon underneath carrying the academy’s motto, ‘Serve to Lead’. By the time the Officer takes the King’s Commission, the motto will be second nature. This is daunting for a young man who commands 30 soldiers in a platoon, but the responsibility doesn’t diminish as the years pass. A platoon becomes a company, which becomes a regiment, then a brigade, a division, a corps, and so on. Each command increases the number of lives under your charge.
The fact that the Officer cannot walk 10 yards without someone throwing a salute in his direction might lead one to think the officer will get too big for his (highly polished) boots. But that is where training and character kick in.
The Officer is not shy about this: he proceeds diligently with confidence and an aura that convinces even the most hesitant to follow him. You will understand this is not limited to times of war; indeed, in peacetime, or during his recuperative hours, the Officer has no shortage of people wanting to take up time in his diary, to enjoy the immense pleasure of his company.
The Officer needs to know when to be a raconteur as well as the quiet man in the room. You see, he is naturally modest but has a lot to brag about. That which he has seen throughout his service must be handled with discretion and tact. The British leave it to our American cousins to go into gory details on podcasts and whatnot. Instead, we’ve made an art of concealing our military’s professional prowess behind an immaculate uniform and well-executed drill.
To be the Officer is to pass all those for whom you have made endless sacrifices and know they have not noticed you.
To be the Officer is to walk the streets and pass all those for whom you have made endless sacrifices and know they have not noticed or acknowledged you. This is how it must be. Service must not be in the cause of celebrity. No, the glory is kept to the comrades with whom you’ve served so faithfully in the destruction of the King’s enemies; no more is needed. This level of fidelity is borne by a select few, especially in a contemporary world in which money and fame can come to you via a single viral post on TikTok.
The Officer is the consummate host. He always knows to stand when a woman enters the room; offers a “how d’you do” to new acquaintances; and leaves no guest feeling left out. He never uses a fish knife, only two forks, just as the Queen Mother did, and his wits are always kept about him however much wine is drunk or however late into the night festivities go. The Officer never indulges in narcotics.
We need the Officer. His way is the way of gentleness except when we send him off the paths of peace. He has The Rake’s respect and admiration, and we look upon such men with reverence even when we insist that irreverence is the order of the day. His orders are of a different and much higher purpose, and now that, by and large, he issues the orders himself, we wish we could fall under his command. Those who already are consider themselves well served. Politicians, take note.
