“You and I do not retire. You and I are called to serve, and we will serve until the pine box lid is closed upon us.” This quote from Frances Hesselbein is about being dedicated to our purpose. For those of us who serve, we embrace a life and attitude of being of service that goes beyond our current condition or place of employment. As Frances would say, We are called to serve.
In this section of our book, our contributors explore their calls to service, what they are, how they heard the call, and what it means to heed the call. We begin with Jim Yong Kim, 12th president of the World Bank, who describes his leadership journey, on which he often reminds himself and others, “No matter how holy you think your mission might be, it does not make you immune from bad leadership.” Margaret Heffernan recounts her painful decision as a CEO to request that her CFO shut down their company rather than allow it to suffer and die a “death from a thousand cuts” during the dot.com bust and 2008–2009 economic recession. In describing the surprisingly positive outcomes of her decision, she demonstrates the importance of honesty and integrity for leaders. Eric Schurenberg offers historical lessons about leadership from George Washington as he led his troops in the battle for American independence during the Revolutionary War. He outlines ways that contemporary leaders can similarly motivate and inspire others. Mark C. Thompson reflects on some critical lessons that he learned about leadership from these two inspirational men, particularly about the importance of having a mission, learning from failure, admitting that you don’t know all the answers, not succumbing to distractions, and letting go of perfectionism. Stephanie Pace Marshall recounts lessons learned among the Pitjantjatjara Aborigines of Australia to demonstrate the critical importance of story, map, and landscape to any organization. She discusses implications for leadership and suggests ways to enhance your role as a storyteller and mapmaker in your organization. Mel Spiese draws on his personal experiences as a proud United States Marine to disavow the notion that his organization has any problem with “workplace disengagement” among contemporary recruits who are Millennials and members of Generation Z. He identifies characteristics of this new demographic of Marines that make them particularly prone to success in the Corps—or in any other organization or workplace. And wrapping up this section is Jack Zenger, who cites an incredibly painful personal experience – his son’s death from a rare form of cancer – to reveal the importance of honesty and integrity for leaders. He also identifies five behavioral indices that correlate with these key leadership skills.