Leadership and communication are essential for winning wars. Email is a reality, and is good for some things; however, there is no substitute for F2F interaction when it comes to building relationships. Relationships are a reality in any organization, but they are more important in an organization like the Marines where lives are on the line. Senior leaders should establish mutually trusting relationships with junior leaders before deploying to a combat zone when it may be too late. Even in the best relationships, and under the influence of a great leader, conflict will occur. Some conflict is healthy, but too much can be detrimental to unity. Marine leaders would do well to implement a comprehensive conflict management strategy in order to maintain unit cohesion and create a safe environment for junior Marines to express their concerns and opinions. Servant-leadership is a comprehensive leadership model that encompasses all necessary attributes for fostering trusting relationships and managing conflict and, therefore, is the most appropriate model for the Marines. Empowering servant-leaders in the Marine Corps will help the Marines enhance their organizational culture and allow them to continue to focus on executing their primary mission protecting our nations interest at home and abroad.
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