Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Notes on contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Synovus Financial Corporation: “Just take care of your people”
- 2 FedEx Freight – Putting people first
- 3 The role of values in high-risk organizations
- 4 Spirituality and leadership in the Marine Corps
- 5 HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation: quest to become America's most admired company
- 6 Leadership lessons from Sarah: values-based leadership as everyday practice
- 7 Leadership values that enable extraordinary success
- 8 Principled leadership: a framework for action
- 9 Forgiveness as an attribute of leadership
- 10 Values and leadership in organizational crisis
- 11 Making more Mike Stranks – teaching values in the United States Marine Corps
- Index
4 - Spirituality and leadership in the Marine Corps
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 July 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Notes on contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Synovus Financial Corporation: “Just take care of your people”
- 2 FedEx Freight – Putting people first
- 3 The role of values in high-risk organizations
- 4 Spirituality and leadership in the Marine Corps
- 5 HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation: quest to become America's most admired company
- 6 Leadership lessons from Sarah: values-based leadership as everyday practice
- 7 Leadership values that enable extraordinary success
- 8 Principled leadership: a framework for action
- 9 Forgiveness as an attribute of leadership
- 10 Values and leadership in organizational crisis
- 11 Making more Mike Stranks – teaching values in the United States Marine Corps
- Index
Summary
In the Marine Corps, values and virtues acquire a special meaning, and they combine with several other elements to become part of a strong spirituality. Spirituality and the Marine Corps would seem, on the surface, to be incompatible concepts. Battles, killing, and warfare – activities in which Marines excel – do not seem to have a place in discussions about spirituality. This chapter, however, explains in what ways spirituality is an integral part of the Marine Corps identity and is crucial to the success of the organization.
Values, spirituality, and the Marines
Marines believe that they enjoy a unique and special relationship with the American people. Marines have a strong perception that they are the “most” American institution and are proud to serve the American people, particularly in times of trouble. In the late 1950s Brigadier General Victor Krulak offered at least three main beliefs or values held by American people toward the Marine Corps.
First, they believe that when trouble comes to our country there will be Marines, who, through hard work, have made and kept themselves ready to do something useful about it and do it at once. They picture these Marines as men – individual components of a lean, serious professional outfit. Second, they believe that when the Marines go to war, they invariably turn in performance that is dramatically and decisively successful – not most of the time, but always. Their faith and their convictions in this regard are almost mystical. […]
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Leading with ValuesPositivity, Virtue and High Performance, pp. 68 - 86Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006