Hello everyone, today I will be discussing a few important topics I have been able to draw from
Retired U.S. Army Major General Robert F. Dees’ book Resilient Leaders.
Leadership is a contact sport! As an experienced military, business, ministry, academic,
and political leader, General Dees explains how leaders can selflessly serve over time
from a platform of character and competence. In addition to unique, biblically based
discussions regarding key leader characteristics, key leadership competencies, and the
leader’s wisdom, Resilient Leaders includes an invaluable section on leader self-care.
This book provides a unique window into how leaders lead well, stay resilient, and help
the organizations and individuals they lead do the same.[ CITATION Rob \l 1033 ]
Who is Robert F. Dees?
Major General (Retired) Robert F. “Bob” Dees served for 31 years in the U.S. Army in a
wide variety of command and staff positions culminating in his last three assignments as
Assistant Division Commander for Operations, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault);
Commander, Second Infantry Division, United States Forces Korea; and as Deputy
Commanding General, V (US/GE) Corps in Europe, concurrently serving as Commander,
US-Israeli Combined Task Force for Missile Defense. Commissioned as a second
lieutenant after graduating from West Point in 1972, he is also a graduate of the Naval
Postgraduate School, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Industrial
College of the Armed Forces, and the Royal College of Defense Studies in London,
England.
Following military retirement in January 2003, Bob served as Executive Director,
Defense Strategies, Microsoft Corporation, followed by leadership of a non-profit
outreach to the military. While authoring The Resilience Trilogy (Resilient Warriors,
Resilient Leaders, and Resilient Nations), he pioneered resilience programs for the
military and beyond as Associate Vice President for Military Outreach, Adjunct
Professor, and Director of the nation’s first Institute for Military Resilience at Liberty
University. Most recently, Bob served as National Security Advisor and Campaign
Chairman, Carson for President 2016.
Bob speaks at numerous seminars and conferences, as well as commentary on national
security and resilience in venues such as FOX Huckabee, FOX Business, Focus on the
Family, Christian Broadcasting Network, American Family Radio, Wildfire Men’s
Conferences, New Canaan Society, Pinnacle Forum, Wallbuilders Live, My Family Talk,
Samaritans Purse, Family Research Council, Newsmax TV, and numerous churches,
military bases, and business organizations across America. He was featured as one of 30
“Master Leaders” in America by noted author George Barna.
Bob is married to the former Kathleen Robinson of Houston, Texas. They have two
children and seven grandchildren and currently reside in Round Rock, Texas. General and
Mrs. Dees are grateful for the privilege of serving God, the Nation, and others during
these critical times.[ CITATION Rob22 \l 1033 ]
Before we get into today’s subject, you may wonder who I am. What is my background? Where
have I studied? The usual topics when being delivered a PowerPoint Presentation by any
presenter. So, let’s get into that.
After reading Resilient Leaders by Robert Dees, several valuable concepts were discovered. For
example, Dees states, “from my perspective and life experience, the three “high core values” of
CHARACTER are Selfless Service, Integrity, and Courage’[CITATION Rob13 \p 50 \l 1033 ].
Today, I will discuss these three helpful characteristics and end with biblical integration on these
topics.
The first is selfless service, commonly referred to as a servant leader.
The second topic will be integrity. “At the basic level, integrity is simply telling the truth or
staying true to a set of values”[CITATION Rob13 \p 65 \l 1033 ]
The third topic will be courage. Courage, as defined by Merriam Webster, is the mental or moral
strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty[ CITATION Mer1810 \l
1033 ]
Finally, I will provide biblical integration related to being a resilient leader.
“Selfless service lies at the heart of effective leadership”[CITATION Rob \p 51 \l 1033 ].
Essentially, a person who exhibits the characteristic of selflessness places others’ needs or desires
above their own. “Selfless service is larger than just one person”[CITATION Rob13 \p 51 \l 1033
]. As a United States Marine, I live this selfless service daily. Examples include leaving my
family for months in defense of the Iraq war and missing birthdays or family gatherings due to a
required training exercise. Also, as a leader, I have spent extra time above and beyond training
my subordinates to allow them to get better ultimately for their career advancement vice mine.
“The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a
little further, endure a little longer, and look a little closer to see how he or she can add to the
effort”[CITATION Rob13 \p 51 \l 1033 ].
Selfless service is not easy; some say it’s hard. You may be asking why? As leaders, we should
do things for our subordinates, train them, assist them, etc. A genuinely selfless leader does those
things and more while personally sacrificing their time, effort, emotions, etc. We are generally
predisposed to look out for number 1. However, influential leaders will exhibit this trait without
hesitation through time, learning, development, or maturity. Unfortunately, some leaders never
learn or choose not to show this priceless trait[CITATION Rob13 \p 52 \l 1033 ]. Servant
leadership emphasizes service to others, especially fulfillment of followers’ needs, as a critical
element to creating more human organizations and, in turn, inducing the best from followers,
thus building successful organizations [CITATION Elc20 \p 2035 \l 1033 ].
“The decision to act honorably and with integrity is made early in one’s career” [CITATION
Mig18 \p 52 \l 1033 ]. Integrity is doing the right thing, being honest, and having a solid moral
compass. The Oxford Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest and having
strong moral principles; moral uprightness and the state of being whole and undivided”
[ CITATION Oxf19 \l 1033 ]. According to Dees, “not telling a lie is fundamental, but this is
only the beginning of integrity”[CITATION Rob13 \p 66 \l 1033 ]. In my experience as a leader
of Marines, integrity is more profound; it’s in the decisions we make, the foundation in which
those decisions are made, transparency when communicating with our subordinates, it’s being
consistent in moral choices, and it’s being true to yourself on and off the job. One advantage of
leaders who show integrity in leadership is that they become models of exemplary behavior and
tend to encourage positive workplace behaviors amongst their employees [CITATION Ade21 \p
49 \l 1033 ]. Integrity is required if a leader desires to facilitate trust amongst their subordinates.
According to a study conducted by Moorman, Blakely, & Darnold, “both moral behavior and
behavioral integrity relate to trust; our results suggest that followers use judgments of each to
develop their trust in the leader”[CITATION Moo18 \p 285 \l 1033 ].
After reading, Resilient Leaders by Robert Dees, a few critical takeaways regarding courage are
this: Courage is a learned behavior, courage increases each time we stare down fear, courage
must be balanced with selflessness and integrity, and courage is multi-faceted, including
physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and relational domains[CITATION Rob13 \p 75-76 \l 1033
]. “As with INTEGRITY, COURAGE is a high core quality of CHARACTER that is essential to
excellent leadership over time, essential to being a resilient leader”[CITATION Rob13 \p 76 \l
1033 ]. I have learned a lot about courage in my time in the Marines. I’ve discovered courage is
not the absence of fear but the ability to act despite it. Being a team leader directly responsible
for four Marines and indirectly for many others in my duties, you learn real quick the importance
of courageousness. The Marines spend thousands of dollars on training, much of which is built
on tangible exercises designed to instill intangible characteristics like confidence, poise, and
courage into their Marines early on. I was also thankful for the experiences during the training
exercises because they prepared me for the trials and tribulations not only in war but also as a
leader. I truly realized the importance of facing my fears and grew as a person. Facing those fears
over the years also assisted me in becoming a great leader. It gave me many opportunities to stare
down fear many times. When I was placed in a leadership position, I could effectively
demonstrate courage for my Marines. I was able to help them overcome fear and learn courage
while building trust amongst my subordinates through those courageous acts.
As leaders, there are five types of courage we must demonstrate; physical, mental, spiritual,
emotional, and relational. Physical courage is the fear of looming bodily harm to self or others.
An example is facing enemy fire during the Iraq War or placing a tourniquet on a fellow
Marine’s legs to stop the bleeding of a wound. Mental courage is the fear of intellectual honesty
regardless of the turnout. An example is standing up to a leader on a directive you know is
morally wrong or standing up for what you believe in when the rest of the room thinks
something different. The third type of courage is spiritual courage, which is standing up for your
belief despite the current culture, societal norms, or others’ views. An example would be praying
for your food before eating despite others just digging in and you “feeling” out of place. Next,
emotional courage is the fear of failing in the eyes of yourself, others, or God. An example would
be not giving up on a policy despite repeated attempts and failures. Another example is showing
emotion in front of others when appropriate. Finally, relational courage is the ability to share
things about yourself with others. An example would be discussing your Post-traumatic Stress
Diagnosis with a fellow peer because you are struggling and need to discuss it to feel better.
There are many types of fears, and we are destined to face situations where we must demonstrate
courage.
Yes, FEAR is a reality that leaders (and their followers) must deal with continuously. This
fear strikes across every dimension of our being: Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Emotional,
and Relational. If we are to truly overcome fear to “choose the harder right instead of the
easier wrong,” we must grow courage in each of these domains.[CITATION Rob13 \p
88 \l 1033 ]
Resiliency is the mental and emotional resistance to not letting stress, crises, and lashes of fate
crush our spirit. But to be the person who makes the best of any situation we find ourselves.
Jesus, regardless of being ridiculed, outcasted, betrayed, and humiliated, remained faithful to his
mission. I want to highlight a few verses that demonstrate the topics discussed today.
First Selfless Service, Jesus demonstrates this act by washing his disciples’ feet in John 13,
verses 12:17; “When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the
table. He asked, “Do you understand what I did for you? You call me ‘Teacher.’ And you call me
‘Lord.’ And this is right, because that is what I am. I am your Lord and Teacher. But I washed
your feet. So you also should wash each other’s feet. I did this as an example for you. So you
should serve each other just as I served you. Believe me, servants are not greater than their
master. Those who are sent to do something are not greater than the one who sent them. If you
know these things, great blessings will be yours if you do them[ CITATION New21 \l 1033 ].
This act of Jesus was the ultimate display of humility and servanthood.
Second, Jesus is the only one in this world with perfect integrity. There are many stories or
verses to point to, but Hebrews 4:15 depicts this character trait perfectly. “For we do not have a
high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin”[CITATION New211 \l 1033 ]. That is
the definition of integrity, unwavering devotion to what’s right.
Finally, facing our fears or courage. Jesus demonstrates courage to us in many stories across the
pages of the bible. From the constant sabotage of the religious leaders to taking up his cross and
bearing the burden of crucifixion[CITATION Mat22 \l 1033 ].
Jesus is a role model and the master of resiliency his examples in the Bible is there for us to learn
from to become more resilient leaders.
In conclusion, today, we discussed what it means to be a servant leader and selflessly serve
others. Second, we discussed integrity or doing the right thing, being honest, and having a solid
moral compass. Next, we reviewed courage and the many types of courage we will have to face
as resilient leaders. Finally, I provided practical biblical integrations related to being a resilient
leader. I want to leave you with this final quote. “Selfless Service, Integrity, and Courage form a
three-strand cord of character that is not easily broken”[CITATION Rob13 \p 65 \l 1033 ].
Thank you for your time; my name is Donald Wayne Wetzel. I look forward to presenting to you
in the future and will be available in the back of the auditorium for further questions or
discussions.
Adekanmbi, F. P., & Ukpere, W. I. (2021). The effects of employee voice, perceived leadership
integrity, and work-related curiosity on counterproductive meeting behaviors. EUREKA:
Social and Humanities; Tallinn(6), 43-51. doi:http://doi.org/10.21303/2504-
5571.2021.002168
Dees, R. F. (2013, April 17). Resilient Leaders-The Resilience Trilogy. Retrieved from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Resilient-Leaders-Resilience-Trilogy-Robert/dp/0985597992
Dees, R. F. (2013). Resilient Leaders-The Resilience Trilogy. United States: Creative Team
Publishing.
Dees, R. F. (2022, October 2). About Me: Robert F. Dees. Retrieved from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Robert-F-Dees/e/B00DW2C6K0/ref=aufs_dp_mata_dsk
Easy to Read Version. (2022). Retrieved from Bible Gateway:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13&version=ERV
Elche, D., Ruiz-Palomino, P., & Linuesa-Langreo, J. (2020). Servant leadership and
organizational citizenship behavior: The mediating effect of empathy and service climate.
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(6), 2035-2053.
doi:https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2019-0501
Hebrews 4:15. (2022). New International Version. Retrieved from New International Version
Bible Online: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4&version=NIV
Matthew 27:32-44. (2022). New Living Translation. Retrieved from New Living Translation
Bible Online: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?
search=Matthew+27&version=NLT
Merriam-Webster Editors. (2022, October 2). dictionary; courage. Retrieved from Merriam-
Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courage
Miguel, M. M. (2018). Integrity and Leadership Defined. The Journal of Government Financial
Management; Alexandria, 66(4), 52-53. Retrieved from
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/scholarly-journals/integrity-leadership-
defined/docview/2279844142/se-2
Moorman, R. H., Blakely, G. L., & Darnold, T. C. (2018). Understanding How Perceived Leader
Integrity Affects Follower Trust: Lessons From the Use of Multidimensional Measures of
Integrity and Trust. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 25(3), 277-289.
doi:https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1177/1548051817750544
Oxford Dictionary. (2022, October 2). Definition: Integrity. Retrieved from Oxford Dictionary:
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/integrity
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
