Former Navy Seal discusses leadership Thursday at MU

Eric Greitens said quiet leadership is more effective than being authoritative.

By Erica Zucco
March 18, 2008

Whether he was performing humanitarian work in Cambodia or serving as a Navy SEAL, Eric Greitens said he ensured that courage and compassion formed the foundation of his work.

MU students and faculty gathered in Memorial Union last Thursday when Greitens, chairman of the Center for Citizen Leadership, shared his military and service-oriented experiences in a lecture called “The Next Generation of American Leadership.” In it, he explored leadership, what it means to be American and how the United States should project its image abroad.

Greitens emphasized the importance of humility, cooperation and service in being a successful leader. He said leading quietly is more effective than being authoritative, and that motives should center on a goal or ideal rather than trying to amass power.

Greitens founded the Center for Citizen Leadership with his hazardous duty pay from serving in Iraq. The center provides fellowships for veterans that can no longer serve in combat due to wounds or acquired disabilities but want to continue with public service.

“People that are recovering constantly hear ‘Thank you,’ and they like to hear that,” Greitens said. “But more than that, they like to hear ‘We still need you,’ and the Center for Citizen Leadership says that with our fellowships.”

Recipients of fellowships serve the community in a variety of ways, he said. Fellowship recipient Michael Paul is working on certification as an adaptive skiing instructor and worked with the National Center for the Disabled and Wounded Warrior Clinics to teach other veterans how to ski. Fellowship recipient Chris Marvin, after a serious injury in a crash near the Pakistan border, arranges volunteer opportunities with service organizations at the Tripler Army Medical Center.

He said the organization is built on the principles of focusing on strengths, not weaknesses, and giving challenges, not charity. Greitens also focused on what the U.S. must do to build maintain a favorable image abroad.

Greitens said many countries look to America for support in times of need. He described a trip to Croatia in 1994 where he was doing humanitarian work, and a woman asked him why America was not helping more.

“She said that in her country, ethnic cleansing and rape and genocide were rampant, and she didn’t understand why America wasn’t stopping it,” Greitens said. “People look to us for leadership, and we need to believe in our nation ourselves to achieve anything worthwhile.”

Greitens took questions and comments from the audience. Greitens laughed at the suggestion that he run for president, but later explained he feels he already participates in politics.

“We have a very emaciated perception of politics,” Greitens said. “It doesn’t just happen at the House or on a campaign trail. It’s about building a healthy society, and creating and sustaining human communities.”

When another audience member asked Greitens about the way the military is viewed globally, he said that the actions of one unit affects worldwide perception of all armed forces.

“When something like Abu Ghraib happens, people that hear about it associate that kind of treatment with the entire army,” Greitens said. “We should emphasize ethical training when training all armed forces and encourage men to be responsible for the actions of one another.”

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