YOUR VOICE - By Jonathan P. Harmon - Servant Leadership for Veterans Day

Sep 16, 2026

“Your Voice” by Jonathan P. Harmon reflects on Veterans Day as a call to relearn servant leadership. Drawing on experiences from West Point and Army officer training in “Beast Barracks,” the piece explains how followership, humility, and respect for others shape effective leadership. It argues that leaders must place mission and the common good above ego, listening to every team member and acting with character. The article also honors armed forces personnel who embody servant leadership while urging civilian leaders to follow their example.

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YOUR VOICE

By Jonathan P. Harmon

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Amanda Kaschube, Sports and Audience Todd Panagopoulos, Visuals | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | FoundedJune10, 1847 | | | | | YOUR VOICE
As we honor Veterans Day, it’s time to relearn servant leadership | | | | | | | By Jonathan P. Harmon
More than40years have passed since the summer day I saidgoodbye tomy parents,boarded a bus with my fellow plebesandbegan cadetbasic training atthe U.S. MilitaryAcademy at West Point. Little didI know thatthe leadership lessons I would learn asa cadet would sustain me throughout my adult life, from my service asan Army officer tomy career as atrial lawyer and my role as chair ofoneofthe largest law ﬁrms in the world.
My experience inbasic training, known as“Beast Barracks,”taught metheattributesof“followership,” an important step in developingleaders ofcharacter. Asplebes, or cadets, we obeyed orders from upperclassmen and spoke onlywhen spoken to. Our only permitted responses were “Yes, sir”;“No, sir”;and“Ido not understand, sir.”As we prepared fora life ofselﬂess service, the message was clear: No matter whatyou thought ofyourself when you arrived for Beast Barracks, as far asthe Army was concerned,you didn’t matter one iota more than the next guy, and the next guy didn’t matter an iota more than you.
What mattered was theunit and, above all, the mission.
Today, Ilookback at that time and see a lesson forallofus. To lead large groups in complex tasks, whether alongtrial or a major crisis, one needs strength ofcharacter. And the most important character trait is humility.
This Veterans Day, Iseea nation in desperate need ofhumble leadership that puts ego and self-interest aside and works instead for the good ofthewhole. That is the essence of“servant leadership,” a value ingrained in the Army’s culture longbefore |
Jonathan Harmon is shown in1987atthe United States MilitaryAcademy, better known as West Point. JONATHAN HARMON | | | | servant leadership was puttothe test andwhere it was essential torely on the people servingwithyou. Eventually, I was promoted to work in the Battle Operations Center to deliver regular brieﬁngsto Gen. Tommy Franks, who later led U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Franks was an emblem ofthe servant leadership model I learned there. He had an uncanny ability to make everybodyunderstand their importance. I know. Iwasthe lowest ranking officer in his orbit, yetI felt as ifeverything I did was crucial to the success ofthe mission.
The lessons I learned asa West Point cadet andArmy officer served me well after I left the military, earned a law degree, joined McGuireWoodsandbecame the ﬁrm’s chair. Ibelieve those same lessons can help us overcome the divisions and rancor that paralyze our government, erode faith in our institutions and fracture our society. Servant leaders can show us the way.
Servant leaders value the strengths, ideas and perspectives ofeveryone on their team—regardless ofrank or worldview—not merely the loudest voices in the room. They have humility to listen and the strength ofcharacter to actin the common good.
This Veterans Day, we honor the courageous people in our armed forces who show us the meaningofservant leadership in defending our freedom at home and abroad. Let’s hope our civilian leaders take a page from our military leaders’ book and follow their example.
JonathanP. Harmon, WestPoint Class of1987, is a nationally known trial lawyer and chair of the international lawﬁrm McGuireWoods. He served in Operation DesertStorm asanArmy officer. | | | the term was popularized in1970.
When I graduated from West Point in1987, I was assigned to the1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood(since renamed Fort Cavazos)in Texas. I got myﬁrst platoon and was well aware I would lead a group ofgrizzled veterans—older, more experienced andbatt

FAQs

Who does the article honor and what message does it send to civilian leaders?

It honors courageous people in the armed forces and urges civilian leaders to take a page from military leaders’ example and practice humble servant leadership.

Sep 16, 2026

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