Officers Eat Last is a phrase used by U.S. Marines that effectively means servant leadership.
It’s also an action used by Marine leaders.
The most senior leaders of the organization actually eat last when the unit has a meal together during field training and in certain combat environments. When the leaders eat last it is a physical expression of servant leadership. As a Marine Lieutenant Colonel, I experienced this first hand. It is also common for Marine leaders to serve the food to the entire unit. This is being a servant leader.
What kind of leader do you want to be? Why should your employees follow your directions? Do you intend to inspire them? It is easier to inspire people through actions than words.
Don’t get caught up with the word “Officers.”
The last word in the acronym “CEO” is officer. When people talk about the leaders of a company, many times they will say the “Officers” of the company.
The key piece is that in order to be successful as a leader you must put your people first.
It doesn’t mean you must be easy on them. It doesn’t mean that you don’t hold them accountable. It means that you take care of everyone of them and if you do, they will take care of the mission and you.
I have been the last to eat many times throughout my career.
There have been times where there wasn’t any food left.
It is extremely unfortunate when this happens, but the best people to fix logistic issues or any other issues are the leaders. The front line people in most organizations are critical to the overall effectiveness of the organization.
How many cars are going to get sold without the salesperson interaction with the customer? Your customer’s problems are resolved through your customer call center. These are front line people that are critical to your business. How do you show them you appreciate them? How do you show them on a daily, weekly, and annual basis that they are the most critical people in your organization?
Be a servant leader.
Leadership can be that simple.
When is a time you have implemented the idea of “Officers Eat Last” when leading your team?
