We asked longtime friend of the Foundation, Dr. J.D. Crouch II, who currently serves as President and CEO of the USO, to respond to the following prompts, sharing his insights and advice from a distinguished career in public service. We hope you enjoy this first "Service Series" feature from such an honorable contributor to our nation.
1. I believe today’s Americans can best support the military by... doing three simple things: Learn Something, Say Something and Do Something. Take the time to learn about what your military is doing around the world and who really makes up our military. With fewer than one percent of the nation serving at any time, the American population’s understanding of its military has drifted over time. Say something to a military service member when you see them in your community or in your travels. Not just “thank you for your service,” which is always welcome, but engage them in a little conversation. And do something - volunteer at, or provide support to, one of the many service organizations that support our military. And encourage young people who may have had no connection to the military to get involved. At the USO we have 30,000 volunteers who do so every year. It is vital to a democracy that Americans not only support our military but that we stay connected to them and they to us. They are Americans – and among the best we have.
2. I chose to pursue a career in public service because... I was worried about the safety and security of my country. I graduated from college in 1980 and had lived through the post-Vietnam era and the expansion of Soviet communism throughout the world and became deeply concerned about the direction our country was headed in the international arena. I made a conscious choice to try to alter that direction and have never looked back. The safety and security of the American experiment from foreign threats is vital to a thriving liberal democracy.
3. The advice I would offer the Foundation’s Graduate Fellows and other rising public servants is... don’t hesitate to seize an opportunity to serve and show your stuff, and certainly don’t wait around for the “moment” your brilliance is recognized. Get in the arena. Don’t worry much about who gets the credit for anything you do but build strong networks of open, honest yet like-minded people. You will accomplish more faster with these kinds of allies. Stay true to yourself. Do not be daunted when honest policy issues do not go your way. Keep fighting. You can always resign later. But don’t stick around if there is even a whiff of unethical or illegal shenanigans. Your reputation (and your family) are all you have.
4. It is critical for talented young Americans to enter public service because... our American way of life cannot survive without vigorous service to the ideals on which we are founded. “Public service” for me is not a government job. You can serve the public interest from government, private industry, from academia and from the non-profit sector. Public service is about being engaged in the great questions of our time. Choose a strong perch from which you can engage and seek to keep the public interest in clear view while pursuing your own private interests as well. There is a growing view that one cannot do both. If anything, our country’s history defines the fact that one can and should do both.
5. Three essential traits for effective leadership are... courage, humility, and drive. Enough said.
6. In my current role as President of the USO, I am driven by... a love for the service men and women who give so much to our country. I did not serve in uniform (unless you count my ten years as a Deputy Sheriff!) but came to work most every day with service members and was involved in decisions that put some of them in harm’s way. The USO is our nation’s way we keep our military connected to the things they fight for – family, home and country – and it is an essential bridge between a military world that is altogether foreign to many Americans today.
7. It is imperative for U.S. citizens to support and have an understanding of the military community because... America is a force for good in the world, and a strong military is necessary for a strong America. We one day may live in a world where we don’t need that strong military. I am not holding my breath.
8. It is beneficial for leaders to have experience in different sectors because... of the complexity of today’s decision-making. Experience is the basic ingredient of sound judgment. And diverse experience forces one out of a comfort zone that can often lead to bad judgment. This is nowhere more important than in bringing private sector experience into the government.
9. I am most inspired by... the great men and women of the past who proved that the trajectory of human existence is not some unalterable wave of history, and that it can be changed for the better through the exertions and courage of great leaders and those who support them. That is why I read mostly history!
10. My leadership philosophy is... set the vision for the direction of your organization, build a team that trusts one another and is hungry to accomplish its mission together, work hard together, find time for some fun together, give them the support they need to succeed, and let them run.
Dr. J.D. Crouch II is CEO and President of the United Service Organizations. Prior to his current role, Dr. Crouch’s career included leadership roles in both the public and private sectors with distinguished positions including Chief Executive Officer of QinetiQ North America (QNA), President of the Technology Solutions Group of QNA, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor, U.S. Ambassador to Romania, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, Associate Professor of Defense and Strategic Studies at Missouri State University and more. Read his full bio here: https://www.uso.org/about/j-d-crouch-ii
Given Dr. Crouch’s extensive knowledge and experience as well as his commitment to the success of our nation, we were honored to have him serve as a speaker at our 2016 Graduate Fellowship Spring Retreat.
The USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. For over 77 years, the USO has been the nation’s leading organization to serve the men and women in the U.S. military, and their families, throughout their time in uniform. From the moment they join, through their assignments and deployments, and as they transition back to their communities, the USO is always by their side. Today’s USO continuously adapts to the needs of our men and women in uniform and their families, so they can focus on their very important mission. The USO operates centers at or near military installations across the United States and throughout the world, including in combat zones, and even un-staffed USO service sites in places too dangerous for anyone but combat troops to occupy. Learn more here: https://www.uso.org/about.