Service

In the book My Share of the Task, General Stanley McChrystal describes the lessons he learned as a career soldier and leader. Gen. McChrystal's military career spanned three decades and in the 21st century he would lead an astoundingly dynamic and talented organization which included components of military special operations, intelligence, law enforcement, and myriad other national level assets needed to fight terrorists. Although Gen. McChrystal's organization had access to the greatest talent and tech, it was the recognition that business as usual would not be sufficient to obtain success. The proliferation of new tech including, mobile phones, the Internet and social media broadened the enemy's impact, scope and complexity. In facing these new challenges, Gen. McChrystal emphasized initiative, and stoked entrepreneurial hunger in leaders whose actions would ultimately determine outcomes. Initiative, creativity, and devotion to the mission were demanded and supported to create Entrepreneurs of Battle.  

National service programs, much like other organizations, depend on the actions of subordinate public service volunteers, spread in communities across the country to achieve success. These National Service volunteers must be competent, dedicated, and talented Americans, who bring commitment to the greater good. National service requires administration and organization, however managing a geographically dispersed cohort, engaged across service industries demands ardent, capable, and resilient service leaders. Because these service leaders will have vast freedom to maneuver, these individuals must be confident, and trained to function without detailed instructions or constant supervision. Inspired by General McChrystal's leadership lessons, the team at Moonlight Consults adopted a new way to support these individual service leaders.