What Standing Post Taught Me About Leadership

Years ago in the Army, I pulled a lot of night duty. Standing post at 2 a.m. is not exciting. Nothing happens most nights. You just stand there, awake, watching, while everyone else sleeps.

But here is what nobody tells you about standing post. The job is not really about staying awake. It is about staying faithful when no one is watching. That is the whole job. And it turns out, that is the whole job of leadership too.

Most leadership advice talks about the big moments, the speech, the deal, the crisis. But real leadership gets built in the quiet hours nobody sees. The early morning you show up anyway. The hard conversation you have instead of avoiding it. The promise you keep when it would be easier to let it slide.

I spent over 40 years learning this lesson in different rooms. The Army taught me it first. Then companies like Cisco, SAIC, Aviat, and Ivanti taught me it again, just in a different uniform. Now I teach it to leaders across the U.S. and Africa through Jenisys Group.

Here is the simple truth. You do not need a title to lead well. You need to be faithful in the small watch, the unseen hour, the moment nobody would know if you cut corners. Do that long enough, and people notice. Not because you told them to watch you, but because faithfulness always shows up eventually.

If you are leading a team, a church, a family, or a business right now, ask yourself one question today. What does your 2 a.m. look like? That answer says more about your leadership than any title on your business card.

Want more on this? Herb speaks and trains on leadership, purpose, and resilience for churches, businesses, and organizations across the U.S. and Africa. Learn more at herbadkins.com.