Army Leadership doctrine directs leaders to build trust by upholding the Army values and exercising leadership consistent with the Army leadership principles outlined in the Army Leader Requirements Model. However, these are not pragmatic trust-building methods for leaders to implement in their units, thus potentially hindering the exercise of Mission Command. This research exploits the relationships between the Army's leadership philosophy and Servant Leadership theory, and offers Servant Leadership as potential method to build mutual trust in Army units. Unlike traditional military leader approaches that focus on the goals of the organization, Servant Leaders prioritize the development of the individuals. Using the Servant Leadership models of lead researchers, experts, and practitioners, this thesis emphasizes a practical framework that might help leaders better build cohesive teams. By inculcating the principles of Servant Leadership into leaders' personal leadership philosophy, they can set favorable conditions for subordinates to exercise valuable Mission Command. Evidence of this practice is found in several prominent military leaders, and they all have proven tremendously effective in building high performing teams that resulted in mission accomplishment.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)