Call to Lead Others: Col. (ret). Don Christensen Left a Lasting Impact

??????????? I was a mid-career professional within the Department of Defense (DoD) when a senior leader was convicted of sexual assault, sent to prison, and granted clemency after serving only 4-months of his sentence because former supervisors and peers had conducted a letter-writing campaign requesting his release (Larotondo, 2013). This criminal ended up in my organization, civilian protests took place outside the military installation gates, my office was charged with working with national media and government officials to calm public discourse, and we had to develop strategic communications to remind military personnel that they needed to respect this disgraced officer and treat him like any other senior leader. This was by far one of my worst assignments as military sexual assault victims were lining up in my office in droves to tell their stories and questioned if the military was really “zero tolerance” for sexual assault, then how could a convicted sexual predator get out of prison and return to duty to supervise others? I did not have the answer and was disgusted, especially after more crimes came to light; however, we had to follow the DoD's direction, which ultimately damaged leadership credibility at the highest levels. According to Hattke and Hattke ?(2019), leaders must practice authenticity and lead by example to foster ethical followership and positive organizational citizenship behaviors or risk declining performance, motivation, and job satisfaction.

??????????? Then, an article appeared in Air Force Times (Davis, 2014) where the chief prosecutor, Col. Don Christensen, lamented the military’s broken judicial system, highlighted sexual assault survivor distrust, talked about the system's hypocrisy, and vowed to be a voice for victims within an organization designed to protect the powerful.? According to Mansur et al. (2020), this is the very definition of moral courage, as it requires strength of character and a personal ethical commitment to do the right thing, even as barriers are put into place to prevent it, and it often requires personal sacrifice. Ultimately, Christensen lost his career over speaking out yet gained the respect and appreciation of hundreds of thousands. Retired Col. Christensen went on to join Protect Our Defenders, a non-profit organization created to protect military sexual assault survivors, hold offenders accountable, and ultimately convince members of Congress to join the fight by changing laws (Christensen, 2015). Exemplary leaders embody five key practices: leading by example, inspiring vision, challenging the status quo, empowering people to act, and encouraging the heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Colonel Christensen embodied all these practices and found great success once he found a supportive, transformational organization that matched his ethics.

Biblical Example

??????????? Matthew 3:7-10 tells the story of John the Baptist and highlights an interaction with Pharisees and Sadducees as they tried to attend one of his Baptisms (ESV Bible, 2001). He proceeds to call out Israel’s spiritual leaders for their hypocrisy, warns them of their fate if they do not repent, and tells them that their positions, power, and prestige will not save them from the wrath of God as they are spiritually barren and problematic to the Kingdom of Israel. John the Baptist was a courageous and effective leader as he held himself, his followers, and people in positions of authority publicly accountable for their unethical and immoral behaviors as charged by God in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” (ESV Bible, 2001). John the Baptist exemplified all four leadership characteristics highlighted by Kouzes and Posner (2017): honesty, spiritual competency, inspiration, and future orientation, which led to higher credibility and trusting followers who knew he would do the right thing regardless of the circumstance. He also believed in holding people accountable.? According to Ghanem and Castelli (2019), leaders who hold themselves and others accountable positively affect followers’ behaviors, attitudes, and values as it cements ethical leadership and promotes trust and psychological safety within the group.

Lessons Learned

??????????? ?According to Hughes et al. (2022), leadership growth includes being open to learning from others, reflecting on leader-follower experiences, and setting personal and professional goals. Colonel Christensen’s ethical, exemplary leadership style made a long-lasting impression and fundamentally changed how I viewed integrity and leadership. The status quo was no longer acceptable to me as I began sending military sexual trauma victims to Protect Our Defenders and outside legal counsel for help and joined the internal fight to hold offenders and their enablers accountable, using my skillsets, knowledge, and abilities to right wrongs and highlighted how the system was designed to protect itself, not the victim. I violated unwritten rules of exposing the organization’s dirty laundry to outsiders. According to Chen (2019), pro-social rule-breaking may be necessary when leaders are not living up to ethical standards, negatively affecting followers, requiring empathy for victims, and courageous leadership. Fortunately, the practice stayed with me as I ascended into senior leadership ranks, found allies, and was able to help victims navigate the system as a leader who cared more about the people than the expectation to protect the system at all costs. The Biblical principle connecting ethical, effective leadership responsibilities to God’s expectations for Christians is in Isaiah 1:17, ‘learning to do good, seeking justice, correcting oppression, and pleading the case of others’ (ESV Bible, 2001). This is a lesson I try to remember when I see others suffering, knowing I have the power and courage to do something about it.

References

Chen, Y., Wang, L., Liu, X., Chen, H., Hu, Y., & Yang, H. (2019). The trickle-down effect of leaders’ pro-social rule breaking: Joint moderating role of empowering leadership and courage. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2647. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02647

Christensen, D. (2015, June 15). Col. Don Christensen: Military Justice Improvement Act ensures justice. Protect Our Defenders. https://www.protectourdefenders.com/col-don-christensen-military-justice-improvement-act-ensures-justice/

Davis, K. (2014, November 26). AF chief prosecutor leaves service for victims advocacy group. Air Force Times. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2014/11/26/af-chief-prosecutor-leaves-service-for-victims-advocacy-group/#:~:text=In%20an%20interview%20with%20Air%20Force%20Times%20last,would%20do%20this.%20I%20never%20saw%20this%20coming.

English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/

Ghanem, K. A., & Castelli, P. A. (2019). Accountability and moral competence promote ethical leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 12(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.22543/0733.121.1247

Hattke, F., & Hattke, J. (2019). Lead by example? The dissemination of ethical values through authentic leader inspiration. International Journal of Public Leadership, 15(4), 224-237. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-06-2019-0034

Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., & Curphy, G.J. (2022). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. McGraw Hill.

Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Larotonda, M. (2013, March 12). Overturned sexual assault case spurs bill to limit commanders’ tribunal powers. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/overturned-sexual-assault-case-spurs-bill-to-limit-commanders-tribunal-powers

Mansur, J., Sobral, F., & Islam, G. (2020). Leading with moral courage: The interplay of guilt and courage on perceived ethical leadership and group organizational citizenship behaviors. Business Ethics: A European Review, 29(3), 587-601. https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12270