The call to reintroduce mandatory military service is growing louder. Many people argue it would be good for young people; they would learn discipline, build resilience and become better prepared for work and society. I understand that view, but my fascination with the military comes from somewhere else: from the duty of care leaders carry.
Over the past years, I've spoken with many leaders who come from the armed forces. Those conversations stay with me because they carry enormous depth. There is so much to learn from people who lead in extreme circumstances.
In many military leadership doctrines, the leader is not only responsible for the mission, but also for the wellbeing, morale and discipline of the team. In the British Army, selfless commitment is a core value, alongside courage, discipline and respect for others. In the tradition of the U.S. Marine Corps, officers eat last. Not as an act of humility, but as a symbol that leadership is about caring for others, not claiming privilege.
What can we learn from this in business?
Discipline is not drill; it is clarity. Clarity about what we do, why we do it and how we do it together. In organisations I call that rhythm: the predictability and cadence that give people something to hold on to.
Servant leadership is not softness, but the strength to set the clear boundaries within which people can perform, learn and grow. In the military they summarise it simply: execute the mission and take care of your people. Both matter equally.
I didn't learn discipline in uniform, but as a staffing consultant. My week had a strict cadence: fifteen candidate interviews, fifteen client visits, fifteen proactive candidate introductions, fifteen reference checks. Every week. That rhythm worked well for me, but I also saw that not everyone thrived in it. Too much discipline without space drains energy. Too much space without discipline creates noise.
That's why today I work with the four R's of leadership:
Rhythm × Room × Relationship × Result.
Rhythm: work with a steady cadence and clear agreements about input and output. Room: build in moments of slowing down. Focus, reflection and creativity are the places where growth begins. Relationship: leadership is a duty of care. Ask yourself weekly whether you've removed obstacles and whether everyone has the right information and resources. Result: make progress visible, compare outcomes to agreements, address deviations early and choose the next step together. Not to assign blame, but to create acceleration.
The debate about conscription is not about uniformity for me, but about clarity. You don't teach discipline by making everyone do the same thing, but by making expectations unmistakably clear. Mature leadership requires rhythm and room, not rigid rules.
What can you do tomorrow? Make sure every team has a steady rhythm: a weekly start, a check-in and a weekly close. Make KPIs two-sided. As a leader, begin by giving: remove obstacles, share context and bring calm. Only then ask for results. That is leadership built on trust.