By Nick Miccarelli, Ridley Park, PA
Service Changes the Way You See Leadership
When people hear that I have spent more than 25 years serving in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, they sometimes assume the biggest lessons I have learned are about discipline or following orders. Those lessons are certainly part of military service, but they are not the ones that have stayed with me the most.
The lesson that has shaped me the most is that leadership begins with service.
That idea sounds simple, but it is surprisingly easy to lose sight of. In leadership positions, whether in government, the military, or as CEO of DELGO Community Transit, there is always pressure to focus on results, budgets, deadlines, and decisions. Those things matter. They have to be managed well. But I have found that when you stop seeing the people behind those responsibilities, you also stop leading as effectively as you could.
I have learned that the best leaders never lose sight of who they are serving.
Leadership Looks Different Than I Once Thought
When I was younger, I probably thought leadership meant having the right answers.
Experience changed that.
Today, I spend far more time asking questions than giving speeches. I want to understand why something is not working before trying to fix it. I want to hear from the people closest to the problem because they usually understand it better than anyone sitting behind a desk.
That is something the military reinforced over time. Rank matters because it creates structure, but good ideas do not only come from the top. Some of the best decisions come from listening carefully to people with different experiences and different perspectives.
I have tried to carry that approach into every leadership role I have held.
Service Is Rarely About Recognition
One thing military service teaches quickly is that most important work happens without much recognition.
No one serves because they expect applause. You complete the mission because people are depending on you. The work itself becomes the reward.
I think community organizations work much the same way.
Most people working in public service or nonprofit organizations are not looking for attention. They simply want to make life a little better for the people around them. Sometimes those improvements are obvious. Other times they happen quietly, one decision at a time.
I have come to appreciate those quieter victories more as the years have gone by.
If someone can get to work because transportation was dependable, that matters. If a senior can maintain independence because services are available, that matters too. Those moments rarely make headlines, but they are often the reason we do the work in the first place.
Accountability Is Not About Blame
People sometimes hear the word accountability and immediately think about criticism or punishment.
That has never been my experience.
In the military, accountability meant taking ownership. If something needed to improve, you worked to improve it. If you made a mistake, you learned from it. The goal was always to make the team stronger.
I believe organizations function better when accountability is viewed the same way.
At DELGO Community Transit, we try to build a culture where people are comfortable identifying problems because solving problems is part of getting better. If everyone spends their energy protecting themselves from criticism, improvement becomes much harder.
I have made plenty of mistakes throughout my career. Every leader has.
The question is never whether mistakes happen. The question is whether you are willing to learn from them.
Strong Organizations Are Built One Decision at a Time
People often ask how organizations become successful.
There is rarely one defining moment.
Instead, I think success is built through hundreds of ordinary decisions that most people never notice. It is returning phone calls. It is preparing for meetings. It is following through when you said you would. It is treating people with respect even during difficult conversations.
None of those actions seem particularly dramatic on their own.
Together, they create trust.
That trust becomes the culture of an organization.
I have found that culture is much harder to build than strategy. A strategic plan can be written in a few weeks. Building a culture where people believe in one another and work toward a shared purpose takes years.
Listening Takes More Discipline Than Talking
One lesson I continue to work on is becoming a better listener.
Early in my career, I sometimes felt pressure to have immediate answers. Over time, I realized that leadership is often about slowing down enough to understand the full picture before making a decision.
That is not always easy.
Sometimes people expect quick answers. Sometimes circumstances require quick action. Finding the balance between thoughtful decision making and timely action is something every leader has to navigate.
I still ask myself whether I listened enough before reaching a conclusion.
I think that question keeps leaders honest.
Communities Depend on Trust
Whether I was serving in elected office, wearing a military uniform, or leading an organization today, one thing has remained consistent.
Communities operate on trust.
People trust that public servants will do their jobs. Employees trust that leaders will support them. Riders trust that transportation will be there when they need it. Veterans trust that commitments made to them will be honored.
Trust is not built through one speech or one successful project.
It is built through consistency over time.
That consistency becomes the reputation of an organization.
Once trust is established, communities become stronger because people know they can rely on the institutions around them.
Leadership Never Really Stops
One thing I have come to realize is that leadership is not something you turn on during business hours and turn off when you go home.
It becomes part of how you approach life.
People watch how leaders respond when things become difficult. They notice whether leaders stay calm, accept responsibility, and continue moving forward.
Those moments often define leadership more than periods when everything is going well.
Military service taught me resilience. Public service taught me patience. Leading DELGO Community Transit continues to teach me humility because every day presents new challenges and new opportunities to improve.
I do not believe leadership is about becoming perfect. I believe it is about continuing to learn while remaining committed to serving others.
That, more than anything else, is the lesson I carry with me every day. Service is not simply something you do. Over time, it becomes part of who you are, and I believe that is what ultimately shapes stronger organizations and stronger communities.