Arete Volume 3

Αρετή (Arete) Journal of Excellence in Global Leadership | Vol. 3 No. 1 | 2025

servant leaders because self-awareness increases leadership effectiveness (Clarr et al., 2014). Best servant leadership practices may also address the chaplains' concerns in this study.

Right identity- Seeing oneself as a servant Right motivation- Serving God by serving others

Right method- Relating to others in a positive manner Right impact- Inspiring others to serve a higher purpose Right character- Maintaining integrity and authenticity (Wong & Davey, 2007, pp. 7 8). Being an Air Force chaplain is riddled with complexities and seeming contradictions. Chaplains believe they must adhere to higher standards of behavior. They have a strong sense of responsibility towards those they serve and to the larger purpose of the Chaplain Corps' mission and their greater mission as ministers, which is in line with servant leadership. While there is room to grow and expand our understanding of these roles, chaplains continue to serve selflessly, and civilian ministers continue to answer the call to become Air Force chaplains. Those who answer the call to fill the role of an Air Force chaplain respond to the calling with a servant leader's heart, a commitment to serving Airmen, and a desire to balance service and self. Limitations Several limitations were identified in this study, and attempts were made to mitigate those limitations. These limitations include potential researcher biases, sample size of the study, the availability of the chaplains, and time. Researcher biases included observations, personal opinions, and thoughts that had formed from working with Air Force chaplains for over fifteen years. At one point, the researcher had worked with each of the participants. Another possible limitation was that sessions were conducted via Zoom as participants were stationed at different bases across the United States. Meeting via Zoom could have been a limitation because it took more work to observe and take field notes on body language. An in-person study may have provided more data. Not getting to meet face-to-face or being able to observe where participants sat, to whom they sat next, and who they interacted with before and after the meetings could have been a limitation because these observations could have provided additional insights. Due to the chaplain participants being in various time zones and holding various positions, there were times when a chaplain was unavailable to meet with the group as planned due to military commitments. To reduce this impact on the study, they would contact the researcher to go over what took place during the meeting, what was agreed upon during the meeting, and what the agreed-upon task was to implement during the month. At this time, they shared their thoughts, opinions, and experiences in one-on-one personal conversations. This helped chaplains fully engage in the study, providing significant insights as they carried out the agreed-upon tasks, maintained reflection journals, and participated in conversations about what they experienced as chaplains and when they carried out the agreed-upon tasks.

A reflection journal maintained throughout the study lessened researcher biases. Bracketing was implemented to identify and reduce observer biases and mitigate

152