Air Command and Staff College

Vice Admiral Samuel Gravely: Leadership by Example Air Command and Staff College

Publisher Marketing: This book examines the life of VADM Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., the first African American admiral in the United States Navy, with the twofold purpose of discovering the emerging leadership themes that distinguished him as an effective leader, from the 1940s to 1980, and to present a taxonomy of those inherent themes to be considered in the construction of one's own personal leadership philosophy. Using McCracken's long interview research method and Owen's thematic analysis process, this study analyzes an interview conducted with VADM Gravely December 1997. McCracken's long interview provides a method of comprehensive data collection that allows the researcher entrance into the world of VADM Gravely to experience his world, as he perceives it. Owen's thematic analysis completes the analysis process by providing a systematic approach to categorizing and making sense of the data that is collected from the interview. The synthesis of these methods of analysis, allow the researcher to uncover themes that are crucial to VADM Gravels' unstated leadership philosophy. Ten leadership themes emerged from a thematic analysis of the interview: impression management, caretaker, pursuit of excellence, self-confidence, communication, team building, followership, morality, discipline and preparedness. After identifying these inherent leadership themes, taxonomy was constructed to provide further clarification of each theme and to provide a starting point for consideration by an individual building their own personal leadership philosophy. This study has broader implications that are inherent in the process used by the researcher to uncover VADM Gravels' leadership philosophy. During the interview VADM Gravely was unable to provide the researcher a succinct leadership philosophy. As a result, an intense unraveling process began utilizing Owen's thematic analysis in order to discover emerging themes inherent in VADM Gravels' unstated leadership philosophy. The unraveling process utilized in this study can serve as a valuable source for further research in the area of leadership and as an equally valuable resource for the exploration, discovery and development of a personal leadership philosophy.