This past Sunday our priest, Father Mike Renninger, told the story of a friend of his who went to the mall to buy a specific Christmas gift. Somewhere between her home and the mall she forgot what she had gone to buy. Rather than turn around and go home, she decided to walk around the mall until she recalled what she needed to buy. Two hours and several hundred dollars later, she left the mall without the intended purchase.
One of my favorite misquotes is “All that’s necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.” This statement is often attributed to Edmund Burke, but in reality, he never said it. Regardless of who first coined this expression, I love it. It is an absolute truth. When people do evil things, good people can stop them. But they must chose to act and to get others to act with them. Great leaders have the ability to stimulate others to be good, to act in the face of evil. Sometimes it means convincing others to take huge risks and make real sacrifices. Other times, it is as easy as pointing out a problem and inviting others to help you solve it.
One of the things I’ve always loved about science is that at its heart, it is about the search for truth. But lately, it has felt like science has become corrupted. From the politicization of global warming to researchers faking data to support their conclusions or theories, I was beginning to wonder if science had become just like so many other fields where success and celebrity were more important than the truth.
This morning, my daughter was telling me about a homework assignment that she recently completed. Her teacher had asked each student to create her own Code of Ethics that reflected the student’s values and beliefs. What a great assignment! The more I thought about it, the more I realized it is an outstanding sef-awareness exercise, and I plan to encourage my coaching clients to try it. Let me know what you think. Post your Code of Ethics here. I’ll start working on mine and post it here soon.
It is one thing to do what we know is right, but doing so when those in authority are telling us not to (or ordering us not to) can be extraordinarily challenging. Add the element of repeatedly putting his life on the line, and it is easy to understand why Sgt. Dakota Meyer received the Medal of Honor last week. He is truly an exceptional human being, and his action on September 8, 2009 and his behavior since then have proven he is also an impressive leader.