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.
Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? Not always. I came to this realization in October of 2008. That was when I started a new chapter in my career. On October 2, 2008, I left the safety and security of the corporate world for the uncertainty and anxiety of entrepreneurship. For nearly 25 years, I had been a part of an organization, a member of a team. Now I was the organization. I was the team. That was my plan. I had saved for years, and that had given me the flexibility to make this bold move. Unfortunately, my plan was developed in the fall of 2007, and it did not contemplate the economic crisis that hit rock bottom right as I was walking out the door. I had planned for some degree of economic uncertainty, but I never contemplated a crisis of that magnitude. My savings, my safety net, seemed to have developed holes overnight. My plan was on schedule and falling apart at the same time.
Leaders understand that crisis is inevitable. More than that, leaders know that crisis is a major driver of change, and change is essential to leadership. Leaders also understand that crisis often leads to panic, and panic can be devastating. In his poem ‘If-’, Rudyard Kipling offers this challenge: “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;” Kipling’s first line from ‘If-’ encourages his readers to prepare for crisis. He also point out that other won’t prepare. “They will lose their head.” Finally, he points out that blame is an inevitable part of panic, and every leader understands that being a leader means that the blame will be directed at them.