Today marks the 265th anniversary of John Paul Jones’s birth. This extraordinary leader was the father of the American Navy, and his willingness to lead courageously earned him his place in history. His immortal words, “I have not yet begun to fight” spurred his officers and sailors to victory against a far superior force in the battle of Flamborough Head during the American Revolution. These same words have inspired naval officers throughout history to lead courageously. As the son of one of these officers, I felt compelled to illustrate the attribute of courage in my book, If You Will Lead, using Jones as the paradigm.
I used to complain a lot about Facebook. I thought it was occasionally interesting, but mostly it was just annoying. I rarely cared what people had for breakfast, and I never understood the appeal of games like Farmville. I believed that Facebook was making people lazy about building and maintaining relationships. I had a fairly selfish attitude about the whole thing. I used it to see what had happened to some old friends and to help promote my business and my book.
Two of my heroes, Jim and Louise Mulligan, shared the following story with me. While leadership starts with knowing ourselves and what truly matters to us, this knowledge means nothing if we don’t live in a way that reflects it. That means talking about our beliefs and values and sharing them with others openly and proudly. While I value the freedoms I enjoy as an American, this story reminded me that I often take them for granted. Quang Nguyen doesn’t, and the Mulligans don’t. It makes me stop and consider what other values I might be ignoring.
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.