“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.”
~ Abraham Lincoln
I saw this recently on the door to someone’s office, and never has this statement meant so much to me than at this time. Amid name calling and mis-management and disorganized chaos and tattle-taling and rules when convenient, it’s never been harder to do the right thing.
A leader is more than just being in charge and telling people what to do. Many people can talk the talk, but it’s not that easy. A good leader must take responsibility for his team, and be his team’s representative, defending the team at all costs. Taking responsibility is a given; but how can a team hold itself together when it feels it is being attacked and treated unfairly, and there is no one to step up and make things right. A leader must stand for his team against all who oppose it, whether it’s the enemy, another team or even from a superior.
A leader who doesn’t utilize the leeway given to him to support and defend his team, and mires himself in “unbending rules” from above, is nothing more than a pawn; albeit a slightly taller pawn whose head is the first to get lopped off when the swinging axe comes… other than being the sacrificial anode, what good is he?
In short, to sum up what the great Mr. Lincoln said, I may not win in the eyes of the “rule followers”, and I won’t, with blinders on, succeed in being in the ”Sailor of the Month Club”; but the important thing is I will remain true to my beliefs and will stand for what I believe is right for my team while I am their leader.
And if any of my enemies happen to be reading this, here’s an extra subject in leadership just for you; Always Have a Contingency Plan. I knew what you were going to do before you even thought about doing it, I had planned for it and was ready. Thats why I am still a Guard Commander. And you will be leaving in shame next month. I hope you learned your lesson.
I like this…..very much.