Recently, I attended an event where a retired General from the Australian Defence Force spoke.
After his stories of leadership under pressure in a strife-torn African nation, I was asked what my take-aways were.
Fundamentally it was this:
- Whatever I do each day, the lives of 20,000 people aren’t at risk (as they were in one of his recent situations). So, really, harden up and get on with in.
- And, that doing the right thing requires leadership; it means taking a risk and apologising later (if you can be bothered because, ultimately, you did the right thing)
Which brings me to this video from Simon Sinek. If I had a dollar for every time I refer someone to Sinek’s video about why we do the things that we do (why this is more important than anything else), I would be sitting on an island in between dives on a coral reef. That is, I’d be retired.
This latest TED video from Sinek is equally important. Sinek opens with the story of Captain William Swenson in Afganistan and goes on to explain, in a very emotive way that leadership is a choice.
What choices have you made?
Simon Sinek: Why good leaders make you feel safe
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