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The Courageous Among Us Two fateful, and fatal, events took place during the past two weeks that pretty much mandated this month’s topic. Just this past weekend there was a mass killing at Fort Hood, in Texas. Having worked with a Client at that post I was drawn into the news reports. They seemed to go from bad to worse. Yet, in the face of the carnage, some individuals ran toward, not away from, the gunfire. They ran toward, not away from, danger and death. “To be expected on an Army base,” you might say, and perhaps that is so. But, that does not minimize the courage they displayed. Where do we find such men and women, and how lucky are we to have them? During the previous weekend I had to take an unplanned trip to Florida. On that Sunday a large contingent of family and friends said last goodbyes and paid our final respects to a woman who was the epitome of courage. My cousin Susie had been at the hospital for tests. A CAT scan was fine. The MRI was fine. All the blood work showed positive results. Searching for answers the medical team prepared for a spinal tap. Then, Susie just shut down; they still don’t know why. After several attempts to revive her, the family followed Susie’s written directions: DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). You see, Susie had been fighting one medical problem or another since she contracted Type I Diabetes at the age of four. She knew that final day would come sooner for her than for others. She was ready, and had been so for a very long time. Susie was 10 days shy of her 58th birthday. For 54 years she fought that dreaded disease. Over 40,000 times she received insulin and other shots; usually from her own hand. She had kidney and pancreas transplants; cataract surgeries; several heart attacks and strokes. She spent her last three years on dialysis. And, on and on. In spite of it all, she never sought pity; not even sympathy. Not once did anyone ever hear her complain, whine or whimper. Susie was always quick to smile, quick with a joke, and found solace in laughter. In retrospect, I think she may have been laughing at death’s feeble attempts to cow her. This is courage: To feel death’s presence every day and yet act as if it were not there. More than once I have found myself humbled by my cousin’s quiet, embracing and unshakeable courage. We all miss her very much. But, you may ask, what does any of that have to do with your organization, your project, your life? Answer: Everything! We live in complex environments. We blend personal, professional and organizational aspects of our lives throughout every day. And it takes great courage to do so. When a co-worker pulls us aside to tell us the latest gossip, it takes courage to walk away before they say another word. When a colleague asks us to fudge the data, just a little, so he can say he got something done, it takes courage to say, “No.” When the boss suggests that a simple paper maneuver would clearly show sales for the quarter were higher than reality would indicate, it takes a lot of courage to claim the real, verifiable sales level. When a Customer/Client insists we do something that is clearly in violation of rules and regulations, it takes huge courage to stand tall and explain why we can’t do that. In hundreds of ways large and small, our courage is tested. Sometimes we pass the test; sometimes we don’t. Courage lies in recognizing the failures, fixing them if we can, and building the scar tissue—the character—to not do that again. Courage lies in taking full and complete responsibility for every action we take. If we’re right, super. If we’re wrong, we say so. The courageous never offer excuses. The next time you feel tested and find it difficult to do what you know to be right, take a quick trip to the local hospital. Walk around the Children’s Ward for ten or twenty minutes. You will become suffused with the glow of the courageous. Then go back to the office and see how easy it has become to have courage. Such tiny bodies, yet so filled with courage. We can only hope to emulate them, because those children live on The Vital Edge.
To Your Vital Success, To comment on this article, click here. To subscribe to The Vital Edge, click here. © 2009 Sean Alexander. All Rights Reserved. WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
Sean Alexander is President of VitalThought, a boutique consulting company that focuses on
Results-Based Management. His monthly ezine, The Vital Edge, helps executives, project managers and team members discover project and personal success with results-based strategies and tactics. If you're ready to energize your projects and yourself, investigate the possibilities at www.vitalthought.com.  |
