On this September 4th, comes to my mind the well-known story published in the U.S. Naval Institute Magazine (also mentioned by Stephen Covey in his Seven Habits book), in which a navy officer tells what happened while he was on the bridge of the largest battleship of the fleet with its captain, one dark and stormy night...
///…Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.
Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing of the bridge reported _"Light, bearing on the starboard bow"_
_"Is it steady or moving astern?"_ the captain called out.
Lookout replied _"Steady, captain"_ which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.
The captain then called to the signal man _"Signal that ship: We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees"_
Back came a signal _"Advisable for you to change course 20 degrees"_
The captain said _"Send: I'm a captain, change course 20 degrees"_
_"I'm a seaman second class"_ came the reply _"You had better change course 20 degrees"_
By that time, the captain was furious. He spat out _"Send: I'm a battleship. Change course 20 degrees"_
Back came the flashing light _"I'm a lighthouse"_
We changed course...///
Just like in the story of the lighthouse, there are fundamental principles that should never be ignored: trust, commitment, and dedication. These values are the lighthouse that guides each of our daily decisions and actions. No matter how turbulent the waters, we must always honor these principles so that our work contributes to the success and harmony of the team.
Being a secretary is much more than coordinating a meeting or managing an agenda, it is being the support point that everyone trusts, it is having the humility to change course when necessary and to stay firmly towards our goals. On Secretary's Day, I celebrate the importance of these unbreakable values and the positive impact they have on our organization and on the lives of people we work with every day.