Infected with Attitude

So Many Who Stand Up Alone to Stand Crisis's Down

by Thomas B. Cross

Pacing the follow back and forth again and again about six feet each cycle the audience began to wonder what was going on and finally Dan stopped and reminded the audience that was all the space John McCain had not for around the 3 months like we have during this crisis had but for five and half-years or 65 months and importantly all alone. Dan Broussard is one of the greatest speakers and sales people I have ever known. Alone, Dan infected the audience with real attitude rather boundless positive attitude. He has many other sayings like "fly to the crash" reminding executives that real leaders "rush into the fire." Now with the pandemic there are thousands of leaders often all alone with attitude rushing to hospitals, rest homes, fire, police, ambulance, food banks and now virtual places bringing real and "virtual" attitude to the millions facing homelessness, hospitalization and those struggling just to survive each day. I have reached out too many, not reaching as many as I would have liked to, seeking to know what part of their nature or nurture gives them reason with others but often alone  stand up to face to stand down this crisis and the next one that comes their way. I have known public figures who got death threats for doing what they thought was the right thing to do. Even though later they were heralded as inspired leaders during the crisis they supported they were equally hated.

History or what has been written of it shows us great leaders since the dawn of time. Though not always what we would hope for in saving lives rather than conquering others what often they did was show others what could be done. Today leadership is reacting and responding to a crisis that no one could have really prevented. However, inspired leadership is already crisis-ready to respond and hope this crisis helps leadership to be ready for the next one.

Seventy years ago this month of May in 1940, France, Belgium, Holland and others were attacked and occupied until June 1944 more than four years. Churchill was often alone in his efforts and England itself was alone as a country to face the worst evil of all time. England was bombed daily from 1940 until 1941 called the "Blitz." Nothing we have seen today will ever be like that experience much less the tens of millions lost to the Holocaust. The world survived but much more was lost in terms of great people killed and the world those surviving. We will likely never know what the world could be if it never happened. 

I have written far beyond my favorite speech on leadership in modern history, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address which is only 271 words. Yet what seems like forever in our daily lives will be quickly forgotten in this pandemic today, however this may give you solace that leadership remains burned into our lives from these powerful words Lincoln spoke "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." We all know what happened to him when he stood up to stand down. Whether today or when injustice, crisis, virus, now and anytime do what you can to standup together or alone to help others. 

Last, give blood to save lives and stand up for the truly helpless - infants and others.

Should you want to explore inspiring attitude further, here are some sincerely incredible books:

Alone: Britain, Churchill and Dunkirk: Defeat into Victory

https://books.apple.com/us/book/alone-britain-churchill-and-dunkirk-defeat-into-victory/id1215824598

Alan Turing: The Enigma (who shortened WWII by two years and likely saving 10 million lives)

https://books.apple.com/us/book/alan-turing-the-enigma/id901464765

Darkest Hour - How Churchill Brought England Back from the Brink

https://books.apple.com/us/book/darkest-hour/id1222530147

Dowding of Fighter Command

https://books.apple.com/us/book/dowding-of-fighter-command/id480452057

Turing

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-great-philosophers-turing/id764795631

Masters of Command Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar and the Genius of Leadership

https://books.apple.com/us/book/masters-of-command/id455701261

Lincoln

https://books.apple.com/us/book/lincoln/id482598835

Ulysses S. Grant

https://books.apple.com/us/book/ulysses-s-grant/id703336565

Autobiography of Ben Franklin

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-autobiography-of-benjamin-franklin/id480622854 

Father, Son & Company - My Life at IBM and Beyond

https://books.apple.com/us/book/father-son-co/id673658865