An Inward Reflection on Independence Day

The two most meaningful Fourth of Julys took place 15 years apart penetrating my heart in two congruent ways. Both experiences shifted how way I no view my favorite holiday...and how to be a better leader.

During the summer of 2005, I was stationed at Yorktown, VA while serving in the United States Coast Guard. I took time out of my day to walk the battlefields that sat outside the gates of our base. You don't have to be a history buff to understand the significance of these once blood covered fields. The Battle of Yorktown was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War and where eventually Lord Cornwallis surrendered.

While using the afternoon to explore these hallowed grounds and reflect on the significance of this holiday, I realized for the first time a life changing lesson.

In order to lead others, I must first find the conviction to stand up for what is right and just for all, before my own personal interests.

Fast forward to 2020, we celebrated our first Fourth of July with our son. In the heat of the pandemic, with most parades and fireworks postponed, we took him on tour of patriotic monuments and historic sites around Columbus. Not to mention, we started the father son tradition to watch Rocky IV and remember how Stallone defeated communism.

Like my father did for me, I wanted to instill in my son's heart a sense of civic duty and pride in our country - where we were, how far we've come and how far we still have to go. He'll never remember that first one, but I will because that's when I learned the second lesson.

In order to lead others, I must also share my convictions while also respecting it might not align with those I serve with or influence...and that's ok.

For me, the Fourth of July is beyond wearing American flag everything, drinking cheap beers and sugary seltzers. It's far more than the fractured politicization and renouncing of everything that came before us.

It's about acknowledging and respecting what it took to stand up and speak out when you couldn't. To quote the movie The Patriot, it was more than "just farmers with pitchforks" standing up to England. It's an underdog story, a democratic experiment still igniting inspiration and filling hearts with hope. It's a reminder of what it took to overcome the turmoil of the day then and what needs to be done to continue to overcome the turmoil of tomorrow.

As a Chamber executive and community architect, I see this as the time to look deep within of what I believe is most important in shaping a vision and laying a foundation of progress forward. Followed by even more time spent reflecting on what I'm willing to sacrifice for the betterment of that progress forward.

It's using the position with great responsibility, viewed through the inclusive lens of convening all stakeholders through the process. If all voices are around the table, your best positioned to be an instigator of change, rather than on the sidelines coping with it.

So, as I prepare my Ron Swanson Hawaiian shirt and sunscreen for tomorrow's parade, I to prepare my heart for another Independence Day reflection inward. With each iced down beer and classic 90's rock anthem I enjoy tomorrow, I to enjoy knowing that we live in a country that has always allowed the opportunity to allow leaders in their own communities to become educated and empowered for positive change no matter the challenges. A day to remember that no matter what someone says, we still are "the shining city upon the hill."

I wish you a Happy Fourth of July and a day of deep reflection on how you can ignite progress in the communities you serve and inspire hope to those you lead.