On the value of leadership

???????????????? [throws a fire bomb through a neighbor's window, sets the living room on fire]: "That will show'em!"

?????????? ??????????: "Alarm! 9-1-1!". [Kicks the entrance door out, evacuates his family, starts putting out fire with everything he's got]

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A fire engine arrives after a delay caused by checking with lawyers on whether the house is in the right district. Fire crew dismounts, runs the fire hose to the fire hydrant, stands at the ready. Fire grows.

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???????? ????????: "Chief, ready to spray this baby, on your command! Turn the spigot!"

???????? ??????????: "Ehmm... What's the pH of the water, who knows?"

???????? ????????: "Who cares? Turn the spigot!"

?????????? ??????????: "Who cares?! Turn. The. Spigot!!"

???????? ??????????: "No-no, it's of utmost importance that we put out this fire properly and with consideration for environmental standards".

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The fire engulfs the first floor.

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?????????? ??????????: "Water! NOW!!"

???????? ????????: "Chief! We are ready to go! The fire spreads fast!"

???????? ??????????: "And we'll deal with it in due course. It's obviously of utmost importance that we maintain the safety of this neighborhood. By the way - hey, guys, did you check if the door to the fire station was locked when you departed?"

???????? ????????: "The door? It may have been left open. 'Tsbin left like that before. Can we deal with this fire first? It spreads, and we may not be able to contain it!"

?????????? ?????????? [having used up extinguishers and now shoveling sand at the fire, with his shirt burning]: "Hello-o?? Guys, need help! Water!!"

??????????????, clamoring at a distance: “It’s hopeless. Not clear why the owner keeps fighting the fire – it’s obviously a lost cause. Maybe he should take his family and go live in a dugout?”

?????????? ?????????? [glancing over his shoulder]: "Hey, look!! Arsonist! Stop him someone! He’ll set fire to other houses, too! And for the umpth time: We. Need. Water!”

??????????????: “Arsonists are people, too! Perhaps we need to reason with him.”

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The fire has now ravaged the first floor and is spreading upstairs.

?????????? ??????????: [his brows and hair now burnt with fire] "For God’s sake! Don’t just stand there! HELP!!”

???????????????? [sets a few barns down the road on fire]: "He-he-he".

??????????????????, to the Fire Chief: “Turn the spigot! Turn the spigot! Turn the spigot!!”

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Fire Chief puts on a brave face and reluctantly turns the spigot. The fire crew gets to dosing the fire with water.

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??????????????: “Breaking news! Astonishing bravery of the Fire Chief! Thanks to his selfless efforts the house may now be saved. Or not – we’ll hear from the arsonist in an exclusive interview tonight, tune in!”

?????????????????? [carrying the Fire Chief on their shoulders]: “Hail the Chief! Glory to the Chief!”

?????????? [arriving with pomp and circumstance, ceremoniously presents two fire extinguishers to the battered and smoldering house owner]: “Here you go, we are always just a shout away”.

?????????? ?????????? [tired and bewildered]: “Ehm…”

??????????????: “Take the win! It could’ve been worse!”

?????????? ?????????? [wiping soot and sweat off his face, with the house ruins in the background: “Thank you, I guess. Look – see those two barns down the road? This matter absolutely must be resolved, don’t you understand?”

???????????????? [making another fire bomb]: "He-he-he".

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[Camera flashes, clamoring, hoots and whistles.]

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Sounds familiar? Because it is.

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“Better late than never” is not a manifestation of leadership – it’s as reprehensible as willful inaction in the face of mortal danger. Eventually it leads to “too little, too late”.

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All the media circus we are observing on the account of Mike Johnson’s “heroic” decision to finally do his job is as denigrating to America as the 9 months of aid stalling and leaving Ukraine out in the cold. Both America’s allies and, more importantly, enemies took note.

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Get ready for more fires. With this quality of “leadership”, they are pretty much inevitable.

#leadership #decisionmaking #bebold #indecisiveness #outcomes #causeandeffect #internationalaffairs