What have they got that I ain't got?

July 25, 2022?

Dear Leaders,?

“If you were king, you wouldn’t be afraid of anything?”

“Not nobody, not no how!”?

“How?”?

“How? ?Courage! ?What makes a king out of a slave? ?Courage! ?What makes the flag on a mast to wave? ?Courage! ?What makes an elephant charge his tusk, in the misty mist or the dusky dusk? What makes a muskrat guard his musk? ?Courage! ?What makes the sphinx the Seventh Wonder? ?Courage! ?What makes the dawn come up like THUNDER? ?Courage! ?What makes the Hottentot so hot? ?What puts the "ape" in apricot? ?What have they got that I ain't got?”

“Courage.”

After 83 years of gracing theaters and televisions, we’re all very familiar with the exchange between Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man with the Cowardly Lion.?He gives a great and colorful speech worthy of any politician in that it sounds so proud and majestic, only to be brought crashing to earth with their response to his question.?

Courage.?The skill and will to do what has to be done in the face of adversity, to face your fears, to take a stand when it isn’t popular.?It’s a bedrock principle of leadership, yet it’s one where people get cold feet because, like our friend the Lion, they don’t believe in their abilities, or they just don’t want to take a risk.??

In true life and death situations, those who experienced it will often tell you it wasn’t a question of courage, but one of duty that required no thought, just action, and that same mantra applies to less threatening but more challenging situations as much as any other.?In working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, I was part of a group about to enact an ad hoc program granting an exemption from deportation to hundreds of thousands of people otherwise illegally present in the country.?The legality of the program was questionable, and is still being debated today, but a sticking point for me happened when they told us we would not take any immediate action against applicants with criminal records.?I immediately spoke up and questioned their order and received a response from a staff attorney that it was reviewed and found to be legal.?I asked for the precedent under law and regulation, and they could not provide one, instead issuing only dodging statements.?I reminded them of a past instance in which an ignored criminal went on to commit some rather heinous crimes, yet I still met resistance.?Realizing it was time to take a definitive stand, I refused the order and said I would not leave criminals unreported and there was no legal prohibition against doing so.?I could tell the headquarters brass were unhappy, but then another participant supported my position, with another, then still another, and soon a groundswell of support seemingly unanimous that my way was the right thing to do.?In the end, they acquiesced, and we prevented more than a few criminals from remaining loose on the streets just to satisfy some political whims.?It put me in the doghouse with some, but my standing within the community, and with my people, increased significantly.??

As a leader, your people, and your colleagues, hear and see what you say and do.?If they see you have the courage to stand up for what’s right, stand up for them when they are right, and never back down, their respect for you will know no bounds, and you will be known far and wide in your community of practice as someone who others can count on.?You don’t do it for the accolades, and you don’t do it to belittle your higher-ups (even if they deserve it), you do it because it is your duty as a leader.?Your reward will be increased traffic at your door, as more will seek your guidance and direction, including those that don’t work for you.?

Near the end of the film, the Wizard tells the Lion, who overcame his fears to help defeat the Witch, that many did such heroic acts and had no more courage than he, but they were commended and remembered for it, and that reminded them of who they truly were.?Beyond the good feeling you get knowing you did what was right and best, your team will remember it too, and when you see that you inspired them to likewise act when challenged, that is the tribute you can wear with pride.?

What have they got that you ain’t got???

Sincerely,

Tim???????