Be The Glue!

I listen with attention to the judgment of all men; but so far as I can remember, I have followed none but my own. – Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance.

There are many people in all aspects of life that stand out as the true, natural leaders. They are those that the pack seem to rally around so easily and garner strength from. A leader has the uncanny ability to draw action and results from people where there seemed to previously been none. You recognize these people in sports, politics, entertainment, business and even within families…some even fly under the radar and go largely unnoticed. But what happens when change or even tragedy strikes and the leader suddenly goes away. You know that feeling intimately I’m sure because we have all experienced it. The disappearance of that special strong personality leaves a void that conjures up the desperate image of us being left in a cold desert wind, watching the dust and the tumble weeds whip by; that feeling that makes us aware of a huge void that we had been blinded from seeing because we hid comfortably behind that leader prior to their exit! The event has lead to the destruction of families, companies and even countries seemingly over night…almost like in an instant everything becomes unglued!

So why is it that seemingly so few leaders have such a pivotal role? Why does it have to be that one little symbolic finger removed from the dike results in a completely destructive chain of events? Well the simple answer is because the rest of us are hiding under the bed hoping that someone else will step up and make everything all right again…if we just hold on to the edge of the abyss some super hero dressed like a cartoon character will come to the rescue and put our world back on it’s axis. In times of discomfort and distress we get on edge and angry…how could our leaders have let us down?! How could they have made the decisions they made and left us in the lurch? How could they have put our financial and physical futures in the balance…shame on them!! WHAT? Are you serious? Who ever told you that these leaders were your servants? What contract did you ever sign that said everything would always be all right? That your parents would always be there to scratch your back when you had an itch? That your CEO had your retirement clearly in the forefront of his thoughts and efforts? That your friends would have your back no matter what the circumstance? That a change in your political leaders would fix all your woes? See the problem is that we are always waiting on someone else to make it right! But what about you? What are you responsible for?

You see the irony in freedom is that it can breed contempt. Given no restrictions in a free world there will always be the hungry and strong that step up, lead and achieve. They will be those that understand that risk is usually over stated and that there is no imminent life or death challenge, rather massive opportunity. But stricken by an over reaction to fear, the masses will line up behind these leaders, first accepting them as their protectors but shortly there after as there object of criticism and ultimately seeking to bring them down. Yet, what really happens when the strong fade away? What’s left? The huddled masses of sheople, who now exposed, run screaming for help and seething that life just isn’t fair! So do something about it! Stop looking to lean so heavily on someone else. Step up and use your own strength and stop whining that you don’t have any! You do, but you simply allow your overly sensitive fight or flight mechanism to paralyze you while you suck your thumb waiting for your super hero. The truth of the challenging circumstance is that it’s opportunity begging you to take action. I’m not talking about saving the world…I’m just talking about making a positive impact in anything you do! Step up for your siblings when you lose a parent! Step up for your company when the CEO leaves! Step up for your local government when a local legend retires! Step up for a stranger in distress! Stop complaining about how cruel the world is when your leader is gone…It’s your calling: BE THE GLUE AND COUNT ON YOU!