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| Flag on Federal Hill, Baltimore |
Independence
Day is one of my favorite holidays. I usually spend some time reflecting on the
Declaration of Independence and I occasionally read it. I find it to be as
relevant now as it was in 1776 when it was read across the colonies and to the
troops who would ultimately fight for that independence. It remains a statement
of who we aspire to be: a people seeking life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness, a place where all are equal and a government deriving her power from
the consent of the people.
While
our nation may not be perfect, the men who wrote, debated and ultimately signed
that document also were not perfect. They had intelligence, but they also had
ego. They had conviction, but also had fear. They had much to lose but
recognized they had much to gain. They also did not fully have the mandate of
the people their signatures affected most.
I
recently finished an excellent two novel set by Jeff Shaara: Rise to
Rebellion and The Glorious Cause. These two novels are about the
days leading up to the first and second continental congress, documents the
writing of the Declaration of Independence and continues through the
Revolutionary War and the British surrender at Yorktown. Mr. Shaara refers to
them as novels as he researched original documents about the individuals
involved in the events including personal correspondence. However, the dialogue
and some situations are not original so these books, while historically
accurate, are technically novels.
These
stories are told through the lenses of several players in the action: Ben
Franklin, John Adams, Sam Adams, George Washington, Charles Cornwallis and
others. I was struct by a number of things while reading these books, but most
related to this blog was the leadership styles of these men. Sam Adams was the
fiery leader of the Sons of Liberty while his cousin, John, wanted simply to practice
law and farm the land with his family. John didn’t initially understand his
cousin’s passion but quickly became incensed at how the British were
manipulating and ultimately removing the laws that John had studied and made
his career protecting. Though never a fire-brand, John’s quiet intellect was
much needed in Philadelphia and beyond.
Ben
Franklin was the well-known and well-respected grandfatherly gentleman sent to
England in what ultimately became an untenable position as Postmaster to the
colonies and representative to parliament for several colonies. After time back
in America, he ultimately went to Paris to help broker the deal that forged the
much needed alliance with France. He had a bit of a temper but was also very
hard on himself when he made a mistake. He held such strong convictions about
the will of the governed and independence of the colonies that he became
estranged from his son who was appointed by the King as colonial Governor of
New Jersey.
Neither
Washington nor Cornwallis wanted fame or fortune. They both simply wanted to do
their job, win the war quickly and then return to their homes. Obviously, one
succeeded and one did not but they both had difficult jobs due to actions of
others. Even as Washington prevailed in the war, he was not able to fulfill his
personal wish and return to his beloved Mount Vernon as another calling in
these United States beckoned him.
Each of these men, and many, many others, had intelligence, ego, conviction and fear. Each great leader has those same qualities. How we use these traits, and many others, defines each of us and determines the level of greatest we achieve as leaders. There are times when one of these traits needs to outweigh others. In my business, there are times when fear needs to take precedent to ensure risk is appropriately dealt with. There are times when ego needs to prevail to ensure our designs and clients are appropriately represented. There are times when intelligence needs to elevate so mistakes are not made in inopportune moments. There are times when conviction needs to reign to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.
As you spend some time on Independence Day enjoying a day off, hopefully some good weather and time with friends and family, take some time to reflect on those who created our country and earned our independence. Think about the great, though flawed, leaders they were and apply some of these thoughts as you return to your leadership at work, at church or in a professional organization.
