How Do Common Men and Women Become Uncommon Leaders
The simple answer is they do extraordinary things. But, what may seem extraordinary to us may seem common place to them.
Over the past five years, I've had the privilege of interviewing many exception people as part of my "Uncommon Leadership" program. Guests have included Keith Lockhart, "Click and Clack" from NPR's Car Talk and retired Massachusetts Chief Justice Margaret Marshall. Each of these people has achieved prominence in their field.
Memorial Day Observance
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of being in the company of a different group of uncommon leaders. On Monday, I attended the Hingham Memorial Day Observance. Citizens from Hingham and other South Shore communities came to honor our veterans. Those attending included young families with babies in strollers, students, fire fighters, police, recent inductees as well as war veterans.
I was touched as the Hingham High School band played the music of the various armed forces. As each branch's song was played, the service members and veterans in the audience proudly stood and saluted their song. Some were young and jumped to their feet. Others were frail and needed assistance rising to show their pride and respect. These are also common men and women-our neighbors and friends-but don't be mistaken by their soft-spoken demeanor. Each is an uncommon leader.
General George Casey
The guest speaker was The United States Army Chief of Staff, General George W. Casey, Jr. General Casey, who grew up in Scituate, rose to the rank of four-star general and served as the 36th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He retired from the Army this past Tuesday, May 31, 2011, just six days shy of 41 years of dedicated service.
General Casey has been awarded many, many medals for his service. His bio reads like a hero in a movie. He is a hero, but the movie is real, not fiction. Today he is recognized as an uncommon leader, but he is also a common and decent person whose values were shaped growing up here, on the South Shore. As a teenage student, he hitchhiked from Boston College High School every afternoon of his senior year to return home to Scituate.
Congressional Medal of Honor
Last week I attended a fundraising breakfast for the Mass Soldiers Legacy Fund (MSLF). The Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund was founded in 2004 with a simple goal: to provide educational assistance grants to the children of Massachusetts service members who were killed while deployed on Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. I am on the board of the Fund. Attending that breakfast were many dignitaries and financial supporters. But there were also two American heroes in attendance: Tom Kelley and Tom Hudner are the only two living Massachusetts Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients (America's highest military decoration). There are only 85 living medal recipients in the country. Talk to the Toms and they seem like ordinary men. Well, they are ordinary men who have done extraordinary things.
Next Uncommon Leadership Guest
Later this month I will host an "Uncommon Leadership" lunch featuring a conversation with both Toms. (Registration information will be sent in a few days.) If anyone were to define uncommon leadership, these men would. I encourage you to register and bring a friend. Better still, bring a son or daughter. They will learn that uncommon leaders start as very common people.