No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
John Donne (1572 - 1631)
The ties that bind
It was a dusky evening and I was traveling the lonely, two-lane roads through the Mississippi Delta. As I drove, watching the houselights recede into my past, I began reflecting how each of those lights represented at least one human being. Here we were close yet unaware of each other. Our worlds were truly passing each other by, each undisturbed by the other's presence. Whole universes of thoughts, dreams, and desires co-existing in the same plane, with only the slightest awareness of each other. I felt both isolated and crowded at the same time. I later came to realize that human beings are never truly isolated. We are each bound to the other by the simple fact of our humanity.
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The binding cords of humanity is the subject of one of John Donne's most quoted reflections. Donne, one of England's greatest metaphysical poets, is, ironically, best know for this line--"No man is an island"--from a prose reflection written while recovering from severe illness. As read, Donne's Big Idea speaks to this same idea that humanity is connected in mysterious ways, and thus, what happens to one in some sense happens to all.
Fingerprints on our souls
Every duty station is filled with those seemingly random connections which add such depth and meaning to life. Our paths cross in the hallways and flight lines and work areas of Base X, and it is only upon reflection that we recognize the fingerprints those people have left in our lives, even as we look ahead to forging new connections in a new assignment. Holloman AFB has been no different, and so many have connected into my life and leadership in significant ways. Here are four fingerprint vignettes--
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Leadership is an isolating job. Quite literally, Commanders and agency chiefs are often put into an impossible position where they have no safe place to vent or be real. A few leaders have invited me in to that inner world and let themselves be vulnerable in a way few will see. That has encouraged me to find my own safe person and to be vulnerable with that person.
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Reputation is key and a good reputation can be lost very quickly. Coming to this position, other leaders sang the praises of soon-to-be co-workers. I arrived, excited to meet these highly-praised individuals, only to find they had gone R.O.A.D. (Retired On Active-Duty). Their motivation was non-existent; their focus was on the distant future; their people were leaderless; their quality of work was sub-par. How quickly reputation is tarnished when we stop the race short of the finish line!
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Enthusiastic, teachable, yet inexperienced is preferred over dispassionate, arrogant, and experienced. My team, when I arrived, consisted of 10 people (myself included) who were new to their position or to their career field. However, they were willing to learn and to make things happen.
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Sincerity and humility are the foundation for authentic leadership. A particular unit at Holloman was very frustrated with the leader. As I became involved, I heard a common complaint--the leader seemed disingenuous and unwilling to listen to issues as stated. Had this leader been willing to listen to subordinates, own personal failures, and exhibit a willingness to exhibit positive change, the team would have come alongside. Instead, the team has given up on the leader.
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Reflection
Who are the people which have spoken into your life, whether invited or not?
What major leadership or life lessons have you learned from observing those around?
What have others taken away from your life and/or leadership?
Just as we are touched by those we meet, we leave fingerprints in the connections we make, as well. What kind of fingerprints are you leaving?
