Yesterday, during another one on one practice, I told the Viktor Frankl story to a not so young leader. You see Viktor knew a bit about struggle, strength, and the stress response. He survived three long, death defying years in a Nazi concentration camp and would write a masterpiece titled, Mans Search for Meaning. The book is a worthy read and re-read. He’s got a bunch of leadership gems in this one but one of my favorites is his ccd commentary on America.
“Freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”
Wanna be a leader? Take more responsibility than you exercise your freedom. Throughout the history of time, the leaders we remember are the ones who took responsibility; freedom, not so much. This is but another why behind why I believe the only great leaders are the reluctant ones – they understand how high the bar. Do you?
BUILT TO LEAD 