Just Stand Up

This morning I read a great article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "The Truth About Being a Hero" by Karl Marlantes.

The article states that "we all want to be special, to stand out...but now it's special in the eyes of your peers and it comes out in the form of being better than or having power over someone else."

Karl goes on to talk about his experience in Vietnam and how he struggled to not fall into some of the traps that are set for those who have won medals.

The real meat in the story comes when he describes being in a firefight and realizing that he and his men would be wiped out if he didn't do something.  "I did a lot of things that day, many of which got written into the commendation, but the one I'm most proud of is that I simply stood up, in the middle of all that flying metal, and started up the hill all by myself."

That got me thinking about how we lead at work.  How many times has your team, or group, or division needed someone to just stand up and take the first step?  What's stopping you from being that person?

I have found that I respect those individuals who stand up and start moving rather than waiting for me to tell them what to do or where to go.  Do they get things right every time?  No, but I have found that if they will just stand up and start, I can provide subtle course corrections along the way.

What's keeping you from standing up?