As a leader at either home or work do you want to be a hero? Do you want your life to count for something greater than yourself? Do you see what you want to do, but also see an uphill climb?
Recently I was watching the movie Hacksaw Ridge which is the true story of a man named Desmond Doss. Desmond was a conscientious objector (he would say supporter) of World War II. He wanted to serve the country, but he had personal convictions against using a rifle. He refused to kill people in war.
As he attends his basic training, the leaders try to get rid of him. They think he is not brave and will get himself or others in his unit killed. At one point in the movie Desmond is imprisoned awaiting his court martial for failing to follow direct orders. While waiting, his fiancé comes in attempting to advise him so he doesn’t spend a great amount of time at Leavenworth imprisoned.
During this scene his fiancé suggests he just pick up the rifle and spin it around or something to appease his leaders. After this Desmond is shaken and says to her: “I don’t know how I am going to live with myself if I don’t stay true to what I believe. The question is how could you live with me? I’d never be the man I want to be in your eyes.”
In this one statement he reveals the kind of man he is.
A leader is a person who is principled and follows those principles no matter the cost. Desmond realized that if he compromised on his conviction he could not live with himself. There are critical points in each of our lives where we have to make decisions based on what we think is right and may make us appear foolish because it opposes “common sense.”
In the end he is granted permission to be a combat medic in the war at his own risk. After a day and a half of battling on Hacksaw Ridge his unit climbs back down as the navy bombards the ridge. Desmond sits atop the ridge and asks what he needs to do when he hears the cry of a man asking for a medic. As bombs explode around him providing a cover for him, Doss goes into the battlefield and rescues men and ties a rope around them to lower them to the medics at the base below.
Doss continues this process for hours, dodging bullets from the enemy after a full night of lowering one injured soldier after another. In the end he saves 75 lives through his courageous actions.
Desmond Doss was a courageous hero. Doss demonstrated the courage every leader needs to accomplish anything great. Doss knew he could save lives without shooting a rifle. In spite of great opposition in the beginning he humbly proved his tenacity, courage and grit.
Are you willing to stand up for what is right no matter the cost? Are you willing to demonstrate courage in a way that others may not expect? Maybe this will require doing something no one else will understand, but you know is right. You have it in you to be a courageous hero of a leader and that may be as simple as your actions at home or with a couple people at work. You will know when that time comes. When it does, have courage, stand your ground and do the right thing. Be a strong and courageous leader.