What Real Leadership Looks Like

It’s Memorial Day and more than just a long weekend. It’s a reminder.

A reminder that leadership isn’t about power or position. It’s about responsibility. It’s about stepping up when it’s inconvenient. Putting others first. Choosing courage over comfort.

It reminds me of the true story of Army Captain Florent Groberg.

In 2012, while escorting a group of senior leaders in Afghanistan, Groberg spotted a suspicious man approaching the formation. He didn’t hesitate. He ran toward the threat. The man detonated a suicide vest, Groberg absorbed the blast, saving the lives of several others.

He later said, “I was just doing my job.”

That’s real leadership. Joseph Campbell has this great quote, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” So few of us will actually ever have to make that choice, but leadership like that always makes a difference.

This Memorial Day, remember those who chose to lead like that. I am not saying you have to drop everything and enlist. But I want you to ask yourself: How can I lead with that kind of courage and responsibility right where I am today?

Take a moment and channel your inner Captain Groberg and do your job in service of those around you.

The present is where progress happens. And it's the only thing you can control.

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