Articles with leadership

Medals of Honor and Valor

When you live the SemperVerus life, you decide to Stay True to what is right in every decision you make.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Every Small Decision Leads to Winning or Losing in Spiritual Warfare ]

When you wear our SemperVerus Brotherhood/Sisterhood wristband, it’s a helpful constant reminder that you pledge to stay true to what is right (1 Tim. 4:16) by daily choosing to live led by (Rom. 8:14), filled with (Eph. 5:18), walking by (Gal. 5:16), and in step with (Gal. 5:25) the Holy Spirit, exhibiting 13 virtues in your behavior; one of which is acting valorously (with courage).

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Door of Leadership Swings on the Hinge of Character ]

Conducting yourself with bravery is an element of strong character, and it’s part of the third element of the five SemperVerus components—BE—which emphasizes the importance of prioritizing integrity, honesty, and general uprightness in your life. It reads:

III. Be: developing rich personal leadership character of exemplary moral and ethical quality.

Two shining examples of what it means to act with courage are the US military’s Medal of Honor and the US Department of Justice’s Medal of Valor.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Be Like Ernest Shackleton ]

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Why We Shouldn’t Just ‘Do Something’

It’s a common belief that US President Teddy Roosevelt said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” However, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Center, “this statement is often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, but no known source can be found to verify the attribution.”

Even so, TR was devoted to action. He didn’t shy away from making a decision and acting upon it. The important detail is that the decision must be based on what is right.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Every Small Decision Leads to Winning or Losing in Spiritual Warfare ]

The fifth element of the five SemperVerus components is DO, which emphasizes the importance of combining the previous four elements in order to engage in accomplishing what is needed in the moment. Neither procrastination nor neglect is an option. The SemperVerus principle reads:

V. Do: resolving to intentionally and skillfully act to accomplish positive and fruitful outcomes.

A recent commentary by John Stonestreet on the Colson Center’s Breakpoint podcast stresses that ambiguity is not the answer when action is called for. Merely choosing to do “something”—especially if it’s misguided—can be inappropriate, nonsensical, and even an obstruction to beneficial outcomes.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Be Like Ernest Shackleton ]

Here are a few excerpts:

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The Door of Leadership Swings on the Hinge of Character

Four-star Admiral James Stavridis served as the commander of US Southern Command, US European Command, and Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, and served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is currently Partner and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group, and is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, What a Leaf-Sweeper’s Answer Teaches About Personal Leadership ]

In his book, Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character, he explores—through the lives of some of the most illustrious naval commanders in history—how personal character is the driving force behind successful or failed leadership.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness Self-Defense: Seeing Temptation as a Threat ]

None of the admirals in this volume were perfect, and some were deeply flawed. But important themes emerge, not least that serving your reputation is a poor substitute for serving your character; and that taking time to read and reflect is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, How Does Your Character Measure Up? ]

“The big door of leadership can swing for good or for ill…the hinge upon which that big door of leadership swings is called character; the human heart,” says Admiral Stavridis. “What’s in that heart, what kind of character a leader has is what will determine how that big door of leadership will swing for good purpose or for terrible evil.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Every Small Decision Leads to Winning or Losing in Spiritual Warfare ]

Here are a few of the lessons taught in the book:

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What a Leaf-Sweeper’s Answer Teaches About Personal Leadership

President John F. Kennedy introduced himself to a man sweeping leaves at NASA during a 1962 visit and asked him what he was doing, to which the man replied, “I’m part of the team that’s going to put a man on the moon.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Every Small Decision Leads to Winning or Losing in Spiritual Warfare ]

The man knew that clearing debris that could affect the engines of aircraft was an integral part of the overall mission of NASA.

It’s a lesson in how to properly view the big picture of the lives we live, the work we do, and the decisions we make every day. To properly succeed in our personal meaning and leadership, we must avoid thinking small and having tunnel vision in who we are and what we do.

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