As a successful leader, you’ve been in tight squeezes before. Maybe you’ve been part of a faltering company or department. Resources are drying up. Morale is low. Some finger pointing. Accountability is lacking. You are being over-whelmed by the competition. Your options are limited. You feel the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Don’t despair, in 1941, your predecessor, Admiral Chester Nimitz was in that position and quite frankly did have the weight of the world on his shoulders. He arrived at Pearl Harbor in December 1941 to take command of the Pacific Fleet. Before him was practically the entire US Navy fleet either sunk or severely damaged. His forces were surrounded by the Imperial Japanese fleet. The support staff he inherited felt defeated. The enemy was at the door. The American people were depending on him to hold back Imperial Japan and protect U.S. and Allied interests across the Pacific.

Over the next 6 months, Admiral Nimitz and his brave and crippled US Fleet would turn the tide of battle. He deftly positioned his meager resources to stop the hemorrhaging, then took calculated risks to cut off the forward movement of the enemy. By June 1942 he was prepared to take the biggest risk by committing his prime naval assets to defend Midway Island, located 1500 miles northwest of Hawaii.

America had a lot to lose—corporate America has a lot to gain from reviewing the strategic leadership lessons leading up to the Battle of Midway. Join us on the Battleship North Carolina, one of the prime participants in the strategy that ultimately swept across the Pacific and learn about the environment that can help you sustain a culture of excellence.

Without a doubt, the strength of our communities begins with the confidence we place in the first responders that protect us all. Consequently, communities and local agencies today are having discussions that address that confidence or lack of confidence.

For that critical dialog to bear fruit, we must begin with an understanding of our individual and shared beliefs and values. The time is right, whether you are a corporate CEO, first responder, public advocate or anywhere in between, to take the time to be part of the public dialog and share your needs, concerns and personal values in an open, non-confrontational forum of respect and inclusion. This process does not have to be painful and time consuming, but it does have to be effective.

Academy Leadership has helped thousands of stakeholders by providing a JumpStart to the conversation by helping participants to first look at themselves introspectively then contribute to the conversation that describes a path that benefits both the organizations and communities that want to move forward together and improve their social environments and support organizations.

One of the world’s most revered CEO coaches, Marshall Goldsmith, encourages our process:

“Be human. It’s perfectly appropriate to say things like, ‘Here’s what I’m trying to improve, personally, not just business-wise. I want to listen better, or I want to be more present. I want to be more patient,’ or whatever it is for you. Just being a role model. Stand up and publicly say, ‘Here’s what I’m trying to improve.”

Recent media reports paint a rather dim view of the initial efforts undertaken by corporations and public policy groups to address social justice. Driven by public outrage generated by man’s inhumanity to man, our communities and institutions have tried to react to a call for change. From church assemblies to town halls to city council meetings many voices are heard, heads nod in agreement, pronouncements are made, then we go back to where we were–victims of the tyranny of inertia described so well by economist J.K. Galbraith decades ago. And, as the days move on after the summer of 2020, protests continue, anger mounts and little has changed.

Many corporations have stepped up and invested considerable resources to bring trainers in who provide a variety of programs that by all accounts have provided as much pain as they have provided gain by exaggerating differences. At best, the results have resulted in clenched teeth as nerves get bared and sessions end with perfunctory hugging.

We cannot afford to lose this moment!

Despite social justice coming to the forefront during the summer of 2020 we have not been able to take advantage of this inflection point and are mired in a endless do-loop trying to point fingers and assign blame for centuries of failure to treat all men and women equal. It’s time to decide whether to continue to look in the rear-view mirror and attempt to right all wrongs, or build a future for all of us. It’s time to promote deliberate change.

We need to dismount from the crest of the tidal wave of sentiment that overcame the nation and globe this year and look closely at the most important source of change. Perhaps a biblical reference is necessary, “Physician heal thyself.” Or, as Michael Jackson encouraged us a decade ago, each of us needs to look in the mirror. Until we are willing to take a methodical look at ourselves, regardless of where we place ourselves on the spectrum of bigotry and open up to those around us, we will continue to mire ourselves in the quicksand of disrespect.

Having worked with thousands of participants in our leadership programs that are based on discovery and an inclusive approach to creativity, any methodology attempting to come to grips with social justice should start with an inventory of our personal needs and expectations, as well as our neighbors needs and expectations. Only after comparing those needs and expectations can we have a sincere dialog as to what values and principles we hold dearest. At Academy Leadership we have provided various organizations and groups the tools to undertake this discussion over the years and the results have been unanimous. When you understand yourself better and your neighbor understands themselves better, you have something to share and now you can build that bridge to healing. The discussion turns outward and leads to inclusion and collaboration. The conversation goes from “me and you” to “we and us.”

This purposeful opportunity includes what we call the Energize2Lead inventory of our three dimensions: needs; expectations; and, preferences that write the DNA of our energy and how we use it to solve problems. Couple this exercise and learning experience with an opportunity to detail values and expectations, yours and those you associate with, while writing your leadership philosophy and you suddenly realize the path ahead is well lighted. The end result is a more personal commitment to seize this inflection point.

By knowing yourself better and appreciating the differences others bring to our society enables us to achieve a much better dialog and consequently, allows us to map out a consensual strategy to move forward.

Veteran managers and supervisors are often suspect of the younger generations’ motivation and commitment. Might this be more of a misunderstanding of expectations on both sides? Or even less obvious, is it a difference of interpretation of those expectations? You’ll find that the generations are really not that far apart and what we can learn from the Greatest Generation may very well be what propels today’s generations and will develop the Next Great Generation. It starts with empowerment.