The Red Card

One of the great joys of my job is that I often have the opportunity to speak with leaders both one-on-one and sometimes in large groups.  A few weeks ago I was making a presentation on the subject of leadership to a group of leaders in Virginia.  The company I was working with that day is a science and applications company that does a great deal of work for the United States military.  The group I was meeting with had been identified as high potential future leaders of the organization.  I was their speaker for the final day of a one year program to develop their leadership skills.  The majority of the people in my audience had prior military experience and had graduated from some of the finest institutions in the country.  I was honored to have been chosen to present to this group on the last day of their program.

As I do most days I arrived early to set up for my presentation.  Typically this allows me about an hour to meet the participants as they arrive and to engage in small conversations.  I observed that this group was a bit older than typical groups of this type that I meet.  It is not uncommon in my business when someone says “High Potential” that is usually synonymous with “Young.”  This is was not exclusively the case with this group.  While there were some younger men and women in the audience, many were in their late 30’s and perhaps 40’s. 

One of the great things about working in the Leadership Practice with FranklinCovey is that I have instant credibility with most groups.  This is by no means due to my own work but rather to the great work that was done before by Dr. Stephen Covey.  As a Consultant, I have the privilege of presenting his work to groups around the world and that is truly an honor.  It is not at all uncommon to meet someone that is an admirer of Stephen’s work and often times just their admiration of him creates some connection with me.  When presenting to large groups this connection is most helpful.  On this day there were a couple of people that I met before my program began that held Stephen Covey in high regard.

Just prior to beginning the day I met a man named James Cole.  He mentioned to me that he had read several of the books written by Stephen and that he had been looking forward to the program.  James indicated that he had served in the Marine Corps and was now in his civilian work still working with Marines.  His job is that he trains Marines to recognize and reduce the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).  He said that he feels that he continues to serve our country by serving and working with Marines every day.  In our brief conversation we also talked about things like faith and family and I knew from that brief conversation that he was sincere and committed.

The program I presented to the group is a one-day overview of what we refer to as the Four Imperatives of Great Leaders.  I enjoy this work because the concepts really resonate with me at a deeper level.  The Four Imperatives are: Clarify Purpose, Align Systems, Unleash Talent, and Inspire Trust.  In this program I share one of my favorite quotes by Stephen Covey which is “Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves.”  This quote for me sums up the overall responsibility of every leader at every level.  This is true whether you are leading a company, a family, or a squad of Marines in a combat zone.

At the end of my day as participants were heading out the door to attend a ceremony celebrating their completion of the program, James Cole stepped up to thank me for the day.  He indicated that he found the information that I presented both helpful and immediately useful.  I love to hear that from participants as it means that they view their time as having been well spent.  We shook hands and James turned to leave the room.  Seconds later he turned back and pulled out his wallet and said “I feel led to give you this.”  He handed to me a red card that had the words Honor, Courage, and Commitment on the front.  Each word had a definition for the actions a Marine should carry out to honor the words.  The words were written over the symbol of the United States Marine Corps.  The back of the card which was signed by James reflected eight things that Marines do.  When I looked at the card it appeared worn and in fact had a small crack near the middle.  James told me that he had been carrying that card for eleven years and that it was given to him when he was commissioned as an officer.  He had carried this card in Iraq during his tour of duty there and though when we met he was no longer serving on active duty he continued to carry that card as he said that he will always be a Marine.  Although he knew that I was not a Marine, James said that he felt that I should now have this card.

When James Cole handed the card to me I fought back tears.  As I write this and every time I tell this story I fight back tears.  I was then and continue to be overwhelmed by his gift.  To entrust me with something so personal means a great deal to me.  I immediately began to wonder how I could ever thank him for such a powerful gift.  It took some time but just this past week I realized what I could do to thank James Cole.

On a bookshelf in my office I had a copy of Stephen Covey’s book The 8^th Habit.  I had mentioned this book to James when we met and he indicated that he had not read it yet.  The copy on my bookshelf was signed by Stephen Covey and given to me by one of my work colleagues.  This copy is pristine, it is not at all like the copy I have previously read which is worn, marked up and highlighted.  But the fact that Stephen Covey had signed my copy made it valuable to me.  I realized that this might be valuable to James. 

On Friday I sent my signed copy of The 8^th Habit to James Cole.  I sent along a letter to thank him for his wonderful gift.  He won’t get the book before Monday but I believe that this book will be as valuable to him as it is to me.  Yet, I also recognize that my gift to James Cole really does pale in comparison to the gift that he has given to me. 

I have told the story of James Cole and his red card to friends, family members and to a number of the leaders that I have the privilege of working with.  I will continue to tell the story many times I am certain.  Yet, I write this story here because the card has been placed among pictures and certain important memories from my life.  Years from now it is possible that no one will know why the card is there.  I write this to make sure that someone perhaps in the future my own sons, will recognize both the significance of this gift, but also that someone will remember that the greatest gifts that we give to others are not always fancy cards, or expensive presents.  The greatest gifts we can give are the gifts that reflect our sacrifices, our commitment, and our sincerity.  That is the gift that James Cole gave to me on April 23^rd, 2009.