Aha! Moment Monday
Lee Iacocca, American car executive famous for both designing the Ford Mustang and later the revival of the Chrysler Corporation was also famous for saying, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”
Now I’m going to take that what he meant by, “… get out of the way” as, “Lead differently.”
We know that with great power comes great responsibility and Lee, like many great leaders, held a clear vision or meaningful purpose and wanted to be surrounded with people who supported or enhanced that vision.
We also know that everything is energy and energy never rests so you’re always moving in some kind of direction, right? By even getting out of the way, you’re still moving, still deciding and still leading to some degree.
I think the bigger question in the “With great power ….” quote is what constitutes “great”? Is being on track to winning a Nobel Prize considered “great” or is helping an individual who is clearly challenged by the time allotted of the walk sign cross the road safely “great”? Is dead-lifting 350 lbs. “great” or getting out of bed when you suffer from depression “great”? Is writing a best-seller “great” or writing a thank-you card “great”? When does the second half of the quote “… comes great responsibility” kick in?
Aha! ~ When we realize it is ALL “great”.
Viktor Frankl, in his book, “The Will to Meaning” says, “I like to say that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast should be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”
“Logotherapy” is not a rebranding exercise. It stems from the Greek word “logos” which denotes meaning, and is based on Frankl’s concept that our motivational force is to find meaning in life.
In order to accomplish that, we have been gifted with great power. Our responsibility is to use every ounce of that power to support giving great meaning to our life.
Every act, every choice, every word is a response to the question of who we choose to be. The culmination of those ongoing choices – to live responsibly – may sometimes feel like a burden, but it’s always an opportunity to be more of who we are meant to be.
Lead differently like you’re meant to.
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