There was this guy
that we used to work with. I wasn’t certain if I had mentioned him before in
the blog and right now, I am not motivated enough to go back and do a search.
But this guy wanted that title of Assistant Manager so bad it was all he
thought about. And Reason’s had flat out told him, this is as high as you are
ever going to make it. They loved him. They were glad that he was working with
them but he was not going to make assistant manager. The reason why is because
this guy had some health issues and he did not respond well to stress. And that
is what management is. Anyone can be a leader when everything is going right.
But a true leader steps up when things go wrong.
Fred used to talk
about that a lot. When things are great, you can have democracy and vote on the
best path for your group. In combat, you have to have one clear voice. There
was this really cool movie called Battle: LA or Battle: Los Angeles, whichever
you prefer. In the movie, this sergeant jerks a half hitch in this lieutenant
and tells him (and I am paraphrasing), “Go left. Go right. I don’t give a damn.”
Indecision gets you killed. Tony Soprano said one time, “A good plan today is
better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
In combat, when
things go wrong, you have to have that once clear voice saying, “This is what
we are going to do.” There can be no arguing. No questioning. Not even doubt.
And this is the difficulty with what I am dealing with right now. Because this
is not some Wall Street stock option or how many cases of oranges will we need
to get us through the weekend. If I make a wrong decision, someone could die.
Shala Martin could die. Eric Nestor could die. Alex Mathews could die. We could
all be killed because I made a wrong decision.
It can be a crippling
thing if you stop to think about it too long. And in the world of all these
shambling horrors, hesitation will get you killed. I have to keep pushing
forward. I cannot let my fear take hold. And, maybe even more importantly, I
cannot let my fear show. If they think I am scared, they won’t trust me. Their
doubts in me could lead them to doubt themselves. And we cannot have doubt.
Fake it until you
make it, right. Act as if. I am the leader of our family. They live and die by
my decisions. I will not let them down. We will not be outwitted by a bunch of
slathering ghouls. We just need to plan and prepare for all contingencies.
So why am I here typing?
Time to patrol the perimeter…
