Unsung Heroes

A few years ago, it seems almost forever ago, President Barack Obama made a comment during the 2012 Presidential campaign that caused somewhat of a controversy.  Basically, he was responding to a speech that Elizabeth Warren (yes, the one who is currently contemplating running for President in 2020) made during a speech in Andover, Massachusetts in August, 2011.  She claimed that no one in America grew rich without depending somewhat on the government services paid for by the rest of society. 

Here is what she said exactly:

There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory — and hire someone to protect against this — because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.

Later, on June 13, 2012, President Obama said the following in a campaign stop in Roanoke, Virgina:

There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me – because they want to give something back. They know they didn't – look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something – there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business – you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.

The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together.

Now, we all have worked very hard to get to where we are in life today.  I know that I have worked hard.  At times, I have made sacrifices so that I could get where I am today.  But that doesn't mean that I have got to this point on my own.  It doesn't mean that my achievements have all been because of how hard I've worked or the sacrifices that I have made along the way.  It doesn't mean that I pulled myself up from my own bootstraps.

So, today, I would like to thank everyone - the unsung heroes in my life - who have helped me get to where I am today.  There are far too many individuals to name all of them, but certainly I would like to thank my parents, my wife, my children, and my family.  There were always teachers and coaches who challenged me to be better.  There were mentors throughout my life, many of whom I continue to rely upon even now. 

I also need to thank all of the neighbors and friends growing up.  They certainly helped make me the person that I am today.  I benefited from living in a great school district.  I am also thankful that my parents had good jobs so that they could afford to send me to college to further my education.  I would also like to thank the government for providing me with a low-interest student loan, as well as a Navy scholarship so that I could afford to attend medical school. 


There are many, many more individuals that I could thank.  They are the unsung heroes who made a difference in my life along the way.  Thank you.

You see, no one gets to where we are in life without a lot of help.  The myth of the self-made individual is just that - a myth.  We are all in this together.  We need each other.  Only then can we all succeed.


So, what is the connection to leadership here?  In a word - everything.  If you are in a leadership position, chances are that you got to that point by working hard and aspiring to be a leader.  But it's a good chance that you were given opportunities by individuals who wanted to see you succeed.  There's a good chance that you had mentors to help you, give you advice, challenge you, and encourage you.


If you are a leader, you can pay back all of the individuals who contributed to getting you where you are today by paying it forward.  Mentor someone else.  Give someone an opportunity.  Challenge and encourage.  Be the leader that you had earlier in your career. 


Celebrate the unsung heroes by paying it forward.  Be an unsung hero to someone else.