Independence Day is when Americans celebrate our freedoms and commemorate our independence from oppression. I think most people tend to take for granted our inalienable rights: those protected by our constitution and preserved by the strength and resolve of our republic. The point these people miss is that there can be no rights without some corresponding responsibilities. It isn’t just that freedom comes at a cost. It is that every individual protected by the constitution shares in the duties that allow our freedoms to exist. Ignoring or abdicating those responsibilities poses a mortal threat to democracy.
Capitalism is perhaps one of the most significant rights and privileges we enjoy as a nation. The economic prosperity that we have fought for and enjoy has spurred a level of innovation and invention that constantly challenges what we find imaginable. The advancements in science, medicine, engineering, and communication have created a world that, in the past 100 years, has replaced our understanding of what is humanly possible while enhancing the lives of billions of people who inhabit our planet.
The economic prosperity that we have fought for and enjoy has spurred a level of innovation and invention that constantly challenges what we find imaginable.
Like any privilege, capitalism demands responsibility. The real burden is in the hands of the leaders who drive it forward. Those who continuously improve the benefits it brings to society and harnesses its power to serve a greater good. While public leadership plays a role in the destiny of capitalism, it is the women and men who assume leadership roles that we must thank. They see what is necessary and make it possible. Those who become entrepreneurs shape the future. And the leaders that create sustainable competitive advantages fuel the economic, social, and cultural benefits that government, politics, and public policy never has and most likely never will.
Leadership bears a solemn responsibility to those we serve. And for this responsibility, there exists a level of freedom and independence. The freedom to choose is a necessary context for the choices we must make. And independence is a function of releasing ourselves of our self-interests, the biases that shape the thinking that forms the status quo and feeds mediocrity and a static existence.
Leadership bears a solemn responsibility to those we serve.
To those who gaze towards leaders with either awe or disdain, freedom and independence might seem to resemble status, wealth, and power. And while some aspire to be leaders to acquire these benefits, they are unlikely ever to become competent leaders or reap the satisfaction of contributing to the kinds of accomplishments that exceptional leaders do.
For the leaders I have worked with over the years, transitioning from their organizational roles to what some might call retirement, the experience is unlike what most people seek in retirement.
The goal of retirement for most people is their pursuit of freedom and independence. They seek the freedom to choose how they spend their time and independence from the obligations to their employers.
For successful leaders, it is very different. They are looking to preserve the freedom and independence that they have employed to accomplish what they have. They are looking to find continued joy in the satisfaction of accomplishing things that matter through what they have to contribute. They are seeking ways to continue connecting to a sense of purpose and maintain their significance by doing meaningful things and creating value.
Independence Day is an opportunity to take stock of what you do to free yourself of the habits of thinking constraining your potential.
They seek these things because few people experience the intense joy we find in the deep satisfaction of our accomplishments. Life’s pleasures, whether travel, recreation, or focusing on your hobbies – cannot compete with the moments of overwhelming joy you experience when you create significant value for the benefit of others.
Independence Day is an opportunity to take stock of what you do to free yourself of the habits of thinking constraining your potential. And to break your dependence on others for finding the significant sources of meaning that guide you towards feeling the joy of gratitude in what you accomplish and the value you create for the people in your life.
There is nothing wrong with celebrating our past. But it doesn’t come close to celebrating the possibilities that the future can bring.
