When I was in university, I lived in a fraternity…
No, not *that* kind. It was much more “Revenge of the Nerds” than “Animal House” or the land of the super jocks.
And one of the main features of “the house” was the TV room.
I know I’m dating myself here, but if you were to walk by during the day when people were between classes, and, if somehow Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” MTV video was absent from the screen, you were more than likely to walk in on one of 3 movies:
- Top Gun
- Highlander
- The Blues Brothers
Mind you, that list isn’t in any particular order. They were just kinda the recurring vibe of the place.
And even today, all these years later, thinking about one particular occasion where one of the guys was running around the room with his arms out like wings yelling “Call the ball, Riley! Call the ball!” makes me chuckle out loud.
One of the common themes of those movies is undoubtedly “the mission.”
But the other thing about them is that in each of those, it’s not all just fighter jets, car chases and silhouetted tongues. It’s about the way people react to adversity and whether they really have what it takes to win.
In each case, before the mission was successful, there were lots of tests along the way. Some were big, like the death of your best friend, but some were smaller, and sometimes those smaller ones show more about your character than the big ones do.
One of those tests in particular that sticks in my mind is when Jake and Elwood are early into their “Mission from God” and just after they’ve rounded up the band. They’re all driving around after Jake and Elwood made some big promises about getting them some gigs so they can make the money required to save the orphanage.
But there’s a problem. As Elwood points out, “But Jake…we don’t got no gig.”
However, without a gig, the “mission from God” will fail.
The boys need to get a little creative, and so, they ended up in Bob’s Country Bunker—a place with *both* kinds of music: Country AND Western. Just the place for a Rhythm & Blues Review, no?
As you can imagine, things don’t get off to a good start.
Finally, with the beer bottles flying at them and after the owner turned out the lights on the stage, the boys decide the only way out alive is to give ‘em what they want. The best they can come up with is the theme from the TV show “Rawhide.”
It works.
The crowd gets into it, and they live to fight another day.
Now, without taking things a bit too literally in terms of the movie, here’s what’s important about this story:
Jake and Elwood were “disruptive” because all the members of the band had ended up doing their own things, but in order to achieve the mission, Jake and Elwood needed help. They needed the band.
So they needed to inspire them into action, despite the history, and despite owing them all money. They somehow had to get everyone back together, because they were the best way to save the orphanage.
To achieve the bigger objective, they had to disrupt the “normal” lives of the band.
Think about your own agenda as a security leader. What is it that you’ve already done to build and unify your team?
How can you leverage what you’ve already done to inspire them to be better—to see a better way to protect the organization by being more integrated and aligned instead of getting wrapped up in telling people what they can’t do?
Another thing, specifically about the “Rawhide” moment: Jake and Elwood had to step out of their comfort zone, and they had to be creative.
While their rendition of “Rawhide” is one of the most memorable moments of the movie, it’s worth thinking for a moment about why this is true.
It’s true because it’s not expected. It’s the only song that made the soundtrack album that wasn’t an R&B favorite, but if you ask anyone who’s seen the movie, they’ll always remember that scene.
How are you stepping out of your comfort zone as a security professional? How are you thinking creatively as a leader?
What was your most recent “Rawhide” moment?
Right now, your team and your organization need you more than ever.
They need you to be creative.
They need you to show them a compelling vision, and…
They need you to step out of your comfort zone and take the bold steps required to lead them towards it.
You have it within you to do what you need to do, and odds are, you already know what that next step you need to take entails.
How will you do it? How are you going to seize the moment?
Whether you’re ready to go now, or you’re looking for that extra validation and support, we’re here to help you. We’ve done it before, and to see some of the ways we’ve done it, just check out:
https://archistry.com/go/SecurityLeader
But there will never be a better day than today to take action. Today is the very best day to step up and lead the changes you know you need to make.
Each day you wait, things don’t stay the same. They go backwards.
So, what are you going to do?
Are you going to embrace your “Rawhide” moment…
…or are you going to duck out the back when the lights go out and pretend it didn’t happen?
The choice is yours:
https://archistry.com/go/SecurityLeader
Cheers,
ast
—
Andrew S. Townley
Archistry Chief Executive
