The Most Precious Commodity
What is the most valuable commodity in the world? Gold? Oil? Plutonium? Information?
As with most things, I have my own theory about this. There is an activity that is more profitable than mining gold, drilling for oil or enriching plutonium. It is at the heart of invention and production. It is a natural resource but one that must be fostered and husbanded.
Included in it is the will to create, which Ayn Rand referred to as the “fountainhead of human achievement.”
This most valuable commodity, this precious natural resource is…Leadership.
Alexander, Xerxes, Hannibal, Belisarius, Henry the 5th, Da Vinci, Galileo, Copernicus, Luther, Columbus, Newton, Wellington, Nelson, Washington, Grant, Lincoln, Einstein, Edison, Ford, Roosevelt, Reagan, and even perhaps the silicon revolutionaries; Hewlett, Packard, Jobs, Gates, Gore* and Bezos.
These men were “able”; able to lead; able to choose a direction and move out (alone if necessary). Most of them infused the will to act into others. But all of them were able to greatly affect the course of history in their time. And they did it by choosing their cause and seeing it through.
Most of them bucked conventional wisdom. All of them took on vastly superior forces in battle and won. Luther fought those that used the church as a political tool, when taking on the church was a capital offense. The Scientist waged war on superstition. The Inventor waged war on inefficiency. The Revolutionary waged war on oppression. The Warrior waged war for country and kin.
Most of us have battles to fight each day. Are we selecting the course that will make the greatest difference?
By definition, consensus is not leadership. Leadership demands that you be alone, because it demands that you be out in front, either mentally, geographically or in strategy. Great leaders let the best information rise to them and then decisively act on it. They boldly propose their ideas and accept blame for the failures. Truly great leaders share credit for their successes.
Some leaders die penniless. “Hap” Arnold, Father of the US Air Force comes to mind. But the impact of what these leaders do goes beyond calculation in dollars. What is the value of a homeland not plundered, the liberation of slaves, the advancement of science, or a nation born? How much convenience is tied to the invention of the silicon wafer and the software that makes it go.
It has been said that information is the most valuable commodity but I disagree. Leadership, the will to use information, at great risk and for great gain is the most valuable commodity.
*Al Gore invented the “internet”
As with most things, I have my own theory about this. There is an activity that is more profitable than mining gold, drilling for oil or enriching plutonium. It is at the heart of invention and production. It is a natural resource but one that must be fostered and husbanded.
Included in it is the will to create, which Ayn Rand referred to as the “fountainhead of human achievement.”
This most valuable commodity, this precious natural resource is…Leadership.
Alexander, Xerxes, Hannibal, Belisarius, Henry the 5th, Da Vinci, Galileo, Copernicus, Luther, Columbus, Newton, Wellington, Nelson, Washington, Grant, Lincoln, Einstein, Edison, Ford, Roosevelt, Reagan, and even perhaps the silicon revolutionaries; Hewlett, Packard, Jobs, Gates, Gore* and Bezos.
These men were “able”; able to lead; able to choose a direction and move out (alone if necessary). Most of them infused the will to act into others. But all of them were able to greatly affect the course of history in their time. And they did it by choosing their cause and seeing it through.
Most of them bucked conventional wisdom. All of them took on vastly superior forces in battle and won. Luther fought those that used the church as a political tool, when taking on the church was a capital offense. The Scientist waged war on superstition. The Inventor waged war on inefficiency. The Revolutionary waged war on oppression. The Warrior waged war for country and kin.
Most of us have battles to fight each day. Are we selecting the course that will make the greatest difference?
By definition, consensus is not leadership. Leadership demands that you be alone, because it demands that you be out in front, either mentally, geographically or in strategy. Great leaders let the best information rise to them and then decisively act on it. They boldly propose their ideas and accept blame for the failures. Truly great leaders share credit for their successes.
Some leaders die penniless. “Hap” Arnold, Father of the US Air Force comes to mind. But the impact of what these leaders do goes beyond calculation in dollars. What is the value of a homeland not plundered, the liberation of slaves, the advancement of science, or a nation born? How much convenience is tied to the invention of the silicon wafer and the software that makes it go.
It has been said that information is the most valuable commodity but I disagree. Leadership, the will to use information, at great risk and for great gain is the most valuable commodity.
*Al Gore invented the “internet”
posted by ironcross11 | 11:43 AM
1 Comments:
Very Nicely Said.
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