Friendly Fire

Episode 17:  Sometimes You Hear The Bullet

Hawkeye:    “You never hear the bullet.”  Is that a book?

Tommy:     Yeah, it’s about the war.  And it’s being written by a soldier, not a correspondent.

How can I explain it to you?  Ok, there’s always that big blond kid in all those war movies. The one that should never die but always does.

Hawkeye:    Yeah, and they bring him back to life in the next movie.

Tommy:     Right.  You always hear this big, loud ricochet just before he gets killed.  Well, that’s not the way it really happens.  There was a young blonde kid in our outfit.  One day I looked over and half of him was gone.  And you know what he said?  He said, “I never heard no bullet.”  That’s why that book is called what it’s called.

Hawkeye’s friend Tommy makes a surprise visit to the 4077 and shares his idea about a book he is writing based on his experience in combat.  Later, he returns to camp injured and rethinks the title of his book, because unlike his original title, he heard the bullet that hit him coming.

One of the harsh realities of leadership is that leaders come under fire from those they lead, and often don’t hear or see it coming!  This is most painful when it comes from people you have invested enormous amounts of time and energy into their personal and professional lives.  I find it easier to deal with when I see it coming, as I understand that conflict is an unavoidable part of leadership. But it is the unsuspecting attacks from unsuspecting people that has the biggest impact on me.  I have learnt that to guard my heart against friendly fire I need to depersonalise the attack and remember that hurting people hurt people.  It is rarely about me, and when it is I need to have the humility to deal with my part in the issue. When it is not, I need to have enough empathy to look beyond the attack and respond to the cause of the pain driving the behaviour.

A Question of Character

Episode 10:  I Hate A Mystery

Hawkeye:     Lieutenant, I’ve always admired your analytical  

             mind.  You’re one of the few people who can see  

             things without emotion or prejudice. Let me ask you…

Lieutenant:  I think you did it.

Hawkeye:     Let me rephrase the question.  How would you assess

             my general character?

Lieutenant:  You’re cynical and selfish. When you’re not in the 

             operating room, all you ever think about is 

             your own pleasure.

Hawkeye:     Don’t sugar-coat it. Give it to me straight.

A spate of thefts at the 4077 sparks a search of all personnel’s belongings by Colonel Blake, revealing the stolen goods hidden in Hawkeye’s foot-locker.  In an attempt to prove his innocence, Hawkeye lays a trap to reveal the identity of the real thief.

In leadership, character is everything!   We can all think of competent leaders who have compromised their position of influence because of character issues.  Our character is a window into our true selves and provides the foundation upon which our leadership is built.  In his book “Uprising,” Erwin McManus describes “Character [as] the mark that defines who we really are when you get to the core.”  It is this core of who we are that will withstand the challenges and expectations of leadership more than what we are able to do.  When dealing with conflict and facing criticism, character “is both developed and revealed” (Rick Warren), exposing the true nature and quality of the leader. 

The Battle is Not Mine

Episode 3:  Requiem for a Lightweight

Hawkeye:   What does mean mean, mean means nothing. It’s skill that counts. Big and mean has nothing to do with fighting ability.

Trapper gets conned into competing in an inter-camp boxing match as a favour to Henry Blake, to win back a nurse who is being transferred out. When the boxer from the opposing camp arrives the 4077 doctors are intimidated by his size and reputation.

As leaders we are often confronted by various forms of opposition that can seem overwhelming and intimidating at first appearances.  One doesn’t have to stand in a boxing ring to feel like you are going a couple of rounds with a sparring partner.  The kinds of fights confronting leaders are usually in the form of criticism, conflicting agendas, personality clashes, or unrealistic expectations.  These battles that seem so overwhelming at first can be right sized when given a bit of perspective:  “The battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam 17:47), “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zech 4:6), “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph 6:12).  As a Christian leader I have the knowledge that the battle is not mine and that God’s wisdom and strength empowers me to overcome!

Dealing With Crisis

Episode 2:  To Market, To Market

Hawkeye: Don’t confuse me I can only handle one catastrophe at a time

Trying to meet a deadline for secretly delivering Colonel Blake’s antique desk to the black market, in exchange for essential medicine, Hawkeye and Trapper become locked in the Colonel’s office.  Hawkeye is faced with multiple crisis of getting out of the office, delaying the chopper and the risk of getting caught!

Crisis has the ability to bring out the best and worst in leaders.   It is relatively easy to lead in the calm when everything makes sense, but in the midst of a crisis when confusion reigns, that is when the true value of leadership is revealed.  A leader needs to be able to maintain clarity of thought to effectively navigate an individual or organization through crisis.  To have clarity of thought during crisis depends upon having a clear understanding of your vision and values before the crisis occurs. Vision and values provide the foundation upon which a leader can confidently make the right decisions and give appropriate direction, especially when faced with opposition.  Having a clear reference point during periods of crisis in my ministry has empowered me to stay the course and not allow conflicting agendas derail the mission of the church I am leading.