Leading By Doing What We Can
I recently saw an old episode of “In the Heat of the Night.” In the episode, Althea Tibbs (Anne-Marie Johnson) was speaking to police chief William “Bill” Gillespie (Carroll O’Connor). Althea was referring to her wanting to adopt two children who had lost both of their parents. Chief Gillespie commented how tough the process was going to be. Althea said, “You do what you can. You start where you are.” This is a pretty powerful statement. This really is quite a mantra. It reminds us that it is important to recognize our current situation and resources, rather than waiting for perfect conditions or more abilities.
It encourages taking action with what is available to us right now, rather than feeling overwhelmed or stuck by limitations. It is about making progress from our current position or situation, no matter how small, and understanding that every step forward counts. This all closely related to what I am reading in The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933–1945. Author of this great book, Joseph Loconte wrote in reference to the characters of The Lord of the Rings, “The story is made even more realistic because the quest is undertaken by those who seem least likely to succeed, people all too familiar to us. Thus, the consequence of failure presses upon us at a personal and emotional level” (Loconte, p. 227). When I reflect on this I think about all the quests I’ve undertaken where I probably seemed least likely to succeed, but did anyway. I’ll bet you have stories like that too.
In The Lord of the Rings Elrond said, “This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong.” Elrond went on to say, “Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere” (Tolkien, p. 262). We must all do what we can and start where we are.
As I relate this to leadership I am reminded that effective leadership involves demonstrating resilience by moving forward despite limitations, inspiring our teams and those we serve to stay proactive and resilient. It also entails embracing continuous learning, recognizing that perfection isn’t necessary from the outset. We need to use every experience as an opportunity to grow and improve.
Byron's Babbles 
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