When the Going gets Rough...

Teddy Roosevelt's famous saying about "when the going gets rough, the rough get going" isn't really true these days. Nowadays when the going gets rough, everybody leaves. Exit Tim Pawlenty from the Presidential race. That lasted a while. Not. No staying power.

Politics isn't for the faint of heart. The media will destroy you, the constituency will chew you up and spit you out, your email and telephone will be jammed everytime you do anything whether good or bad. Reporters and the opposition will be snooping through your garbage and your past hoping to find something stinky they can use against you. You'll be slammed with a bad reputation and everything you say will be twisted into lies. But if you are a leader, you'll fight your way through it. Because the world is a tough place and true leaders need to be strong enough to lead.

A few days ago an old friend thanked me for being a leader at our old workplace. She said it made going to work tolerable and even fun. I almost cried. She mentioend that after I left things got ugly, and the leadership went into control and dominance rather than real leadership. What once was a safe work environment where someone stood up for the employees, it became unfriendly and in constant upheaval.

That same thing happens when our state and national leaders go for power instead of the welfare of the people. It takes special leaders to stand their ground in the face of intimidation, lies, and even pure evil. It takes men and women of action and integrity to see the needs of America and fight for them. When the going gets rough, will anyone get going, or will they all bow out?