The photo-op that will live in infamy. Bush’s proclamation of ‘Mission Accomplished’ proved to be anything but, providing a searing snapshot of hubris, ineptitude, arrogance and confusing platitudes with action. Coupled with the selfless, heroic nature of our soldiers (and their willingness to run through whatever wall their mission points them to), this became a recipe for the pointless loss of life focused on the wrong enemy.
Flash forward to some great comments last night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno by Chris Matthews of ‘Hardball with Chris Matthews.’
In talking about the imperative of the electorate in choosing the next president, he stated that we have to hold our candidate of choice to a higher standard (than Bush) by asking in an honest, challenging fashion, “Are you giving these guys (i.e., our military) the right mission?”
Lest no one die in vain, or worse, for the vanity of others.
When you think about it, in the larger scheme of things the concept of accomplishing the ‘right mission’ is as much a product of clear DEFINITION as it is one of execution.
Moral of the story: be it in your personal life, your career pursuits or the measuring stick by which you judge the performance/leadership of others, having clarity of what’s the mission, and whether it is the RIGHT one is a picture worth keeping in your pocket at all times.
Related Links:
- Hold a Picture in your Pocket: Cognitive dissonance and manifesting change.
- On Intellectual Honesty: See things as they really are; act on that knowledge.
