I have lived a charmed existence mostly, one in which others saw something in me they thought worthy of nourishing and mentoring, something which I did not see or feel myself. Some of them were really extraordinary, visionary leaders, without any qualifiers put on that definition. You can always sense when you are in the company of one. Those real leaders can help us overcome our own shortcomings, our complacency, our individual selfishness, our weakness and deepest fears (especially of failure); and lead us to accomplish better things than we could do were we not in their presence. They inspire us to excel, to try harder by their unspoken life example, their charisma and confidence. Their company and attitude is infectious, and contagious. You want to excel in their presence. Leadership is a quality that is difficult to put a finite definition on, but when you are around it you most certainly recognize it, perhaps in a very subliminal way. It has nothing to do with social status, authority, or rank, something anyone who has been in the military can tell you.

More stripes on a uniform or stars on a shoulder do not make leaders. But there are those in the field that you intrinsically are drawn to and wiling to follow into the gates of hell. You know who they are when you are around them. They are not necessarily higher rank than you, but men follow their lead without hesitation when things get hot. Universally I have found them humble, eager to applaud your successes, which often it seems in retrospect, you would not have been achieved without their facilitation or guidance.

Leadership is an interesting topic, and few agree on what it actually is. To some it is just a person that can get others to accomplish a task. If you have read this far you know I am not a believer in that school of thought. I am not even sure that it can be taught, though books abound on the subject of leadership. I am however sure, that certain principles of leadership can be applied by those of use without the natural charisma that inspires others, and to that end I still aspire to learn more about being one. OCF, if it is ever to be truly extraordinary, needs volunteers, people vested in the cause, people motivated to help others behind them on this path, and so much more. Without leadership those people will not participate, and without them, OCF will not be the vehicle of change that I always have hoped it would be.

Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.