Courage Under Fire: Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom
Bryan Roark Faith based Leadership and Mentoring towards Excellence!!! September 24, 2024 Leadership isn’t about rank—it’s about action. When the stakes are high, and every second counts, true leaders step up, even when it means breaking the norm. 🚁 On the battlefield, I had to make a choice: follow protocol or save a life. The decision was clear. 💪 In business, the same principle applies: when things get tough, leaders rise above the noise and act decisively. It’s not about being in charge—it’s about taking charge. Leadership is often defined by moments of high-stakes decision-making, where time is short, emotions run high, and the consequences are real. I’ve spent more than 30 years in business and leadership, but one of the most formative leadership experiences of my life happened long before I ever set foot in a boardroom. It happened in the desert, in the midst of a military training exercise, preparing for what would later become Operation Desert Storm. As a combat medic attached to a Tanker unit, it was my responsibility to oversee the health and safety of our soldiers during these grueling exercises. On one particular day, everything changed in an instant. We were running a high-intensity drill to simulate battle conditions. The air was thick with dust and the roar of tanks moving into position echoed across the desert. Then, in the blink of an eye, a tank operator overzealously charged a berm. His speed and angle were off, and the tank hit the berm hard, tossing two soldiers from the vehicle. The operator himself slammed his head against the top of his hatch, rendering the tank useless and leaving three soldiers injured. Being the lead combat medic, my team and I were first on the scene. As we approached the wreck, I assessed the situation quickly. One soldier had minor injuries, another was bruised and disoriented, but the tank operator was in serious trouble. His condition was critical. He was severely dehydrated and drifting in and out of consciousness. Time was not on our side. I immediately began treating him and triaging the others.