How To Make The Best Plans and Master The Moment
You know a good speaker when you see one.
But are you one?
Do you ever wonder exactly why a speech can be so good? It can bring shivers down your back. It can inspire you to change the world. Sometimes it can be as simple as provoking the feeling that you aren’t alone. Everyday I have the opportunity to speak in public or watch someone else do it. I am fascinated by those who do this so well so I try to study and emulate them.
More people fear public speaking over death for example. It is frequently ranked as the #1 fear for people as a matter of fact. With so much fear attached to public speaking, often people shy away from trying to better themselves at it. As Flannery O’Connor put it, “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” As it a good speech. I have a long way to become a good orator.
Winston Churchill noted that in each speech,
“There must be character, personality, delivery and occasion,…”
As in all things in life, Sir Winston. Thank you.
I like keeping things simple in life so there are two attributes that can be applied to about anything in life, especially speech: Planning and Delivery.
Let us study two of my heroes of speech and rhetoric.
PLANNING: Churchill’s “Our Finest Hour” Speech
Churchill grew up with a lisp and had to overcome incredible odds to become the speaker we know him as today. He was known early on in his political career as a rambler but over the decades, he transformed into a master of public speaking. How did he do it? Churchill would often say that for every minute in a speech one should prepare an hour. His work ethic was untouchable and it helped eventually him do best what was needed in the moment. In Churchill’s preparation, he knew that his pause was his secret weapon. By intense planning, he knew when to best use the pause. Churchill has given thousands of speeches that you will neither hear nor read in life but if you could only read one, read his amazing “Our Finest Hour” speech. Whenever you feel down and frustrated by life’s circumstances, it will uplift your spirit. If you are in that Dunkirk point of life in retreat as the Allies were; learn from the Brits and regroup, reassess, and get back in the game. You can read the full speech here.
“Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’”
DELIVERY: FDR’s Message to Congress after Pearl Harbor
Draft #1: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in ‘world history’….”
Following the sudden and deliberate attack on the United States, FDR knew this was a moment to capture emotion and reason so in his final draft he changed ‘world history’ to ‘infamy.’ Read the original version a few times and you realize that it doesn’t fully embrace the magnitude of what happened at Pearl Harbor. It is now one of the most famous opening speech lines ever. Can you imagine trying to describe the emotion of a nation on the fly like FDR? He mastered the moment and a nation became united and galvanized for war.
What does this mean to you?
Part of your planning must be to anticipate the moments that could come. You must plan for the moment in the same way that you planned how to get there. Over my years as a history student, I studied Churchill and FDR extensively. Today, I become discouraged occasionally and think, “I can’t do it like them. I am not even in a position of ultimate leadership that would require this sort of planning and skill.” But I then realize that I am wrong. My team, which includes my family, look to me daily to master these skills of planning and mastering the moment.
Remember that yes you can do it.
Keep it simple. Plan, and plan for the moment.
9/11 and the Pipe Dream Drive to Work
In a few short weeks we approach the anniversary of a tragedy that most of you reading this remember well.
I didn’t know anyone directly who perished on 9/11. I still feel for them and pray for their families. I pray that I am living better because of what we have learned from that day. I now am married and have two little girls and when the time is right, I will share what happened on that fateful day and what we all have learned from it. My parents had shared where they were when hearing that JFK was assassinated and their parent’s experience when hearing about Pearl Harbor being attacked. Each generation had its defining moments. In my early 20s, I wondered if my generation would have that kind of moment. Before 9/11 I remember vividly the following events; The Challenging exploding in 1986, Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Black Hawk Down in 1993 (occurred on my birthday), and yes even Bill Clinton’s speech acknowledging his indiscretions with Monica Lewinsky.
I had only been working in my new job out of college for a few months when the 9/11 attack happened. My routine each day was a 10 mile drive toward downtown St. Louis. My routine was filled with two cups of coffee, one at home, one for the ride to work and I would listen to talk radio. On 9/11 the routine was broken. My car had broken down the day before so I borrowed my parent’s car. Instead of the daily radio talk, I put in Travis’ new album The Invisible Band and listened. Perhaps nothing for anyone was routine following 9/11. I would have listened to the live reporting of the attack on my drive in but instead was in some other world. I learned immediately when I entered the door at work from a colleague that planes had hit the towers. We had a person from our New York office visiting us that day and she was emotionally distraught not knowing if her loved ones were okay (She learned later that they were).
The next morning, I took a look at lyrics from one of my favorite songs on that album that I listened to that fateful drive to work. It was the song, Pipe Dreams.
I read it all, every word
And I still don’t understand a thing
What had you heard?
What had you heard?
Very few things were ordinary about 9/11. What had you heard on that day?
The day after 9/11, I like many still went to work. No music today as I paid close attention to the talk radio. It was full of fear, confusion, sadness, full of messages about economic demise, and anger.
My office was a half a mile down the street from the UPS central depot in St. Louis. If I was just a little late getting to work, I would be stopped by the trucks leaving for their daily delivery route. On the normal day, I would have been extremely annoyed if getting caught by these trucks.
On 9/12, I was stopped by those UPS delivery trucks. I sat in my car cheering for 30 UPS trucks leaving their depot. I was not alone and saw several others doing the same. Were we cheering for giving terrorists the finger and that economically we would not slow down? Not really. It felt more like a symbolic way that people were willing to keep moving forward even after being knocked down.
Ask any boxer about this feeling. You get hit. You get knocked down. You get back up and fight.
My responsibility as a human being living during such a tumultuous period is to share the lessons we have learned. I wonder how we will remember 9/11, 50 years from now? Unfortunately events like these could probably happen again in some fashion. My daughters’ generation will have defining moments but may they learn from 9/11, JFK, and Pearl Harbor an important lesson I learned as well as my parents.
We must keep going forward.
After D-Day…
After D-Day, it wasn’t over. It took the Allies over a month to finally break through inland.
General Dwight Eisenhower, then Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, wrote two letters to release the morning of June 7th. Thank God he didn’t have to finish this letter and but send a report of initial victory.
Prior to the invasion, he gave this encouragement knowing well that this was just the beginning.
“Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.”
You can read his full inspiring message here.
In life we have to keep pushing to the end. The enemy is strong and with God’s help we will achieve victory.
After you secure the beachhead, keep moving forward. You’re not alone.
When the Bullets Start Flying…
Any military commander who has stepped foot on a battlefield will probably attest that whatever plan they originally had didn’t exactly happen as expected.
As in the case of some brave Navy Seals in Pakistan, their Black Hawk helicopter had mechanical problems when landing at their target. Did they stop and complain about it? I don’t think so but I bet there was a four letter word or two thrown out to describe how they felt. They had a window of opportunity and needed to move forward. They ultimately adapted to the situation, achieved their goal, and destroyed what was left of their damaged Black Hawk. They moved forward.
In the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) (Episode 7), Easy Company is assaults a town of Foy. The company got caught in mortar fire because they stopped moving. Bullets were flying. They were incapacitated. It wasn’t until they started moving again that they were able to achieve their goal and take the town. It wasn’t easy though and it took brave people willing to step out to move the company forward.
Life is not that much different.
- You didn’t get that job you wanted.
- You got cut in a layoff.
- You got that B instead of an A in a class that kept you from making honor roll.
- You suffered an injury losing out on that sports dream.
- You got cut from the basketball team.
- You lost a loved one.
- You are a parent and your child’s makes a poor choice.
- Your business didn’t perform well this year.
Remember the Frostbite, Remember The Battle of the Bulge
Most of the nation has entered a freeze. Blizzards have overtaken us in parts of the midwest and northeast. Schools have closed. People are stuck and can’t move.
Yeah, I’m ready for spring just like you.
My father reminded me about my grandfather who fought (and was wounded) at The Battle of the Bulge. This was the largest battle of World War II and was the Hitler’s last chance to save the war. The allied victory sealed the German’s fate. There were 80,987 official American casualties (19,000 dead) and the majority of them happened in the first three days of battle. It was even worse for the Germans.
All of this happened in a deep European freeze. The weather was much like what we are encountering this week. On top of that most of the troops didn’t have any of their winter gear so they were left with normal uniforms without gloves and other essentials. Meanwhile, they were being attacked by hundreds of thousands.
You can read about the details of the battle here. You also get a good glimpse of the battle portrayed in movies like Battle of the Bulge (1965), Patton (1970), and the Bastogne episode of the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001).
When I hear people complain about the weather in the winter, I think about my grandfather Branch and the many others who endured this battle. It also makes me remember that our soldiers are currently fighting in weather like this in Afghanistan.
Remember who fought in the real cold for us. We are free because of them.
Remember the Frostbite
Shaking Hands with the Enemy
Imagine crashing in the ocean in a B-24. You drift thousands of miles with two others for weeks. Sharks try to eat you. You are strafed (shot at) by the enemy. On top of that you are captured by the Japanese. Nonstop torture ensues for two years. When the war ends in 1945 you are released and lose half your body weight due to being starved and beaten.
5 years later…
Read this scene after the person, Louie Zamperini, who endured what I described above revisits his POW camp in Japan.
“Before Louie left Sugamo (the prison), the colonel who was attending him asked Louie’s former guards to come forward. In the back of the room, the prisoners stood up and shuffled into the aisle. They moved hesitantly, looking up at Louie with small faces.
Louie was seized by childlike, giddy exuberance. Before he realized what he was doing, he was bounding down the aisle. In bewilderment, the men who had abused him watched him come to them, his hands extended, a radiant smile on his face.” – excerpted from Unbroken copyright 2010 by Laura Hillenbrand.
After I read this I couldn’t believe his reaction.
He shook hands with the enemy.
What Zamperini experienced was beyond what anyone should endure. And what did he do?
He extended his hand.
He forgave.
Grace appeared and Jesus is revealed in his story. Let us take notice. It is beautiful.
Leadership Learnings from Veterans
You had to have been hiding under a rock or not care to notice but this past week a big election occurred here in the United Staes. However you feel about the outcome there is no doubt that there were clear priorities set forth by politicians. You heard about the economy and tea, health care and death panels, as well as immigration and Mexican drug lords.
What you didn’t hear much about is that there are still troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan not to mention a presence in areas like Germany, South Korea, Okinawa, or Guantanamo Bay.
Why do we forget so quickly? Let us honor the military by studying what works so well for them so we can find ways to solve problems in our own unique situations.
I recently picked up a copy of the Harvard Business Review primarily because of the cover story about “Leadership Lessons from The Military”. Here are the key learnings:
According to a 2009 Gallup poll, 82% of respondents expressed “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the military, whereas only 16% expressed confidence in big business. There have been some tremendous leaders in our history that came from a military background. Let us not forget Presidents George Washington, Harry Truman, or Dwight Eisenhower and the leadership lessons they gave us based on their military experiences. Of course there have been poor military leaders so we can learn from their mistakes as well. General Petraeus, we are learning from you.
In the article, there were some helpful elements that those church, community and business leaders can utilize to be effective with your teams.
1. Meet the troops: Create a personal link that will be crucial to lead people through challenging times.
2. Make Decisions: Make good and timely calls which will be the crux of responsibility in a leadership position.
3. Focus on Mission: Establish a common purpose, lift up those who will help you achieve it, and eschew personal gain.
4. Convey Strategic Intent: Make the objectives clear, but avoid micromanaging those who will execute on them.
November 11th is Veteran’s Day. What is different about this day? Well the idea is to celebrate and thank those who are still alive but have served. It was originally known as Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I. It is different than Memorial Day because we have the chance to honor these people in person. There are over 23 million veterans of the US Military so plenty to honor.
What will you do to honor veterans this week?
*I am giving out 2 signed copies of The American Patriot’s Almanac. I am looking for unique ways that you all are honoring veterans so it is a bit subjective. For full disclosure, I have worked on the promotions in the past for this book and with Bill Bennett and John Cribb who compiled it. I would also like to share your stories with them. The authors have graciously signed copies for veterans within Thomas Nelson.
To learn more about Veteran’s Day, here is an excerpt from The American Patriot’s Almanac (2010) by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb.
In the early morning hours Of November 11, 1918, representatives of France, Britain, and Germany met in a railroad car near Compiègne, France, to sign an armistice ending World War I, or the Great War, as it was known at that time. The cease-fire took effect at 11:00 a.m. that day—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Up and down the trenches, after four long years of the most horrific fighting the world had yet known, the guns fell silent. “The roar stopped like a motor car hitting a wall,” one U.S. soldier wrote to his family. Soldiers on both sides slowly climbed out of the earthworks. Some danced; some cheered; some cried for joy; some stood numbed. The Great War had left some 9 million soldiers dead and another 21 million wounded. No one knows how many millions of civilians died. Much of Europe lay in ruins. But finally, with the armistice, it was “all quiet on the Western Front.”
For many years November 11 was known as Armistice Day to honor those who fought in World War I. In 1954 Congress changed the name to Veterans Day to recognize all American veterans.
Every November 11 at 11:00 a.m., the nation pays tribute to its war dead with the laying of a presidential wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, D.C.
But Veterans Day honors more than the dead. Memorial Day, observed in May, is for remembering soldiers who lost their lives in the service of their country. Veterans Day is set aside to honor and thank all who have served in the U.S. armed forces—particularly our 23 million living veterans.
What are you dying for?
Recently I watched the movie Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, and Eddie Izzard. If you don’t know much about the story, there have been detailed and exciting documentaries on the subject but it short, it is about the plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944 by Germans. Tom Cruise plays the lead character Claus Von Stauffenberg who led the failed assassination. Brilliantly directed by Bryan Singer (Superman Returns, The Usual Suspects), the story comes to life in Hollywood style. The movie is quite underrated primarily because it was written off by viewers because it featured Tom Cruise during the period of his freak out in the media. I was intrigued by the story.
The movie got me thinking about the tremendous sacrifice in the story led by these brave Germans in the face of evil. Americans in particular tend to think of all Germans living in 1930s and 1940s Germany as “Nazis” but it is so far from the truth. There was brave people throughout all of Germany who who fought openly behind the scenes against the Nazis. One of them was the great German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I have been reading a biography on him, Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes. Metaxes previously had wrote the story Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce fighting to end the British slave trade. Metaxes understands great sacrifice in his stories and with Bonhoeffer, it was about the role of the church in the face of evil. I am of German descent so my passion is to learn more about these people and honor their lives.
I can’t believe I am m quoting Braveheart but this line is so powerful and to the point: “Every man dies, it’s just a question of how and why.”
The question kept popping up in my head, what am I dying for?
I began to think about those before me who have made such immense sacrifice. Some that came to mind: Martin Luther King, Jr. died for the injustice and suffering of the African American people, Claus Von Stauffenberg and others in the Valkyrie conspiracy died to save Germany, Bonhoeffer died to save his country and the message of his King, Jesus, Lt. Mike Murphy died “for the men next to him” in Afghanistan, Nelson Mandela stood up to fight the injustice of apartheid while forgiving those in it, and Jesus died for all of us and all of it.
Then there are those close to me that have been tremendous examples.
In high school, my cousin Carolyn overheard some other kids talking about “blowing and shooting up the school.” This was in years following Columbine so things like this was not to be played around with at schools especially then. She risked her reputation to make sure kids are protected.
When I was 18, my father took a week off work to join me and friends hiking in Colorado. His boss could not reach him by phone during that period and he was let go a couple months later because his boss didn’t feel that he was “committed” enough. My father sacrificed for me and our relationship.
For justice. For country. For a friend. For a son. To just “do the right thing.” All in the name of love.
But…
I need to die for something?
Well, it may not mean you actually dying but what in this short life are you “risking”? I’m challenged to figure out what this means to me. I may never encounter a situation of having to stand up to a “Hitler” or a “Terrorist.” But I know I need to “risk” in order to “live.”
Okay back to Braveheart: “Every man dies, not every man really lives.”
For me, this has been a time to engage with my two little girls and my wife and play less golf. I used to play everyday until my early twenties. I know that I need to take more out of my leisure time and devote it to helping others, I’m just not sure what exactly. It may also mean that I need to break away from the “traditional” elements of life and embark on the unknown of a career. Lots to pray about as I clearly don’t have all the answers.
What about you?
-Is your business doing something “on the fringe”? You can go about your business as well but you can change the way things are done.
-Do you defend the reputation of someone being misrepresented at work?
-Do you stand up for the kid being bullied in the hall?
-Does your church needs people to work the night of your favorite TV show? God gave us DVR, use it.
-When you drive down the street when you see someone who is genuinely homeless what will you do next time?
Everyday you are approached with a situation involving potential sacrifice. You may not have to die for it but you will have to make the tough decision. It takes courage. It takes faith.
Don’t just “let it be.”
Life is worth sacrifice, always.
PS. I am blessed to work with a tremendous man and author, Max Lucado. In his upcoming book Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference, Max shares this in the opening chapter:
“A few years back, three questions rocked my world. They came from different people in the span of a month. Question 1: Had you been a German Christian during World War II, would you have taken a stand against Hitler? Question 2: Had you lived in the South during the civil rights conflict, would you have taken a stand against racism? Question 3: When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?
I didn’t mind the first two questions. They were hypothetical. I’d like to think I would have taken a stand against Hitler and fought against racism. But those days are gone, and those choices were not mine. But the third question has kept me awake at night. I do live today; so do you. We are given a choice…and opportunity to make a big difference during a difficult time. What if we did? What if we rocked the world with hope? Infiltrated all corners of God’s love and life? What if we followed the example of the Jerusalem church? This tiny sect expanded into a world-changing force. We still drink from their wells and eat from their trees of faith. How did they do it? What can we learn from their priorities and passion?”
It’s about the person next to you
I confess that I am a war movie junkie. I understand why many of you are not.
It is brutal. It frightening. It complex. It’s definitely not a date movie. It usually is not going to make you laugh.
When I was 8, all I wanted to be was a soldier. Until I watched Oliver Stone’s Platoon. God bless my parents in a way for letting me watch that movie. As a parent now, I’m not sure if I’d let my children watch it but if they expressed interest in wanting to know about what real combat is like, at the right time I’d show them movies like The Thin Red Line, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Hamburger Hill, The Hurt Locker, Gettysburg, Glory, Black Hawk Down, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Memphis Belle, Gallipoli , Enemy at the Gates, yes even Braveheart and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I acknowledge that some of these movies could be argued as propaganda or that they over-sensationalize war but they do teach us something to the core about our own lives. And if you think your life isn’t interesting, open your eyes.
We are at war. We always are. We always will be.
In life, if we pay close enough attention to the details, it isn’t that much different. There may not be actual bullets flying over your head but the metaphoric ones can still cripple or kill us from living life the way it’s mean to be lived.
We must stand and fight together.
The Thin Red Line, painted in 1881 by Robert Gibb. Painting showing the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders in battle with Russian cavalry at the Battle of Balaklava 1854.
Here is what I’ve learned in my years of closely observing what most war movies best communicate. I recently read an article in PASTE Magazine reviewing Sebastian Junger’s latest, WAR that got me pretty fired up. I have not read the book yet but the journalist in his review challenged a core piece in the book; glorifying brotherhood in the midst of battle. What if brotherhood in battle is reality? Most people I know in the military who have seen combat do not talk about it much. I can only understand why. But from what I’ve read about war and the movies I’ve seen, there is a theme that exists in all. I’ll explain further.
In the movie Black Hawk Down, Eric Bana’s character “Hoot” shared his perspective on why he does what he does: “When I go home people’ll ask me, ‘Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?’ You know what I’ll say? I won’t say a god**** word. Why? They won’t understand. They won’t understand why we do it. They won’t understand that it’s about the men next to you, and that’s it. That’s all it is.” -Hoot, played by Eric Bana. What a simple way to put it. I highly recommend this movie and how it represents brotherhood as well as the depiction of modern combat. The book was incredibly detailed and written by the talented Mark Bowden, from Webster Groves, MO where I spent my high school years.
If you also saw the recent HBO Miniseries “The Pacific” produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, you witnessed one of the most honest and horrific portrayals of the war in the Pacific in World War II through the eyes of 3 Marines.
Eat your heart out, John Wayne, you won’t see many other movies portray war reality so well. The series predecessor, Band of Brothers, emphasized the role of brotherhood so well in combat but this one was different. There is a critical episode when a core character, Leckie, was taken away from battle to “rest.” In reality, he was placed with other soldiers dealing with what we now know as “post-traumatic stress.” During WWII, my maternal grandfather “Papa Jack” Martin had a difficult assignment at Fort Lee re-training these types of soldiers. I can only imagine what the men he encountered went through. Leckie and the other Marines in the film quickly recognized that the war’s idealism of fighting off imperial Japan was forgotten and it became more about fighting to protect the man next to him.
Memorial Day approaches. We are losing WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Gulf War & Iraq War veterans everyday so if you see one, honor them well. Listen to them. Ask them if they want to share their story. Try to understand what they have experienced. You will appreciate this wonderful nation more. If they don’t want to talk about it, honor that and ask what you can do for them. My father spends a lot of his time volunteering with the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge in St. Louis, Missouri. His father (my grandfather) received a purple heart while fighting in Battle of the Bulge in December, 1944. My dad sees this as his part of honoring “Grandpa Branch” and those many others who fought for us. My father shared a story with me today from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about some WWII veterans in their 90′s recently honored in St. Louis. There are so many still serving today. My cousin Shane and his wife Tiffany have together served 4 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have given much of their 20′s and 30′s to the military. There are so many more like them still protecting us. Honor those who went before us this Memorial Day.
Thoughout life I’ve had several people whom I’ve felt are “the person next to me.” Whether it was my best friends in high school and college when I was in Young Life or today’s amazing men’s small group I’m in, I recognize that we are all never alone if we fight together.
Brooke and I are celebrating our 6th anniversary on this weekend. She is that person next to me when there is calm but also when the bullets start flying. We’ve been reading John and Stasi Eldredge’s Love and War this month. It has helped confirm that especially in marriage, we must rely on each other in this complicated life.
When the bullets of life start flying, who will be by your side? Who is the person next to you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you would also like to share a story about a loved one currently serving in the military or is a veteran, please do so in the comments.
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