“You can accomplish anything if you do not care who gets the credit or the blame.” This was my enhanced version of former Commander-in-Chief, Harry S. Truman’s famous quote. As General of the Invisible Army I needed an all-encompassing tagline to motivate and hold all my solders accountable. To share some background, the Invisible Army was formed out of necessity as I did not have enough friends to fill all the roles and responsibilities needed to conquer all formidable enemy combatants. As such, I created the Invisible Army with my imagination to address any holes in the rank and file.
One Saturday morning my father engaged me to inquire what was going on after hearing a lot of noise. I was a little annoyed that I had to stop my advancement on the battlefield, to reply, “I am General of the Invisible Army and we are launching an attack.” My father commented that the title Invisible Army was creative, then asked, “How did you think of it?” If I would have rolled my eyes any harder they would have likely popped out of my head. I thought, “I hope that was not a legitimate question, for someone who considers themselves erudite that type of question will make others seriously doubt your intellect.” Moving past my annoyance, I shared the background and mission of the Invisible Army. My father told me to continue to have fun but cautioned me on becoming overly passionate about the Invisible Army. The reality was I was not listening to him nor would I have heeded his caution as the General of the Invisible Army did not take unsolicited advice from a civilian.
That evening I had a dream in which I had a calling to take the Invisible Army to a Target in Des Moines, Iowa. I did not know where Des Moines, Iowa was, but I subconsciously knew it existed and therefore it had to be relevant. While I ate breakfast I asked my father, “Can we please go to Target in Des Moines, Iowa?” To which he replied, “That is a super random request, why do you want to go there?” “I had a vision last night that I must take the Invisible Army there,” I shared. “So you are supposed to go to Target in Des Moines, Iowa; then what?” my father inquired. Sensing the progression of the conversation had stalled I decided to modify my request to at least position myself to do some reconnaissance of a Target so I asked, “Well can we go to Target here?” “Sure, we can cruise the aisles and make some impulse buys”, my father replied.
When we arrived at Target I commandeered a shopping cart, naturally turning it into an imaginative tank. I whipped the shopping cart around the aisles following my father. Admittedly, I became a little overzealous while piloting my “tank” through the aisles and rammed my father forcefully in the back of his legs. I thought, “My only saving grace is that we are in public. My dad won’t put on a full display of his anger in Target.” Thankfully, I was right and he angrily whispered his dissatisfaction with me and told me to be more carefully. However, I dismissed the warning as just “noise”. My father instructed me to take the cart ahead of him and lead the way. Rather than debate who should be issuing orders, (the General of the Invisible Army vs. a commoner) I just went with it.
I quickly slipped back into my imaginative adventure leading the Invisible Army. I began pushing the cart as hard as I could, and then I would jump on the back of the cart to ride the momentum I had created. It was all fun and games until I attempted to set my own personnel speed record and lost control of the cart, ultimately crashing into a display of Energizer batteries in the aisle. “Don’t panic”, I thought. I turned and could see my father burying his face in his hands, followed by a growl that rivaled a Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex). A store employee and my dad met me about the same time. The employee was quick to express his displeasure with my actions.
Under immense pressure I thought of the quote in the opening paragraph. Suddenly, I knew how to handle this situation thinking, “I am just going to own this mistake (taking the blame); and buildup my father as a great dad (giving him credit).” As my father was trying to placate the employee I jumped into the conversation, “I am going to fall on my sword on this one. I did it and I will take the blame. My dad is a great father, and has taught me to take ownership when I do something wrong. He will hold me accountable.” “Are you trying to play mind games?” my father replied rhetorically. He explored that thought further, “There is no doubt that you were the culprit. Additionally, the accolades for being a good father are misplaced as a good father would not have allowed his son take part in an activity that could lead his son to torpedo a store display.”
“Dad, this is some deep stuff and I like that you are throwing in some military language to stay on theme. This is healthy to get off your chest, keep going” I commented. The store employee could not decipher our peculiar exchange and was utterly confused. To get himself out of this awkward encounter he requested we just pick up the batteries that had been displaced. When we were alone, I said, “Did you see what I just showcased there? Leadership! I gave you the credit and I took the blame and we didn’t get in trouble.” To which he replied, “Yeahhh, we are going to need to continue to refine your applied understanding of your favorite quote because whatever that was, it was not leadership.” Taken back by his comments I stated, “I am not going to lie. I am not really eager to jump on the next grenade for you.”
It was evident he did not fully understand the quote as I obviously led us out of a precarious position by taking the blame, there-go mission accomplished. Feeling frustrated I declared I am embracing a new battle cry that even his simple mind could understand: “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” “That is a nice reference to General George S. Patton”, he replied. I was baffled, thinking “Dad, I just made that up in real-time; you cannot give the credit to someone else.” Since my father gave credence to the quote, I built on that, “Are you leading or following right now Dad?” My father was unprepared for my question and an awkward silence ensued. “I recommend we move along then.” What I really wanted to say loudly was, “That is right, fall in-line soldier.” Nonetheless a good leader knows when to take small wins and move forward. My career prospects continue to expand on a daily basis but General which will inevitably lead to the role as Commander-in-Chief could be a strong long-term contender.