My Heroes! Two Indians, two judo guys, two presidents & one senator

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Erich and I have different opinions sometimes. In his podcast on Dakota values, he says that there isn't any one that is more important than the others, that each of the traditional values - courage, honesty, persistence/fortitude and generosity - is most important in certain circumstances.

Personally, two of those seem to be more needed by leaders. When I consider three men who I see as role models, values that particularly stand out are courage and persistence. Erich is an extremely courageous person. Most recently, he has taken a strong stand against the Fighting Sioux logo. This has certainly cost the company some business, resulted in a lot of hate mail directed toward Erich personally and strained relationships between Erich and some of his friends and relatives.

Three of the biggest role models in my striving to be a leader are two Indians and two Olympic athletes in judo. If you think two plus two equals four, read on...

Three and a half years ago, I was elected to the Board of Directors and as vice-president of the United States Judo Association. Six months ago, when the president resigned, I became president. Facing difficult decisions, Erich's example has been a model for me. Recently, I was faced with some decisions and some well-meaning advisors suggested that I not do anything, delay until after the next election so as not to alienate any potential voters. Thinking of Erich, I said,

"You know, gentlemen, only doing the right thing when no risk is involved doesn't take a lot of courage. Where you really show your character is when you do the right thing even when you know there will be repercusssions. You know people will stop speaking to you, block you from getting positions or promotions you deserve, vote against you, oppose any ideas you have. When you really show your courage is when you fight on even knowing you might lose."

Persistence. It doesn't take that much to be courageous on one day. I've been married three times. My first marriage ended in divorce when I was 25, after six years of marriage. My second husband died shortly after our tenth anniversary, and I am still married to my third husband. Almost twenty-eight years of marriage to three different men gives me some basis for opinion on what is a real man. And, as one of my daughters says,

"Believe me, Mom is just brimming with opinions."
I'm not too impressed by the man who is willing to get in a fight in a bar to 'defend my honor' if he isn't just as willing to get up and go to work every morning to feed our kids. First of all, if you are getting in a fight in a bar, you are probably drunk, but that is a whole different issue.

Ben Nighthorse Campbell, before he was the first Native American elected to the U.S. Senate was on the U.S. Olympic judo team. He was a member of the board of the United States Judo Association, the same board I am on now. He published a book on drill training. With all of his qualifications, he should have been the next Olympic coach and due to some political deals, someone else ended up being the coach instead of him. Think about this a moment - here is a person who has spent most of his life dedicated to something. He made the Olympic team. He competed around the world. He was elected to the national board of directors and a public author. He has been really unfairly treated and lost out for political reasons for a job he should have had. He had a number of choices at this point. He could have sued to try to become coach. He could have accepted that he was treated unfairly and gone on as if nothing happened. He could have stayed around and bad-mouthed and tried to undermine the people who had ousted him. Senator Campbell did none of those things. He walked around and applied his considerable talents to other areas. He became successful in business, ran for the House of Representatives, was elected, ran for the Senate, was elected and served many years. One day, when an attacker came at Senator Quentin Burdick, Senator Nighthorse Campbell used his judo skills to take down the man and protect his fellow senator. Persistence AND courage.

When I get faced with difficult decisions, I think of Senator Campbell and how even though he lost out in the small world of judo politics he had a brilliant career. As for whoever got the position of Olympic coach that year -- who knows? My point is that some of the fights we get caught up in our SO small and petty. We can be like Senator Nighthorse Campbell, just step away and go on to do something more meaningful.
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Finally, one of Campbell's teammates back on that judo team, Jim Bregman, was President of the United States Judo Association a few years before me. I called him to get his membership number for a form I needed to complete. He said, "20".   My daughter, who joined six years ago, has membership number 345,871 . So, Jim has been with this organization since the beginning. When I took over as president he advised,

"Don't let the ducks bite you to death."

Jim was a member when the organization started, then, like Senator Campbell, he want on to other things. He had a very successful career in the Department of the Interior, but when the USJA fell on very hard times, he was called out of retirement by his former colleagues. When he took over as president, the organization was $600,000 in debt. Today, and for the last few years, we have been in the black. The same thing happened with him as I saw happen with another president, Cankdeska Cikana Community College president, Dr. Erich Longie. Both brought major financial improvement to their organizations. Both dedicated a good bit of their lives to making their organizations better. Both ended up resigning in disputes with boards.

Depressing? No. Because, like Senator Campbell, both went on to be successful in other ways. Erich founded Spirit Lake Consulting, an extremely successful business that continues to make a difference on the reservations to this day. Jim ran for the board again, with a new slate, and recruited people like me to be on the executive committee. He epitomizes the quote by Walter Lipmann,
The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and will to carry on.
Jim did that. Ben Campbell did that. Erich has done that.

Persistence. As a leader, you must have the courage to make the hard decisions. Even if you fail, your example will lead others to follow your example. And that, I agree, is the true test of leadership.

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