Guts and Glory

White fabric folds

You’ve probably heard the saying, “no guts, no glory”. Well, I want to talk a bit about “glory”. In the organizational wild™ of which I write, this glory looks a bit different than you might think. Glory isn’t in the competitive win. It is not in the profits and power produced by the game of life and ascending the organizational ladder. For those of you whose paths have taken you higher and higher, and blessed you with more and more—if you’re honest with your deepest self—you know that there’s no real and lasting glory here. My protagonist—The Elephant Hunter—will be the first to tell you that it doesn’t take guts to get this kind of so-called reward. No, true guts are required to speak what needs to be said for the good of the many, when it’s uncomfortable for the one—for you—and the one(s) with the glaring blind spot(s).

It takes guts to not enable dysfunction. It takes guts to compassionately challenge the status quo, so your organization can learn and grow. It takes guts to go for the glory of all, not just the few, or the one. It’s hard to do and never well received at first. But this effort is for lasting glory, not a short term high. It is a daily joy that relieves burdens, shares effort, and compounds insights into brighter futures with unlimited possibilities. I write of these adventures in the fictional form of deep metaphor and immersive adventure, but this kind of guts and the resulting glory can be readily found if you look around. Every organization has Elephant Hunter Novitiates™ observing from the sidelines, just waiting for their transformation adventures to begin!

To learn more about the upcoming Elephant Hunter Book Series and Book 1: The Elephant Hunter, Speaking Truth in Organizations, subscribe to my newsletter for updates and sneak peeks!