
Kaep-tain America
Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.
Colin Kaepernick is one of the greatest modern leaders we have. It’s been over two years since he used his platform and took a kneel to protest against oppression and inequality, mainly as a result of police brutality.
Much of leadership is about leading by example, so in this blog, I’ll share three principles we can learn to appreciate and hopefully embody as a result of Kaepernick’s leadership.
1) Sacrifice.
Let’s not lie, for many of us, if somebody said to us that; in exchange for political influence and power you have to give up your well-paying job, career and passion that you’ve been training most of your life for, won’t be allowed to work within your industry ever again and you’ll receive hatred from plenty of people including your nation’s leader; we wouldn’t be inclined to take the opportunity.
That’s what sets Colin Kaepernick aside from most leaders, he’s willing to pay the personal cost to ensure the unified cause moves forward. Many people have ideas, concepts and hope to make things better, but aren’t willing to pay the cost to make them happen.
Having made sacrifices myself, it’s not easy but I understand that unless the cost is paid, I can’t afford to lead.
2) Pick a side (or cause)
Here’s a quote from Captain America in the Avengers:
“Doesn’t matter what the press says. Doesn’t matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn’t matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — “No, you move.”
Standing for something bigger than you is important. Whether it’s a business, charity or cause; people need to know where you stand so they can decide whether they stand with you or against you. It gives you all something to fight for and to improve. It gives you as much clarity as it will give you critics. It gives you something to make the stress and the suffering that are inevitable, worthwhile.
My side is love and my causes are education and leadership. It’s my personal job to ensure that love, with regards to education and leadership, in particular, are advocated for, improved and defended.
3) Don’t talk about it, be about it.
Kaepernick set up a foundation, program and a pledge to embody the beliefs and actions he felt others shared.
In this day and age, a lot of people have opinions, ideas and wishlists, often without evidence of personal investment or sacrifice. What makes Colin Kaepernick different is that he had a problem with America that he wanted to solve and proactively went about doing something to provide a solution.
Setting up Elliott Shepherds was my answer to a society suffering from a leadership vacuum, education not being personalised, modern and adaptable and not enough people knowing their purpose and how to develop it. As I become a certified manager and teacher, I am proof of my desire to truly understand how leadership and teaching can impact society and people’s lives.
I didn’t want to simply talk about the problems, create solutions and tools and not actually see any of them through. Hope is hard; building anything is difficult but when you have a cause that you believe in, you have to remember that you can’t spell ‘believe’ without ‘be’ and ‘live’. Which means you have to embody your cause and live it truthfully.
Start today, either embodying or planning to find a cause that you truly believe in. I love it when I hear of the causes my clients contribute to or want to start. There’s many of us who do want to do better and are doing so, but we can’t do it on our own if we’re trying to do it for everyone.
Colin Kaepernick’s foundation: http://kaepernick7.com/

