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VOLUME 1
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Welcome to The Mark of a Leader monthly E-zine. In the passionate belief that the companies with the most and the best leaders will win in the market, this 'zine will bring you stories and thoughts from leaders in all walks of life. Remember, being a leader is not about being perfect. Leadership is about committing to a never ending journey of self-improvement. Please send us any stories you think our readers would be interested in and, if they are appropriate, we'll include them in a future E-zine. All the best for your leadership success.
To find out more about how The Mark of a Leader will create a sensation at your next conference, please visit our website at www.themarkofaleader.com |
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FEATURE
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QUOTABLE QUOTES Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. Douglas Adams DID YOU KNOW? Colonel Harlan Sanders was broke and 65 years old when his first social security cheque came in for $105. He knew he had to get back to work, and he knew he had only one sellable asset: a chicken recipe. So he traveled America trying to license the use of his recipe to others. Despite literally thousands of rejections, his efforts eventually took off, creating the Kentucky Fried Chicken empire, and making him one of the most recognizable people in advertising history. QUOTABLE QUOTES Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion. Martha Graham |
CHRISTOPHER REEVE 1952 - 2004
Courage is one of the pillars of leadership. The world has known few more courageous people than Christopher Reeve, who died in a coma after going into cardiac arrest on October 10. A moment can change a life, and it certainly did for him. With one accident, on a jump that he and his horse had done hundreds of times before, he went from being a successful Hollywood leading man to being totally dependent on others and a ventilator for survival. How would any of us respond to such a tragedy? Who knows? But his response was remarkable. "I became politically active in high school, protesting the Vietnam War. And when I went to Cornell, I became involved in environmental issues. And then, as an adult, I became involved in First Amendment issues and funding for the arts. And now that I am disabled, of course my main focus is on the quality of life for all disabled people and doing everything I can to help scientists make progress toward cures." Using the same commitment that had guided his successful acting career since he was 16, he set out to lend his name and influence to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. He challenged the medical community's traditional thinking that a cure was not possible. He threw himself into learning everything he could about his challenge and the work and funding being conducted on it. He championed stem cell research, and lobbied both the medical community and the government to promote its support. His vision? Nothing short of a cure. He's been given a lot of credit for raising money and publicity, but one thing that isn't said a lot is how much he motivated scientists. He raised the ambition of the research enterprise by using the word "cure" as opposed to "rehabilitation" or "restoring some function". When he asked me a few weeks after his injury whether there was any therapy that could help, I said yes, he immediately asked how long, and I said seven years. He said, "Well let's make that a goal." So he went to the media and told them, "If we fail, we tried." I think that was his attitude."  He began the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation to raise money for research, served as an executive and sat on many boards to raise money for related causes. Hope got closer with each passing year. After years of four hours of physical therapy a day, Reeve recovered the movement of an index finger, wrist and thumb. It was an inspiration to him, and to those who looked to him for inspiration with their own challenges. |
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QUOTABLE QUOTES Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours. Yogi Berra DID YOU KNOW? In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, "They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run." On July 20, 1969, a few hours after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first, and only, home run. QUOTABLE QUOTES I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter. Winston Churchill |
He gradually regained sensation in parts of his body--notably down the spine, in his left leg, and areas of the left arm. He was ultimately able to take short assisted walks on a special treadmill.
"He never gave up. He told me, 'so many of us able-bodied people are paralyzed in our own lives'. He was not." He continued to work. He wrote a book - Still Me - and continued making films and television programs, including starring in a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. For an actor who had only his facial muscles and voice to work with, his performance was remarkable. In his life, Reeve's body of work included 17 feature films, a dozen TV-movies, and about 150 plays. And of course, his most famous role was that of Superman. 
But what will be the real mark of Christopher Reeve? He will be forever known for his Superman role. But, far more important, he was a beacon of hope for others with disabilities, and for those who sought to help them. "I'm only sorry that he won't be around anymore to benefit from it. He wasn't there just to lend a name; he was there to lead, to step out and challenge the accepted dogma of the time that a paralysis cure was unattainable." Perhaps his good friend Wise Young summed up Christopher Reeve's mark best: "More than anything he taught me the use of two words - cure and hope. We will have a cure. That will be his legacy." Reeve himself said, "What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely". And that too is what made Christopher Reeve a hero, and a powerful leader. |
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To find out more about how The Mark of a Leader will create a sensation at your next conference, please visit our website at www.themarkofaleader.com Copyright 2004 Mark of a Leader |
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