Call to Arms: Will You Rise to the Occasion?

Amidst a global pandemic and ongoing economic crisis, protests have been erupting across the nation in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We see anger and frustration on so many faces wanting to be Seen and Heard. 

And those faces aren’t alone. 

Our team—not unlike your team—is filled with different perspectives and pieces of the conversation. It’s clear to us that, though we try, we certainly do not possess a complete understanding of the deep, unhealed wounds suffered by so many in this country. And so we asked ourselves, “What is our role as a small team in a growing company? What is our stance? Do we have a responsibility to speak out and speak up?”

We think we do.  

Our audience is you, our member community. Our message is simple. 

We’ve taught and talked about culture. You’ve written your values and grounded yourselves in your bold beliefs. You’ve found and hired A-Players. If there is ever a time to live and breathe what you know to be true for your team, it is right now.

Because damn good leaders don’t get to pick their moment.

Your team’s actions in this moment of national discord will speak volumes about who you are as a leader and what you stand for as a company. This is a moment in which your strategy and bottom-line matter less than how you and your team treat each other, your community, and each and every customer. What matters now is what you do next. Will you live your values (even if they are uncomfortable)? Will you See and Hear what would normally go unnoticed? Where will you stand? 

We believe in the power of entrepreneurship to change lives—yours, your team members, and your customers. We believe in the ideas and principles that make the American experiment unique in the world and that drove many of you to serve in the military. Ideas that both strengthen our nation and, at times, test it to its core. The free will and spirit of individualism that propelled each of you to grab hold of your destiny as founders, CEOs, and business leaders also sometimes allow the voices of the many to drown out the few.  

Not in this community.  

Not on our watch.

We stand by each of you as you react and respond in the days and weeks ahead. We are here to serve you, to hear you, to support you. Together we’ll help move our country forward one community at a time, by staying true to our humanity, living through our humility, and leading by example.

Onward.
Your team at The Lions Pride