The law of navigation states that good managers can run a ship from port to port, but it takes a true leader to chart the entire course. After thinking about that statement and doing more reading, I’d like to add the statement, “Before you can get good managers to run your ship, they need to trust and believe in the navigator.”
Another book gives two examples from history concerning the law of navigation. One example is Christopher Columbus; the other is Gen. George Armstrong Custer.
But what folks don’t often realize is that Columbus was both a brilliant visionary and an extremely competent mariner. He had the power to persuade others — to include the Spanish monarchy that funded his trip — and others rallied because of his courage. These tools were critical in his success, and because of them, the folks around him followed the course he charted.
Just as infamously, everyone has heard of Gen. Custer’s last stand. In many circles, Custer is looked at as a bumbling idiot. In actuality, Custer was one of the most brilliant and famous soldiers in American history. That is why it is so ironic that more people know about his defeat at the Battle of Little Big Horn than his victories in the Battle of Bull Run and the Gettysburg and Virginia campaigns. Tall, slender and strong, Custer looked like the hero he envisioned himself to be … he even had 11 horses shot out from under him without a single serious injury.
In buying into his own hype, Custer violated the part of the law of navigation that states, “Yesterday’s successful charting won’t get you through today’s storm.” He underestimated his assignment and miscalculated his enemy, Crazy Horse. That cost him dearly. On June 25, 1876, in less than one hour, he was surrounded and both he and 231 of his men were killed.
So what’s the application for us today? There aren’t any bad folks to fight — the “frontier” is safe, right? Yet I submit to you the law of navigation — and trusting the navigator — is just as important today as it was in Columbus and Custer’s time.
Maybe even more critical.
As I look at the landscape in the Midcoast, I see a lot of really competent people working in different areas; running businesses, redeveloping the base, and representing municipal and state interests on boards and committees; people that have distinguished records and long lists of former accomplishments. But within these ranks, I see both Columbus and Custer — and that worries me.
I go back to my comment, “Yesterday’s successful charting won’t get you through today’s storms.” As a leader — a navigator if you will — you have to continue to read the data and make good decisions as you move forward. Once you think that you are the “final destination” and that you have all the answers, you will screw things up. Maybe you’ll be lucky and get a do over; maybe you won’t. Worst case scenario: you ruin the opportunities for hundreds of others.
Mid-coast Maine is one of the most important regions of the state. The redevelopment of the former air station is one of the most important economic development opportunities of the decade. How we navigate going forward will determine whether our outcome is “a brave new world,” or wasted opportunity.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Tonight, Sunnybrook Village, at Bath Road in Brunswick, hosts Chamber After Hours in its “Village Square” from 5 to 7 p.m. Make use of the networking power of the SMMC. Enjoy treats at a variety of tasty food stations, live music, door prize drawings and tours of Sunnybrook Village. This event is free to attend. For more information and to register for these events, go to www.midcoastmaine.com.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS: The chamber welcomes, Midcoast College Counseling; Orr’s Island Seafood Chowder/Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll; Pathways to Health with Melinda Baxter; Percy’s Burrow; Riverview Physical Therapy; Tavern at Brunswick Station; and Woodex Bearing Co., Inc. To discover more about these businesses, go to www.midcoastmaine.com or download MyChamber- App for use on your mobile phone or tablet.
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