General Patten's quote below succinctly encapsulates one of the most important leadership qualities absent in many so called leaders today. One of Orrin Woodward's greatest attributes is his willingness to stand firm with moral courage and resolution on issues. If more of our politicians and corporate leaders stood firmly with conviction on moral ground committed to doing what is right, our country would not have to endure the scandalous behavior of Congressman "Duke" Cunningham and Congressman Mark Foley along with the disastrous leadership at Enron and Global Crossing.
You have to wonder how leaders with such promise ended up in those positions. I am sure none of them sat in college dreaming about the day they could be revered as a scoundrel and criminal. I imagine the path to their demise started early in life when they had to take stands on small issues that did not seem to matter. Practicing pragmatic leadership instead of moral leadership they probably did what was best for them at the time. They probably felt that it was no big deal to bend the rules, break the law, and not stand on moral ground. We all know people who change their position on issues based on convenience and how it benefits them. Politicians are notorious for playing this game. If you want them to change their position on an issue, just find a poll of their voters supporting the opposite position and they will run to that position faster than Carl Lewis running in the Olympics. However, pragmatic leaders tend to venture down the path that leads to the slippery slope of ruin. In the case of Congressman Mark Foley and “Duke” Cunningham, they ruin not only their lives but those around them and destroy the trust the American people have in the leaders they have elected.
I have seen Orrin Woodward time and time again stand firmly on principles with moral courage resolved to stay the course and do what is right no matter what the consequence. He will not bend, he will not break, and he will not give in. At the end of the day that is why he is hailed for his leadership and what has made the company he founded as successful as it is. Everything begins and ends with leadership. The story of Team starts with the founder and Chairman of the board, Orrin Woodward, and his passionate pursuit to change the world while never ceding the moral high ground to any special interest group or outside organization. That my friend is moral courage!
"Moral courage is the most valubale and usually the most absent characteristic in men."
General George Patton
"Live for something rather than die for nothing."
General George Patton
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy."
General Norman Schwarzkopf
