Sam Houston's Servant Leadership
Greetings from Texas, where I just spoke to a bunch of local governmental officials on the topic of servant leadership.
I learned something during my friend Ron Holifield's presentation that I wanted share.
At one point, seeking to persuade these tough Texans that servant leadership isn’t for sissies, Ron shared a story about legendary Texan Sam Houston.
Sam Houston, of course, was the celebrated leader who ordered the attack at San Jacinto that defeated Mexican general Santa Anna, and gave Texas its independence.
But what you might not know—what I did not know—is that Houston ended his career by making a heroic, sacrificial stand that cost him his job as governor.
That’s right, for the sin of refusing to swear allegiance to the Confederacy, Sam Houston---the man who gave Texas its independence!—was removed from office in 1861.
He died two short years later.
A closer look at Houston’s life and politics shows that he was far from a perfect man.
But Ron’s point was that this tough-as-nails Texan can teach us something about leadership.
It is a sad commentary on our times that Sam Houston would be portrayed as a “loser” by today’s standards.
At a time where there aren’t a lot of profiles in courage, it is good to have a model of someone who was willing to do the right thing, even if it cost him his political position.
The fact that Houston was drummed out of office, yet still retains his legendary status and fame, should, perhaps, give us hope that doing the right thing isn’t an entirely thankless pursuit.
Ron ended the meeting by urging the attendees to “care more about the next generation than the next election.”
I just wish the politicians in Washington could have been there.
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