Chapter 15
President Bush
“Where’s
Lopez? I want to meet Lopez.”
Lopez
heard his name but could not believe the speaker was looking for him. For eight
years he had dreamed of running for the United States in the Olympic Games, but
this went beyond anything he could ever have imagined. The President of the
United States was now looking for him.
“Over
here, sir,” one of the coaches said.
President
Bush smiled and headed over toward Lopez. He had just delivered a speech to the
entire U.S. delegation. The entire delegation consists of every athlete and
coach for every sport in the Olympic games. In his speech, the President tapped
into his old cheerleader self: “Get out there and kick some butt!”
After
his speech, he went around the room shaking hands. So many famous athletes
Lopez admired were there: Duke’s “Coach K,” Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Carmelo
Anthony, and Dwayne Wade of the Dream Team. Michael Phelps, who went on to win
eight gold medals was also there.
Yet
out of all these incredible and famous athletes, the president wanted to see
Lopez! A nobody, a lost boy! For eight years he had dreamed of running in the
Olympics but never dreamed this.
“Mr.
President, I would like to introduce you to our flag bearer, Lopez Lomong,” the
head of the U.S. Olympic Team said. The flag bearer leads the team into the
stadium. It is one of the highest honors any Olympic athlete can receive.
Unlike medals that are won in competition, the flag bearer is elected by his
teammates. Out of the 596 athletes representing the United States in these
games, only one can lead the team into the stadium carrying the flag, and the
one that the athletes chose was Lopez. The vote was not even close.
President
Bush shook his hand. “Lopez, I’ve heard a lot about you. I just wanted to let
you know how excited and happy I am to have you here. Welcome to America. When
you go out there and carry that flag tonight, enjoy the moment. It is your
flag.”
“Thank
you, sir,” Lopez said. He could not believe he was shaking hands with the
president. His mind raced back to watching him in New York the day after the
9-11 attacks. He had inspired Lopez as he stood atop a pile of rubble with the
rescue workers, a bullhorn in his hand.
A half-hour
later, an U.S. Olympic Committee official came over and took Lopez by the arm.
“Come with me,” he said. Lopez assumed he needed to go somewhere for
instructions on how he was to carry the flag properly. Instead, he was taken
into a room off to one side. And there in the room, was the President.
“Lopez,”
he said when he saw me, “there’s something I forgot to tell you.”
“Yes,
sir,” Lopez said.
“Lopez,
son, when you go out there tonight carrying our flag, don’t let it touch the
ground, buddy.”
Chapter 16
The Flag Bearer
Lopez
selection as the flag bearer was seen as by reporters as possibly being a
political statement. Around the time of the Olympic trials, Lopez had joined a
group of athletes call Team Darfur. Team Darfur spoke out against the genocide
occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. There, the Sudanese government in
Khartoum committed the same kind of atrocities they committed against
Christians in Lopez’ home region of South Sudan during the civil war that lasted
twenty years. This time, Arab Sudanese began exterminating African Sudanese
even though they shared the same religion. The government of Sudan supported
and aided this genocide.
Lopez
had spoke out against this genocide right after he qualified for the Olympic
team. Since the Chinese government financially supported the Sudanese
government (in spite of these atrocities), a reporter asked Lopez if his
election had political implications. Lopez dodged the question. “I’m so proud
to be an American and raise that flag proudly.”
At the
morning of his new conference, the flag bearer speaks to the press. Lopez was
prepared for the inevitable questions about his selection. As important as
genocide was, Lopez knew what he had to do. He sat down and proceeded to tell
his story. He talked about the day he was taken from his church and of being
held in the rebel prison camp. He told the story of his escape through the
wilderness with his three angels and of his years in Kakuma. He shared the
story of watching Michael Johnson run in the 2000 Olympics and the dream that
Michael birthed in him. Then he explained how America opened its arms to him
and gave him this great opportunity. “I am so thankful for this privilege of
getting to put on this jersey and represent my country,” he said.
Once the press was finished with him, he walked out in the hallway. The president of the USOC walked over and said: “Good job, Lopez. You were great in there.”
“Thank
you. I spoke from the heart,” Lopez said.
“Lopez,
I need you to do one more thing before you go. Coach K would like for you to
say a few words to the basketball team.”
Lopez’
jaw hit the floor. “The Dream Team?”
The
president of the USOC laughed. “Yes, the Dream Team. Follow Susan here and
she’ll take you to them.”
Management Lesson #20 – Humility
Humility is not taught in management courses or in many leadership
courses, for that matter. Organizations want their leaders to be visionary,
authoritative, confident, capable, and motivational. Yet, humility is the
primary requirement for leadership. Or stated in a different manner, humility
is the foundation of leadership. Why is humility essential to leadership, it is
because humility:- Acknowledges
our sinfulness,
This acknowledgement of man’s sinfulness has been a foundational principle of all successful governments. For example, this acknowledgement led our founding fathers to build into the very fabric of our governmental structure, a separation of powers. Each branch of government – executive, legislative, and judicial – is bridled by a series of checks and balances. Why? As Lord Achton expressed in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
- Comprehends our
creatureliness, and
- Authenticates
our humanness.
