“Nothing in life is more liberating than to fight for a cause larger than yourself, something that encompasses you but is not defined by your existence alone.” John McCain
“Armies do not fight for abstractions. They fight for a people, a nation, and a way of life,” stated United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference in February of 2026. The line hit me as a lasting truth. It reminded me of my own service and sacrifice and that of my family in a career of 27 years in the U.S. Army, dominated by our post 9/11 wars. It took me back to our nations’ founding. It also reminded me of leading people – of giving them cause and purpose behind their hard work. Restated, “people do not work for abstractions (a paycheck, a corner office, to make the business money, etc.). They work for vision, mission, culture, their teammates. They work for a cause.”
Welcome to the third installment of my leadership celebration of America 250. This year along with celebrating my country’s 250th Birthday – the Semiquincentennial in grand fashion at the beach with family and friends, I’ll celebrate 10-years since my retirement from a 27-year military career. This year I’ll reunite with paratroopers I fought with in Afghanistan for a ceremony honoring our unit. A baby will be born; a parent will turn 80 and I’ll celebrate my forty year high school graduation. I might even get a tattoo! I have much to celebrate this year but the Semiquincentennial eclipses all of it. Because of this, I’ll celebrate the best way I know how – writing about leadership. Back to our topic.
“This We’ll Defend,” the official motto of the United States Army embodies an enduring commitment to safeguard the nation, protect its citizens, and uphold its values. (More on that here). The motto was adopted in 1778 in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. ‘This’ represents the American cause of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That all men are created equal, endowed with inalienable rights, and that government must exist by the consent of the governed to protect these rights.” It is ‘this’ that General George Washington communicated to his troops who, at numerous points were on the brink of mutiny and desertion. Washington knew his poorly equipped and fed troops would not fight for an abstraction. He could not snap his fingers and outfit his fighting force as he would have desired. Rather, he championed the American cause reminding his army of what they were fighting for and, moreover, the price of failure. There’s nothing abstract about that.
The same holds true in today’s office. This comparison may seem like a “giant leap,” (American pun intended) but it is not. Indeed, a team leader in Company X doesn’t need to deliver a rousing speech to his or her troops atop a horse to prevent mutiny. He or she does, however, need to avoid abstractions. If a leader truly desires the most from their people, they must clearly communicate what the team is working for – what noble cause they are supporting. In my small business we all throw our support behind our vision of serving – serving our people, our customers, and our community. I talk about this all the time. I espouse it in all that I say and do, setting the example for my ‘troops’ to follow. It is this vision, this cause of service which is the cornerstone of a successful business where employees go the extra mile for each other, for our customers, and for our community. Yes, they work for a paycheck which helps them pay their bills, buy food and put a roof over their head. That fact is not lost on me or them. But I know what truly motivates them and what attracts others to want to join our team. We know what we are fighting (working) for and when things go wrong or times get tough, I don’t face a mutiny. I follow the example of George Washington and our founding fathers.
Washington’s speeches to his troops are legendary. He had a colossal task keeping an army together and fighting against a formidable foe armed only with an inspiring vision not yet achieved. All he had were words and his personal example sharing hardship with his soldiers and advocating on their behalf. His most noteworthy speech as the commander of the Continental Army, the Newburg Address, was delivered in Newburg, New York in March of 1783. In this speech, according to the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, he responded to “an anonymous petition which encouraged officers to protest if Congress did not provide the promised pay and pensions. Washington told his troops that the petition had some valid points, that he supported his officers, but the petition’s author’s proposed solution of mutiny was not the answer. Washington supported the freedom to express their opinions and used this very petition to remind his troops what they were fighting for – their freedom.”
I can’t think of a more dire situation where a leader, lacking the means to address his people’s tangible needs, inspired them to stay the course, to rally behind the cause. Washington could have attempted to instill hope that pay and provisions would come. He could have commiserated with his men. He could have himself, lost sight of what they were fighting for – all abstractions. He knew he could not. He empathized, as leaders must do, but he stuck to the script – the American cause to which he fully dedicated himself and to which he asked the same of his officers and men.
What are we fighting for? What are we working for? Make sure it counts. Communicate it often. Rally your own ‘troops’ today and every day.
Make it Personal!
