On the Banks of the Rubicon
How many times have we crossed the Rubicon, our very own River Rubicon? When Julius Caesar crossed the River Rubicon in 49 BC, it was an act of commitment to war with Rome, a point of no return, a decision to follow through without looking back. It was, in fact a decision that changed the course of history and our world as it is today. In fact, the name Caesar was adopted as the title for subsequent Roman dictators and eventually for other strong leaders or rulers, Czars and Kaisers. Crossing our Rubicon is not our mere acceptance of the reality that time’s arrow flows only forward, that we can’t go back to yesterday. This crossing is a decision to take action and ownership over building a future with some determination, shaping, not accepting pure randomness.
Going past a point of no return happens all the time in travel when fuel and other supplies dictate that replenishment can only come from going forward. Pilots cross that river all the time. It happens when contracts are signed, children are born, or an infinite number of non-reversible acts are executed. But the Rubicon represents something much bigger, bigger than the “reality” Las Vegas Texas Hold’em Poker on TV, or picking the right door on a game show. The Rubicon is about making a big choice where there are big consequences, often affecting many others. Crossing the Rubicon symbolizes a strong commitment to making something happen where we have skin in the game.
Leadership requires these river crossings. It follows then, that leadership requires choices, choices that are directional and are consequential. The last year has rocked and rolled the foundations of how winning or losing in a multi-polar world will take place. An environment of conservatism, or wait and see, let’s hold off, or what if we’re wrong, can be felt across industries and public service entities. Pundits and press alike, wait as spectators, ready to offer commentaries and critiques, risking nothing themselves. A big River Rubicon is spreading tributaries right in front of many of us. Some might say that choosing action might not be the smart move, not in this big storm. Some might add that making a choice is too risky.
What a great time to make choices! What a great time to cross and conquer new opportunities! After all, there is opportunity in every storm … and we may miss the chance for another one. While competitors watch as spectators, the time becomes ripe for gladiators to seize the day, Carpe Diem!
“There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.” William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar.
Shall we go get wet?
