The devastation of Hurricanes Harvey and Maria has been far beyond our imaginations. Communities have been completely destroyed and the rebuilding will be a long hard process. The lives lost cannot be measured in dollars and cents, and the emotional toll on families will never be forgotten.
When you are a leader your accountability is to all the people you lead not just those you desire to lead. We are accountable to people not to things, events or situations! If there has been any delay in the President of the United States responding to the people of Puerto Rico for reasons other than logistics we should think twice about how he is leading.
Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico are all U.S. territory. Puerto Ricans by law can move freely from the island to the mainland whenever they desire. They are American Citizens.
Anyone can lead when things are going great. The true test of the accountable leader comes when his or her people have a need. The people of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico have a need and that need is for their leader to stand up and speak words of encouragement and edification during this time when things look bad. All of America needs to hear the leader say, “We will come through this,” “We are all in this together,” “We will survive,” “Nothing will come between us.” The accountable leader knows that their real power is in their words and they choose those words carefully.
The accountable leader fully understands that he has a commitment to everyone he or she leads. The very name United States of America speaks to our ability to come together when our people are in need. And in time of crisis, we desire a leader who can unite.
Communities will eventually be rebuilt because of the resilient and compassionate attitude of the American people. The citizens of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico will do the work and the communities will come back stronger than ever before. Sometimes, we just need the leader to say, “It’s going to be okay.”
