Have you seen the costume Tina Turner wore in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome?

It’s part of her music video of the signature song she sang for that movie. “We Don’t Need Another Hero”

​You can watch it on Youtube.​

The lyrics are powerful as well.

This song has been echoing through my head all week. I wanted to have my monthly email out on the 1st. But I connected my idea with this song. It hasn’t let me go.

We don’t need another hero.

The truth? We don’t have the right heroes.

I bet that the word hero conjures the images of Batman, Superman, Iron Man, or Wolverine. Or perhaps you are imagining the US soldiers scattered on the front lines of the conflicts across the globe.

But a hero for me is not someone who has super-human abilities or follows the orders of people sitting at a desk playing with small little plastic pieces on a global scale.

Heroes for me are Pfc Desmond Doss from the 2nd World War.

A conscientious objector, he refused to carry a gun for any reason. And he suffered for it because on the front lines of the war he never earned promotion because of his conscience.

Yet, he has a Medal of Honor Citation because when everyone carrying guns retreated in the face of a furious enemy onslaught, PFC Doss stayed in the line of fire doing everything he could to rescue the lives of the wounded or dying left behind.

There are never words like this on an MOH citation: "Confronted with overwhelming odds and in an effort to preserve his own life, soldier X left the field of battle to preserve the order of the unit and the strategic advantage."

So, I’ve been looking for a new word. Something that reflects the idea that someone like you and me would put themselves into the line of fire on behalf of someone else.

The age of chivalry had that concept. In sparring games between knights, a knight might fight not for personal honor, but for the honor of someone else.

This knight would become the Champion fighting for the honor of another.

In January, I launched a new adventure. I call it The Inland Northwest Champions Network (INWCN).

The principles that I want to teach on this stage are compassion, caring, and personal growth. I want our members to have compassion for others—business owners in particular. I want them to care enough about the community that they look for opportunities for everyone before they act on their own need. And I want them to be passionate about developing to be better individuals and champions.

None of us are a finished work of art. We are works in progress.

Together, however, we can far exceed what we can accomplish on our own.

If any of these intrigues you, I invite you to join me at http://www.inwcn.com. Come to learn, come to participate, or come to support.

All are welcome.

Until next time...

Rob

PS I've added new ways for individuals and business owners to work one-on-one with me. I have an offer for Email support that starts at just $9.95/mo. You can learn more at http://www.robertruder.com.
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If I can help, I'd love to. If I can help someone you know, please consider forwarding this email to them. I'm grateful for your trust and friendship.

PPS I was on my 2nd Podcast at the end of 2023. This is from Spokane Business Insider. I'm talking about Empathy and Systems Thinking​

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