By Nat Crawford
The first step of action must be emphasized by a desire to change. The first step is a deep craving for things to occur. That desire creates momentum and that momentum runs over obstacles to great change. Without this desire little change will occur.
The American Red Cross was started by Clara Barton. She was a government clerk who saw the lack of care provided by the government to its injured troops during the Civil War.
Clara would not stand still. She left her post, and approached her town to collect medical supplies. What she gathered she put into a wagon train and went to the battle field.
Clara arrived at Antietam, the bloodiest site for the Civil War. She risked her life to deliver supplies, assist doctors, and care for the wounded. She was known as "the angel of the battlefield."
When she was done, she asked the government to commission the American Red Cross as an emergency agency to care for victims of war and natural disasters. Because of her courage and initiative, today there are over 1.2 million trained volunteers for the Red Cross.
Leaders take the first step to creating change, no matter the cost or risk. But they do not do it alone. Like Clara Barton, she enlisted the help of others, some to go and some to give. This is the call of a leader, to influence and inspire.
What is a problem in your organization that you can be an agent of change? What are the actions and who are the people that can foster change today?
Want to become a person of influence? To get started, click here. Labels: american red cross, antietam, change, civil war, clara barton, cornerstone leadership solutions, initiative, momentum, volunteers
