In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare wrote of greatness: “be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em. Thy Fates open their hands.”
And so it is with leadership. Sometimes, fate has a way of getting us to step up. That’s exactly what happened with Jim Rafferty.
A tragic crime robbed his son’s scout troop of their Scoutmaster, and Jim was selected to step up. He thought they must be mistaken, but he accepted the responsibility and found more in himself than he knew there was. His growth as a leader served not only the Troop 328, but became essential a few years later when his role was eliminated at a company where he spent two decades of his career.
Jim’s story of accidental leadership holds lessons for us all.
Links
Related post: Monuments to Ourselves
Jim’s book: Leader by Accident: Lessons in Leadership, Loss, and Life
Jim’s site: Leader by Accident
Connect with Jim on LinkedIn
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Episode 30: Leader by Accident with Jim Rafferty