“Undaunted Courage”

If you wanted to travel across the country by land next year, it wouldn’t be a small undertaking. But it would be nothing compared to the famous cross country journey made by Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and the Corps of Discovery in 1803-1805. This summer, I read Undaunted Courage, Stephen Ambrose’s account of their amazing quest. I suppose almost everyone knows the basic story: Lewis and Clark were charged by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase and find the best route to the Pacific Northwest. They headed up the Missouri River and with the help of Native Americans, most notably Sacagawea, eventually accomplished their mission. It’s arguably one of the greatest adventures ever. As I read Ambrose’s account, I was especially impressed by the formidable challenge of taking a large expedition on such a long journey with so many unknowns. Every pound of supplies had to be pulled or rowed upstream, so Lewis couldn’t pack lots of “just in case” extras as we might do. The preparation for the trip involved dozens of decisions based on scant information. For example, they knew that they would encounter Native Americans, but they didn’t know how many tribes would be hostile, and therefore didn’t know if bullets or trinkets would be more valuable (or even what kinds of trinkets). They hoped to hunt for game as a source for meals, but didn’t know how bountiful the land would be. They had a rough map of the Missouri River as far as North Dakota, but beyond that they knew nothing beyond rumors and conjectures. The Lewis and Clark expedition is not just an inspirational story – it’s also a great leadership lesson for today. Many leaders are paralyzed by the unknown. They want to prepare for every possible contingency and eliminate all risks. They want to have the map of where they are going, not just the immediate steps, but far into the future. They want a guarantee that their followers will not abandon them. Until they have these assurances, they choose to take incremental steps forward at best. Of course, it is impossible to have this degree of certainty. More than ever, leaders must make difficult decisions as they face a future that is unknown and unknowable. More than ever, stepping into that future involves risk. More than ever, churches and ministries and non-profits need leaders with undaunted courage who are willing to go beyond the edge of the map. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>