Leadership and the Courage to Take a Stand
Last week, much of Canada found itself embroiled in heated debate. The tension arose following a flip statement made by a well-known celebrity, Don Cherry. For those of you who don’t know, Cherry is a hockey legend, former coach of the Boston Bruins, and for many years has been co-host of a segment called “Coaches Corner” which airs weekly during Hockey Night in Canada. (Hockey is a big deal in my country!!)
Last weekend, Don Cherry was fired from his role on Coaches Corner. Why? Well, the inciting incident, in a nutshell, was an attempt to remind folks of the importance of Remembrance Day, the sacrifice made by our veterans, and the need to express our respect collectively by wearing poppies. In and of itself, it had the potential to be a patriotic statement, one that wouldn’t lead to termination of employment.
Unfortunately, one of Don Cherry’s most recognizable traits is his tendency to speak without a whole lot of forethought or concern for impact. In short, he can be brash to the point of offensive. In this case, the wording he chose was classically divisive, using the phrase “you people”. And had he simply continued from there to expound on the need to wear poppies, he probably would have been okay. But he went on to describe “you people” in a way that was interpreted by many -- myself included -- to be about immigrants specifically, and them not wearing poppies.
Not cool, Don; not cool at all. And clearly, TSN (the network for whom Don worked), agreed.
Now, as I said earlier, the statement -- and the resulting termination of Don from Coaches Corner -- essentially divided the country. On one side were those who were quite offended and furious that he would use such a public platform in an irresponsible way. Canadians as a whole, after all, are a group of immigrants, unless you are Indigenous. On the other side were those who felt that folks were being too sensitive; that Don didn’t mean to offend, he was just being Don. And he’s a national treasure, don’t you know? How dare TSN fire a Canadian legend!
Here’s why I’m bringing this up. This was what I call a “rock the boat” moment. It was a moment to take a stand. And taking a stand takes courage, it takes a willingness challenge status quo, and it takes a whole lot of energy.
Don Cherry’s statement, which might have been well-intentioned, went off the rails when he chose to use phrasing that was divisive. To paraphrase the words of Peter Mansbridge, if Don had talked about “we Canadians” and gone on to rebuke all of us as Canadians for not wearing poppies, or invited all Canadians to do so, this would not be an issue. But it became an issue and it needed to be addressed. Why? Because unless these sorts of statements are addressed, we cannot and will not actually create a more inclusive society.
In the wake of what I’m going to call “the blow up”, several times I heard folks articulate statements like, “oh, just let it go already” or “we need to just ignore stuff like this and move on”. I actually think to some degree, the folks who were infuriated by TSN’s choice to fire Don Cherry are in the “let it go” camp; they saw no need to rock the proverbial boat. I beg to differ.
Here’s why I’m addressing this in this blog today (because it’s not really about Don Cherry anymore). Situations of a similar nature arise all the time in all sorts of contexts: situations that create tension, situations that provoke thought, and situations that make us uncomfortable. In short, situations that invite us to rock the boat, challenge what’ s comfortable, and create a newer, safer way to be.
When such situations arise, we absolutely COULD just sit and wait for things to pass. We could nod our heads in agreement to keep the peace, even as we feel the turmoil of disagreement churning within. We could do everything in our power to keep that boat from rocking.
Alternatively, we could find the courage to speak. We can share and shine a light on the issue that has our attention.
Will it get uncomfortable? You betcha.
Might you lose friends? Maybe -- it’s been known to happen.
Will you get tired? Yes -- and actually, you might find yourself utterly exhausted.
Trust me when I say that the potential for discomfort, fatigue and strained relationships are not good enough reasons to pretend that all is well and just and safe when things are anything but. There is actually a time to rock the boat, and issues of safety and injustice are the clarion calls for action.
Bottom-line: each and every one of us must learn to source the energy to start speaking up. As we speak, we need to be willing to listen and build understanding. And we need to do all of this with a view to creating a brave world, one that has the potential for increased safety for all. You have a voice. Use it respectfully. Use it to serve. Use it to create meaningful change.