It’s Just Us: Ordinary People in Extraordinary Roles

“For years after 9/11, every morning President Bush was in town, he met with the leaders of the counterterrorism agencies - which included the FBI and the Department of Justice....

This was my first meeting with the leader of the free world. As I sat there, I couldn’t get over how brightly lit the place was. There was a ring of lights in the recessed ceiling that lit the place like the noonday sun. I didn’t have to speak in this meeting unless called upon, so I let my eyes sweep over the faces that were familiar from TV - the president, Vice President Dick Cheney, FBI Director Bob Muller, National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.

In that moment, something hit me: It’s just us. I always thought that in this place there would be somebody better, but it’s just this group of people - including me - trying to figure stuff out. I didn’t mean that as an insult to any of the participants, who were talented people. But we were just people, ordinary people in extraordinary roles in challenging times. I’m not sure what I had expected when I met the top of the pyramid and it was just us, which was both comforting and a bit frightening. Suddenly Bob Dylan was in my head singing, “What looks large from a distance, close up ain’t never that big.”

That’s from James Comey’s book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership.”

At the time of this scene, Comey was the #2 at the Department of Justice.

Here he has ascended to the top, and when he gets there... it’s just us.

I love the following line.

“But we were just people, ordinary people in extraordinary roles in challenging times.”

When you become a leader...

When you reach the top of your organization...

When you make it into the inner ring...

Guess what happens?

You’re there with other ordinary people, doing extraordinary things in sometimes very difficult circumstances.

No one walks through the door with all the answers.

There is no “chosen one” who shows up in a dark robe and dispenses wisdom from the ages.

Leadership doesn’t work like that.

It’s just us.

Ordinary people.

Look at your leadership team.

Ordinary people.

All with baggage.

All full of insecurities.

And yet—full of hope.

Scrapping. Debating. Challenging. Discussing.

Trying to make the organization better.

Extraordinary roles.

Did you ever think you’d have a shot at doing what you’re doing?

The risks you’re taking.

The vision you’re building.

The team you’re assembling.

The goals to be achieved, and the tasks to be completed.

Ordinary people in extraordinary roles.

Challenging times will come.

On those days, remember the vision, the people, and the role you’re in.

Let it be the fuel that spurs you on.

You’ll face new competitors.

Team members will leave, and you’ll have to hire new ones.

The market will shift, and you’ll have to pivot.

Yet, here you are.

Ordinary people in extraordinary roles navigating challenging times.

It’s just us.

Be the leader.

Seek the advice of others.

Recognize you’re in the chair.

Embrace it.

Let it settle on you: you’re the one responsible.

Welcome the truth that it’s just us.

This is your team.

You’ll find flaws and shortcomings.

Coach. Train. Inspire. Correct.

It’s just us.

Intersecting life, luxury, and leadership,

Chris Adams