Armor and Sword

Like the medeival knight, who dons a polished suit of armor, and arms himself with a two-handed sword before engaging in battle, leaders too must go out into the world armored and armed for combat.

The armor, worn by the knight, finds a parallel in the internal armor of the leader. Through acts of leadership, a leader develops a layer of confidence, of self-respect and of self-love that protects them from harm. It's this layer of armor that allows the leader to extend themselves outside of their comfort zone and to reach out to others in a very "authentic" way. This armor lets a leader risk looking foolish, or failing without taking any permenant damage.

The sword, wielded by the knight, is equivillant to the acts of leadership displayed by the leader. Just as the sword is an extension of the warrior, his actions are an extension of the leader. It is through the sword that a warrior inflicts their will on the world, it is through their behavior and actions that a leader inflicts his.


The relationship of the armor and the sword is an illustration of the Leadership Paradox. "Until a man is armored, he won't risk wielding his sword; but until he carries his sword into battle, he won't develop his armor."


The confidence, self-respect and self-love that a man needs to display true acts of leadership are only developed through acts of leadership. Here is the secret to breaking through the Leadership Paradox; act as if you were confident even though you aren't. Act as if you were brave, even though you don't feel brave. It is through these actions, when you feel the opposite, that you will start to build your armor.

Here is the Credo of the Forged Leader:

I will act confident in the face of doubt
I will act joyful in the face of sorrow
I will act brave in the face of fear
I will outwork adversity
I will own my life
In doing so, I become a leader

So, get out there and act the opposite; let me know how it goes.

Take the lead,

Jeremiah