Article Analysis of Great Leaders Do What Drug Addicts Do

All people desire to accomplish their dreams. Someone's courage comes from pursuing their dreams. A person's courage fuel their success, causes them to follow their dreams and helps them endure hardships. Once anyone build up enough courage, they will become invincible. Though everyone has aspirations, not everyone can turn these aspirations into reality. People who accomplish their dreams follow a set of truths, practices, and principles. “Great Leaders Do What Drug Addicts Do” teaches how doing uncomfortable work, being authentic, and knowing when to surrender can help achieve goals. As an example, Michael Brody-Waite shows how he understands himself due to his practice of authenticity.

By practicing authenticity, anyone can express their thoughts without censorship. “Great Leaders Do What Drug Addicts Do” discusses how to achieve goals by doing uncomfortable work, being authentic, and knowing when to surrender. Michael Brody-Waite struggles with addiction. A little over 16 years ago, he used drugs and alcohol every day from the moment he woke up until he passed out at night. While trying to overcome his addiction, Brody Waite attended self-help groups to help him express his thoughts. As an addict, he tried to be the best, so he tried to impress everyone by pretending to master these three principles, practice rigorous authenticity, know when to surrender, and do uncomfortable work without understanding them.

"Once I came to the meeting so sore, I knew if I wasn't honest I would relapse. So, I was vulnerable, emotional, messy. I was upset. The opposite of being awesome. After the meeting, another addict approached me. His name was Tim. He had been clean for 15 years, he was a biker with a beard, he was a little intimidating, he told me: 'Mike, that was your best performance.' I told him, 'Tim, man, that was my worst turnout. What are you talking about?' He told me: 'No, it was the first time that you were sincere. that is what we do here. Keep doing it, and you will be clean.' It was the first time someone had told me that being authentic was admirable" (Michael Brody-Waite 2:12).

As a result, Brody-Waite expresses his thoughts when taking off the false mask of being well and showing his authenticity by allowing all his worries to disappear. This authenticity made Brody-Waite an admirable individual. Brody-Waite needed authenticity to understand his self-understanding and understanding of what he wanted to do. As Brody-Waite began to grasp what he wanted, he encountered many uncomfortable tasks along the way.

Doing uncomfortable actions can lead to success, and some organizations may reward it with more opportunities. Brody-Waite dreamed of being the director of his own company. As a result of finding his purpose through authenticity, he formed a company with a partner, the first digital, online, self-programming platform within healthcare. Brody-Waite's company did not have investors, the economy attends shaky, and their chances get slim. Still, five hospitals hired them in their first year. But not enough to be safe. So, they search for an opportunity to add another 50 in one deal. They pursued the opportunity for six months. And on November 18, 2010, Brody-Waite received word claiming all hospitals accept theirs work. In a matter of months, Brody-Waite's company would go from thousands in profits to many millions. Brody-Waite imagined they would have a big office without worrying about salaries. But the next day, he realized this would not happen.

"In those 24 hours, our software crashed at a hospital that was associated with the 50's business. What are the odds of something like that happening? We were contractually obligated to tell the customer that we knew as a young company, that If we did it, the 50 deal would fall through, and we'd probably meltdown... One of my team said, 'Don't tell them. They're fine, but it'll hurt us. Let's fix the problem and move on.' simple. I'm going to call them. I called them, told them about the failure. I held my breath and waited for the answer. The answer was this: total and utter laughter. He was laughing at me, he laughed like in a comedy movie, my financial future was at risk. I didn't know how to interpret that response. Finally, he regained his composure and said, 'Mike, when you call me that, let it be for 20,000 patients, not one. I know I have partners who impact a patient or two. They should call me, but they don't.' I said, 'What does this mean for our 50-expansion opportunity?' She said, 'We're moving on. If something happens, I feel safer because I know I can trust you' (Michael Brody-Waite 8:24)."

To put it more simply, Brody-Waite has two options: either lie and not admit their error or take the uncomfortable work and tell the truth. Brody-Waite's choice results in a better relationship between his company and the contractor. Only those prepared to work hard can live a fulfilling life. Once someone master this skill, they can do pretty much anything. Some people consider rejecting an opportunity to be painful work, but knowing when to surrender can help achieve success.

By giving up, someone admits better ways to use their time and resources exists. By this principle, rigorous authenticity, knowing when to give up, and doing uncomfortable work enabled Brody-Waite to build a solid company, with 50 employees who apply these principles as a competitive advantage. Brody-Waite's company competes against companies with 600 employees and 150 million in venture capital, and they win, due to their authentic nature, their partners trust they would tell them when things worked well and when they did not, also what they knew and what they did not. As a result, they begin to accept business decisions. "If a partner asked us to change our software in a way that would harm the patient experience, we would say no and explain. If they threatened to cancel the contract, we would ultimately accept that outcome" (Michael Brody-Waite 12:23). In other words, Brody-Waite built a strong business by knowing when to turn down business deals which would compromise the company's image. In turn, Brody-Waite's company can compete with larger companies because Brody-Waite's company practices the three principles: doing uncomfortable work, being authentic, and surrendering when needed. As a result of applying these simple yet powerful principles, Brody-Waite transformed from being a drug addict to creating his own company and becoming well known among his clients.

As a whole, Brody-Waite explains how drugs addicts recover and offers principles anyone can use to break free from their mask addiction so they can thrive in both work and life. " You attract the right thing when you have a sense of who you are" (Amy Poehler). So, any person who acts original, dedicated, and knowledgeable will achieve their dreams because they will know their identity and passion. Addicts have no rights. They only have one incentive. If they do not practice these three principles, they die. They have access to a practice area. However, any leader can practice it. Now a question for leaders. Do they adhere to all of these principles in their life? Maybe a better question would be to ask. Why would anyone follow someone who does not follow them? Make the right choice and follow an authentic leader.