“Tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to…. our commitment to stand up for our values abroad and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.” said President Barack Obama during his speech to announce the death of Osama Bin Laden.
Bin Laden’s death represents a historic moment for the United States and the world, but it also a clear sign of a facet of leadership that is usually absent from our Haitian leaders – commitment.
Most of us considered in 2008 that Bin Laden’s capture was just another campaign promise and we believed that the United States didn’t have a chance to catch the Al-Qaida leader. Finding this world class criminal after 10 years is an important sign of commitment, going from the president of United States to the simple CIA agent.
It’s really rare for us Haitians to see campaign promises transformed into results; we are still waiting for the arrest of Jean Dominique’s assassin or the “rail highway” in Carrefour that’s been in development for more than 10 years.
Being committed to your work, your clients or your voters is the essential aspect that makes a country move forward. It’s that element of leadership that allowed the promoters of the Hotel Oasis and the E-Power Plant to make what were once dreams into a reality.
What better way to gain a competitive advantage than by simply honoring your promises? And by doing it consistently, you will help differentiate yourself from your competitors, whose commitment vanishes at the first sign of a crisis. And it is that commitment to the war of terror from the United States that led to Bin Laden’s capture and death, thereby demonstrating to the world the super power that is the United States.
In other words, commitment is more about the actual actions than the intended actions. It is however neither the intention nor the strength of your commitment that brings about the desired results. It is the actions you take that helps you achieve your goals.
As Haitians, we need to be more committed in our action and understand that Haiti like “America can do whatever we set our mind to”
