Sergeant Dakota Meyer

On September 8, 2009, Sergeant Dakota Meyer was not interested in complying with his orders to stay put. In doing so, he saved lives and earned the Medal of Honor. 

His Marine unit was ambushed in the Ganjgal Valley in Afghanistan. Pinned down against a well-armed enemy, he learned that four of his Marine brothers were trapped and others were continuously taking heavy rounds, battling to survive. With a fellow marine behind the wheel and Meyer manning the turret, they drove directly into enemy fire to rescue their friends...five times.

On each trip into the kill zone, taking on heavy fire, they evacuated wounded soldiers and provided much-needed suppressive cover for others. On his fifth trip, he found the Marines he was searching for, and tragically, they had been killed. Refusing to leave them behind, he jumped from the cover of the Humvee, retrieved each of his brothers, and carried their bodies to safety. That's courage. That's loyalty!

Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. (Proverbs 19:22)

This type of loyalty takes great courage and great love. Thucydides wrote: "The bravest are those who have a clear vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."

When we truly fight for one another and not for our personal gain or self-interests, the team is created in ways the competition can't defeat. Doing so often takes great courage as it's not always comfortable, convenient, or easy. The Marine Core ethos of brotherhood, above all, reminds us that we need to have each other's backs. On the battlefield, our survival depends on it. That's true in our families and our businesses as well. If we allow ourselves to put ourselves over the team, we fail.    

The book of John says that there is no greater love than to lay one's life down for his friends, which is exactly what Jesus did for us. He was loyal. He took on heavy enemy fire, and he did it willingly. He knew both danger and glory lay ahead and stepped into it anyway. How will we honor our friend?

When you step onto the battlefield today, do it with such loyalty towards each other that you create an exponential impact on the marketplace. Give your team the confidence of knowing you have their backs so they may advance the cause with boldness and infectious energy. Don't go it alone, and leave no man behind.