Braveheart was an epic movie about a historic leader.

In the movie, William Wallace delivers his unforgettable address to motivate the Scots to take on the odds-on favorite: the English troops at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Your mind will bring back the visual: “I am William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here, in defiance of tyranny. You’ve come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?”

One of the farmer/soldiers responds to Wallace’ rhetorical question: “Fight? Against that? No! We will run, and we will live!” Wallace didn’t miss a beat: “Aye; fight, and you may die. Run… and you’ll live, at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance – just one chance – to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” 

The great line comes next. Wallace’ colleague – Stephen – gives his follow-up: “Fine speech; now what do we do?” Strategies are great… but you won’t know how great until someone executes!

Like William Wallace, Joseph – son of Jacob – was the most unlikely of historic leaders. Born #10, he rose to #1 in the family business, then disappeared through treachery when his brothers sold him to slavery. Taken to Egypt, he rose to success and then fell – again – to betrayal, landing in a political prison with no chance of parole. 

Great story: his spiritual gift of dream interpretation made him valuable to Pharaoh, but Joseph knew that vision without strategy was a non-starter. Seven great years, were followed by seven disastrous ones. How do you navigate that nationwide crisis? Joseph had a plan…

“The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command… Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:37-43)

We’ve talked this month about navigating through early success: when there’s nowhere to go but down, the Doldrums are waiting for you. Next up is the choice: Replay or Reinvent? Then, reinvention presents a new vision that requires you to get ready: what’s the strategy going forward?

Joseph was the Dreamer who could interpret Pharaoh’s vision and deliver a strategy that would navigate through the crisis and produce the better-than-before outcomes. Pie-in-the-sky has to become boots-on-the-ground before it can become the desirable outcome.

Your life – your leadership – will present the opportunities for high-visibility achievements once in awhile!  Wouldn’t it be great if those victories were all you ever had to do?

 Leadership travels through the highs and lows; your personal journey will summit and plummet. Knowing what’s coming next – and how those milestones mark your progress – is a major insight.

Where is your life and leadership today? What’s next for you? Strategy isn’t just a business plan for the bank; it’s a battleplan, made for execution. Are you ready to pull the trigger?