It was the Fall of 2020, and we were living through bizarre times.  Most people were still working from home, the news stories of the day were big and the headlines were bigger, and online platforms were sowing the seeds of division.  Our annual company All Hands moved online like everything else, and we made the best of it.  

With more than a dozen All Hands under our belt, we knew that being in person was a critical part of the shared experience for our team. Since that wasn’t possible, I decided to capitalize on the opportunity by booking a keynote speaker that would typically be impossible to secure for an offsite like this.

Enter U.S. Congressman Will Hurd. At that time, Mr. Hurd was completing his third (and final) consecutive term as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas’s 23^rd district.  He ran for Congress after spending nine years with the CIA, during which he also worked undercover in the Middle East. Mr. Hurd was a brilliant, young leader with countless accomplishments and fascinating stories. When Mr. Hurd faced tough decisions at work, lives and national security were both at stake.

When my team found out that Mr. Hurd would be speaking to the company, I received a few notes of concern. Is it okay to bring on a Republican to speak to a diverse set of employees that span every part of the political spectrum? As the only black Republican in Congress, how would Mr. Hurd address major points of division in our country, like defunding the police, George Floyd, city-wide lockdowns, and more? Would I allow an open forum for the team to pepper Mr. Hurd with questions during his keynote, as many of them wanted to get the juicy details about the fights happening in Washington?

I have been friends with Mr. Hurd since our days together at Texas A&M University, and I knew I had nothing to worry about. Will and I were both very involved in student leadership during our college days, and he served as the Student Body President during the year that I launched my first nonprofit, CARPOOL.  Fun side note: I knew that Will would become a leader on the national level and had him answer the first calls that came into CARPOOL back in September 1999, marking the importance of the moment (pictured below).

When the time came for Will to address the team, he joined our Zoom call, and I spotlighted his video. The talk started with some fun reflections between the two of us about the foundations of our leadership journeys and our shared desire to make the world a better place. Before the talk, I had our team members submit their questions to me so that I could remove any slanted, biased, or baiting questions from the mix. What happened next was a leadership master class that I will never forget.

Will discussed his journey from college to the present day, sharing stories about his undercover days and his televised road trip from Texas to D.C. with one of his counterparts across the aisle.  I asked him some tough questions, too, about how he responds to the fevered debates on race and justice in America, all of which he addressed head-on.

Will’s main points for the day can be summed up as follows:

• There is more that unites us than divides us
• As human beings, it is okay to be frustrated by shortcomings on both sides of the political debates – we are nuanced human beings, and we can make real improvements when we acknowledge the messiness.
• When you get in a car, lock the doors and put on your seatbelt. It is much harder to be kidnapped this way, and it allows you to start driving immediately. That was some CIA stuff, but his words stick with me every time I enter my car.
• Sign up for things that are challenging and meaningful.

Challenging and meaningful. That is the calling for all leaders in a nutshell.

And in case you were wondering, yes, the talk was very impactful.  Our team members were moved by his words and his witness, regardless of their political leanings, because Will focused on leadership instead of politics.  And I’m sure someone will read this and tell me why Will made them mad or why his views on something are wrong.

I’ve been in leadership roles for three decades now. I’ve made mistakes, been misunderstood, I’ve misinterpreted others at times, and I’ve often been blamed or attacked for things that I didn’t do. Welcome to leadership. It isn’t easy.

Leadership that is done for the good of others is always challenging and meaningful. So buckle up, lock the doors, and let’s go. There is more that unites us than divides us, and we have some work to do.