Last fall, I signed up with a group to go fishing off Cape Hatteras, and was asked to serve as coordinator for our boat.
This meant I had to organize transportation and meeting points for a bunch of guys I didn’t know. I needed a couple drivers with big vehicles. The first guy I called was Jim Mulligan, III. Right away, he stepped up and said he could drive and take three other passengers. He had a truck that could handle gear and coolers for fish. Jim’s willingness to help and be part of the solution struck me as being unusual. It made more sense later.
From there on out, the other details fell into place. Everyone met at the appointed time and place and we got out to Cape Hatteras uneventfully.
That evening before dinner, we were all sitting around the rental house having a drink when Jim and another guy, Gary, realized they had previously met at a men’s group.
In that meeting, Jim had divulged that his father, Jim Mulligan Jr. , was a Navy pilot who was shot down over Vietnam and had been a POW for seven years. Gary had wanted then to talk more with Jim Mulligan III about his father but he didn't get the chance, not until they met again unexpectedly at the Cape Hatteras trip, that is.
There, we all talked about the impact that had on Jim’s family. He also promised to give me a copy of the book his father had written about his experiences. A couple weeks later, Jim made good on his promise, handing me The Hanoi Commitment.
I do a lot of work with leaders and, sometimes, leaders in adverse conditions. This book – matter-of-factly yet descriptively written with such utter humility and spirituality - left me in awe.
What leadership characteristics did Ret. US Navy Capt. Jim Mulligan describe and embody at the time?
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