I knew I had to tell this story…
He fell to the ground, crying uncontrollably.
Just outside the side exit of a Washington, D.C. Holiday Inn, on a chilly night back on November 10, 2009, a remarkable encounter unfolded.
Amid the bustle of interviews with Vietnam veterans for my military history PhD dissertation, I met Mike from Kansas City. An unmistakably loud and boisterous character, he stood out even among a room full of other loud and proud Marine veterans. My heart was beating through my chest the entire weekend, because I didn't know how a relatively young, academic-in training would be perceived and received by a group of Vietnam vets. But they were all amazing and I am glad I didn't bail, because it was precisely this encounter with Mike that would change the course of my career - and life - forever.
My studies focused on a small group of U.S. Marines who embarked on a unique mission during the Vietnam War. Unlike their peers, these Marines lived within Vietnamese villages, 24/7, for an entire year. Remarkably, despite initial disdain for the villagers, these Marines underwent a profound transformation, evolving from despising an entire culture to forming deep bonds of love and respect.
As I delved deeper into my research, I discovered that some of these Marines had gone back to Vietnam to reconnect with the villagers who had become their family. It was a heartwarming testament to the enduring impact of empathy and ended up yielding my corporate framework on how to lead with empathy.
The pivotal moment arrived when I posed a seemingly innocuous question to Mike – "Would you ever go back to find your villagers?" In that instant, my heart stopped, and Mike's response left us both in tears.
"I WILL NEVER GO BACK THERE. NEVER!" he yelled, his voice echoing with pain and regret. It was then that he revealed the haunting guilt that had plagued him for decades. "I abandoned those people and I cannot look them in the eye after I just left them there." He believed he had abandoned those villagers he had come to love, leaving them to face what he saw as unimaginable hardships in the wake of the war's aftermath and the Communist takeover of South Vietnam. He left Vietnam when his tour (12 months) was over and he felt guilty that he was not there to protect his villagers when the war ended a few years later.
But to consider that someone who had once despised these villagers could harbor such profound love for them. I was floored. This revelation was a turning point. It crystallized the experiences I had heard from these Marines during my interviews. It was a story buried deep in history, virtually unknown to the world. I knew that I had to share this incredible journey, this untold story of empathy, which had the power to inspire, heal, and reshape our understanding of human connection.
So, I embarked on a mission to unveil the greatest, yet unknown story of empathy in world history. It's a tale that challenges our assumptions, stirs our emotions, and illuminates the enduring strength of the human spirit. And through it, we discover that history has much to teach us about the power of empathy in transforming lives.
It undoubtedly possesses the potential to instruct leaders in the art of leading with empathy, illuminating the path to maximizing your employees' potential. My proven empathetic leadership framework will get your team fired up for Monday… for real.
If you are interested in my keynote talk on the greatest, yet unknown story of empathy and how to leverage it to transform your culture and get your employees to run through a brick wall to achieve company objectives, email me - john@johnsouthardspeaks.com.
IG - @southardspeaks
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/johnsouthardhistoryphd