Four U.S. presidents have been assassinated—John Kennedy, William McKinley, James Garfield, and Abraham Lincoln. Two others have had attempts made on their lives in which they were shot but only wounded—Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt.
This week in 1912, John Schrank tried to assassinate Roosevelt outside of a diner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Roosevelt wasn’t the sitting president at the time of the attack.
He held the presidency from 1901-1909. Frustrated by the direction of the country, Roosevelt returned to politics and ran as a third-party candidate (the Progressive Party) in the 1912 election. He was on his way to deliver a campaign speech when Schrank shot him.
The bullet struck Roosevelt in the chest. But a reading glasses case and a folded copy of the speech in his jacket’s inside pocket slowed the bullet’s penetration, thereby saving his life.
An experienced soldier and hunter, Roosevelt quickly concluded that the bullet had not pierced his lungs since he was not coughing blood. Instead of going directly to the hospital, Roosevelt insisted that his driver take him to the auditorium where he was scheduled to speak.
A few minutes later, with the bullet still lodged in his chest, Roosevelt inspired the waiting audience with a near 90-minute speech titled “Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual.”
How can such an extraordinary display of mental and physical toughness not be admired?
Roosevelt’s example personified his speech’s title. He took to the stage and began: “Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a bull moose.”
The “bull moose” comment became one of Roosevelt’s most popular quotes. But something he said later in the speech epitomizes the mindset of a good teammate:
“I am in this cause with my whole heart and soul. I believe that the Progressive movement is for making life a little easier for all our people; a movement to try to take the burdens off the men and especially the women and children of this country. I am absorbed in the success of that movement.”
Good teammates are fully committed. They pour their whole heart and soul into their teams. They care about the burdens of everyone on the team. And they are completely absorbed in their teams’ success.
Too often, teams are derailed by members who are self-absorbed when they should be team-absorbed. Self-absorbed members allow individual agendas to overtake the best interests of their team.
Team-absorbed members accept that the teams’ cause is greater than any individual on that team. This mindset allows them to experience higher levels of team success.
Not even a bull moose is strong enough to stop a team comprised of team-absorbed teammates.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
