Brian Johnson (Heroic +1 #1,485) introduces a short leadership reflection centered on the Paratrooper's Prayer, a poem by French lieutenant Andre Zernheld (written 1942) recounted in Jim Mattis's leadership memoir. Johnson reads the poem in full, highlights its central themes—embracing insecurity, strife, pain, and commitment to something larger than oneself—and ties it to leadership discipline, courage, and love as a motivating force. He encourages listeners to internalize the poem and to welcome challenges as paths to growth.
Chapters
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic one. In our last several plus ones, we've been learning how to lead with Jim Mattis. We're embracing solving problems as our job as leaders. We're reading the great books of self development and we're doing the hard work to prepare for opportunities. Today I want to talk about one of the most inspiring poems I've ever read. It's called the Paratrooper's Prayer. It it's from a chapter in part two of Mattis great book on executive leadership in which he shares his experiences in 2004 Leading American Marines in Afghanistan. Mattis tells us, and I quote, I remembered a poem written by French lieutenant Andre Zernheld in 1942 as German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was sweeping across North Africa. Knowing the odds against him were overwhelming, Zernheld volunteered to parachute in behind German lines near the British held port of Tobruk. He was killed. Zernheld had remained loyal to his sense of duty. He had chosen to be a soldier and that didn't change because the battle of Tobruk was lost. His poem was discovered when his body was recovered. Today it is known as the Paratroopers Prayer. He continues by saying the war was lengthening, but that wouldn't change who we were or SAP our fighting spirit. The Marine motto is Semper fidelis or always faithful, not just when things go your way. Nobody had forced us to be where we were. We had all volunteered to fight. My troops had kept faith thanks to their will and discipline. And I said goodbye to my rambunctious and undaunted Marines by reading the French Paratroopers Prayer. Here it is. I bring this prayer to you, Lord, for you alone can give what one cannot demand from oneself. Give me, Lord, what you have left over. Give me what no one ever asks of you. I don't ask for rest or quiet, whether of soul or body. I don't ask you for wealth, nor for success, nor even health, perhaps that sort of thing. You get asked for so much that you can't have any of it left. Give me, Lord, what you have left over. Give me what no one wants from you. I want insecurity, strife. And I want you to give me these once and for all so that I can be sure of having them always, since I shall not always have the courage to ask you for them. That's today's plus one. There's not much I can add to that passage, except to encourage you to reread the Paratrooper's Prayer as you feel into the depth of that soldier's heroic commitment to something bigger than himself. And as you reflect on the wisdom and self mastery and courage and love with which Lt. Zernheld wrote that poem that millions of soldiers have used as their guiding star, know that this is exactly what we are talking about all the time. Know that that's also the most beautiful and poetically powerful encapsulation of Phil Stutts encouragement to embrace the pain and uncertainty and hard work inherent to a great life that we discuss in that +1 we playfully called I Love Poo. Check it out. Pain, uncertainty, hard work. Remember your infinite potential exists on the other side of your comfort zone. Even more importantly, remember that your commitment to something bigger than yourself is ultimately the source of that type of of heroic courage. I repeat, your secret weapon is love. Here's to having the strength for two as we forge our antifragile confidence and say bring it on to any and all of the challenges we will face on our heroic quests today.
