"Sua sponte"—you’ll hear it with the U.S. Army Rangers and their motto, "Rangers Lead the Way."
It means "Of Your Own Accord," but it’s not just words—it’s a mindset.
A way of thinking where you step up, own the task and take action without being told.
It’s what separates the doers from the talkers, the leaders from the followers.
And here’s the thing.
Sua sponte isn’t just for battle or crisis mode.
It matters just as much at work, in everyday life, and when you’re chasing personal goals.
What does sua sponte look like?
Admiral William H. McRaven is typing now:
It was a typical day in Honolulu: The skies were clear, a warm tropical breeze gently brushed the palm trees, and the water off Ford Island was a majestic blue. As a Navy captain and the “commodore” of Naval Special Warfare Group ONE, I had come to Ford Island, Hawaii, in 1998 to dedicate a building in honor of my close friend Lieutenant Commander Moki Martin. Moki was born and raised in Hawaii and had gone on to have a remarkable career as a Navy SEAL. A Vietnam veteran, Moki was the quintessential frogman. During his career, he was a highly decorated combat warrior, an expert with every weapon in the armory, an amazing skydiver and scuba diver, and an exceptional athlete. Unfortunately, in 1983, Moki was involved in a bicycle accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. He had spent the past fifteen years in a wheelchair.
The large indoor hangar where the ceremony was taking place was decorated with red, white, and blue bunting, the Stars and Stripes and Hawaii state flags were positioned behind the podium, and over two hundred visitors and SEALs were in attendance. Rows and rows of chairs were arrayed in front of the podium, and the SEALs and sailors were all in tight formation at the back of the hangar. After the usual pomp and circumstance, I approached the podium to give my remarks. When I concluded, Moki rolled himself up to the microphone, which we had positioned so that he could speak while seated in his wheelchair.
As Moki began to talk, it was apparent that the organizers had not positioned the microphone correctly. Even the front row could not hear Moki’s remarks. I realized that I would have to get up from my chair, cross in front of the other dignitaries, and awkwardly reposition the microphone. Moki was just beginning to thank people, but if I didn’t act soon, the audience would miss his inspirational comments.
As I started to rise from my chair, a young SEAL dressed in his white uniform broke ranks with the formation and marched past the two hundred attendees, directly up to the microphone. He came to attention, saluted Lieutenant Commander Martin, adjusted the microphone, saluted again, did an about-face, and returned to the formation. Not a single moment of Moki’s talk was lost.
After the dedication was over, I approached the young SEAL and thanked him for his prompt action. He responded to me, “Sir, something had to be done and no one else was doing it. So I thought it was up to me.” It may have been the best response to real leadership that I ever heard. “No one else was doing it, so it was up to me.” It was the essence of Sua Sponte.
Real leadership is not always about being the person in charge during an existential crisis. You don’t have to be Ralph Puckett, running across an open field while the enemy is trying to gun you down. Sometimes real leadership is just doing the right thing when no one else is. When you take action of your own accord, it sets the tone for the organization. It tells others that initiative is expected in the company and hopefully rewarded. It gives the employees a sense of empowerment. It gives them a sense of ownership. They will make mistakes and their mistakes will have repercussions, but…I guarantee you the mistakes of action are far less consequential than the mistakes of inaction.
Read that again.
Sir, something had to be done and no one else was doing it. So I thought it was up to me.
Real leadership isn’t just being the loudest voice in a crisis.
Sometimes, it’s about doing the right thing when everyone else is frozen.
Build a culture where action is the default.
Empower your people to step up and solve problems.
Celebrate when they take the reins.
Sure, they’ll make mistakes.
We all do.
But let me tell you—taking action beats sitting back and doing nothing, every time.
JFK was right—comfortable inaction is dangerous.
I’ve always hated that.
PS. Do you struggle to set yourself apart from your competitors? Does your tone of voice lack a little personality? Either way, get in touch and I’ll help you become remarkable. Or get more communication advice that doesn't suck here.
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