From the Desk of Chief Ogden | By Chief David A. Ogden
There’s something that sells just as well as, if not better than, provocation: Rage.
The louder the voice, the sharper the tone, and the more emotional the delivery, the more attention it receives. Outrage is no longer accidental. It’s amplified.
As leaders, we should ask: Why is this being presented the way it is?
Passion can be healthy. But when emotion becomes an attempt to recruit others into anger, it’s no longer about truth; it’s about influence.
Earlier in my career, while leading an intelligence unit tied to homeland security, I learned an important lesson: what you see is rarely the full picture. Access to broader information often changed how situations appeared from the outside.
That experience taught me humility. I don’t always know what I think I know.
Before reacting, reposting, or joining the outrage, pause and ask:
What am I missing?
Who benefits from my reaction?
Am I being informed—or influenced?
Outrage is easy. Discernment is leadership.
Plant seeds. Grow leaders.
Regards,
“Outdo one another with Honor.”
