My Heroes
When I was young, my Dad was a huge fan of western movies. I grew up with Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin and Yul Brynner as my heroes.
John Ford, Howard Hawks, John Sturges, were as many fascinating story tellers and I couldn’t wait for Tuesdays and the weekly western movie night on French TV.
Let’s not get into any controversy about how those movies or actors may be perceived today, this is not the point. Those fearless and resilient men, sometimes women, displaying a strong code of honor and duty in a hostile environment, had a huge influence on me.
Steve McQueen
Nevada Smith, played by Steve McQueen, was one of my favorite characters. The restless quest for revenge of a young man whose parents were brutally murdered in front of his eyes. He eventually tracks down all 3 men who did this, kills two, and – spoiler alert – decides not to kill the last one. Death is too sweet a sentence. He lets the man live, after shooting him in the knee to make sure he will never forget. This final twist brings Nevada Smith true satisfaction and peace. We can almost feel some humanity coming back to the character.
In our supposedly highly ethical world of HR, a dramatic story happened some years ago. This young woman, let’s call her Fleur, was being bullied by her manager. When she placed an official complaint, she got fired. The manager was a close friend to the successful Regional leader. Our small HR team was powerless. Shocked and outraged. Needless to say, this event left a bitter, lasting sense of disgust and shame with those who knew. Another banal story of nepotism, injustice and cowardice, and leaders not walking the talk.
Enter Nevada Smith
I reconnected recently with a colleague of mine from that era, now Head of HR for that same company. About that story, he told me: “Valerie, I took care of that guy.” Almost 8 years after the events, the Regional leader, friend to this manager, had just announced his decision to leave the organization. That very day, my friend walked up to this manager’s office: “Do you remember Fleur? I am kindly giving you the choice to resign immediately and be out of the building in 30 minutes. Or I am firing you and the whole world will know the reason why”.
Not all heroes wear a Stetson and ride a horse. We cannot undo what happened back then. And yes, he got off easy. Yet, we can all ride into the sunset, with a sense of justice and resolution. Thank you for never forgetting and never letting go.
