Something I read this week has been staying with me…

Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution, and what struck me most isn’t the scale of the history, but the steadiness of Lafayette’s moral center.

Lafayette was just 19 years old when he joined the Continental Army. Despite his title and background, he chose to live, march, and endure hardship alongside his soldiers rather than elevate himself above them. He struggled when they struggled, shared their risks, and earned credibility not through rank alone, but through presence.

His thinking evolved over time. He made mistakes, learned from them, and recalibrated. But again and again, he returned to the same underlying commitments: dignity, responsibility, and accountability. The context changed; the compass didn’t.

That’s been sitting with me lately because, in real work, authority and integrity don’t always travel together. I’ve seen how damaging it can be when leaders avoid ownership or distance themselves from the consequences of their decisions. Lafayette had his missteps. He forgot hard-won lessons. His legacy was later selectively edited to preserve his stature. Even in those failings, he remained a man who, when given the option of remaining silent, chose instead to step forward.

What this book reminded me is that credibility isn’t about being flawless, or even experienced beyond one’s years. It’s about staying grounded, taking responsibility, and being willing to stand alongside others rather than above them, especially when things are hard.