With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: A Lesson I Didn’t See Coming
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
I didn’t hear those words in a classroom or from a mentor. I heard them years after college while watching Spider-Man. Uncle Ben’s message to Peter Parker hit me differently, not because I was swinging from buildings, but because I had lived that truth without realizing it at the time.
It took me back to the spring semester before my senior year of college. That’s when my teammates voted me in as one of our football team captains. I didn’t vote for myself, and honestly, I was stunned. I was the carefree, free-spirited guy with a bit of a country club attitude. I wasn’t exactly known for being a coach’s favorite. I just loved the game and the opportunity to play college football.
So when the coach pulled me aside to tell me the news, he looked just as surprised as I felt. He used that moment to give me what I now call my “Uncle Ben speech.” He didn’t know what kind of captain I’d be…and truthfully, neither did I. If I were him, I would’ve been concerned too.
That moment forced me into some serious soul-searching. I couldn’t take the responsibility lightly. These were my brothers, guys I’d shed blood, sweat, and tears with. If they saw something in me that I hadn’t yet seen in myself, I owed it to them to rise to the occasion.
From that day forward, I made a vow: to lead with confidence, integrity, and compassion. I didn’t try to become someone I wasn’t. I stayed true to my authentic self, the same guy they voted for, but I became more intentional, more accountable, and more aware of the impact I could have.
That experience changed the trajectory of my life. Since then, I’ve found myself in leadership roles time and time again. Whether I was hired into them or others looked to me for guidance, I’ve carried that same commitment with me: to lead with humility, to deliver positive results, and to never forget the honor it is to be trusted with responsibility.
Leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being present, being real, and being willing to grow. I’m forever grateful to those teammates who saw a leader in me before I saw it in myself. They gave me my first real taste of what it means to carry the weight of responsibility, and the privilege of power.
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