Jeremy is a renowned keynote and motivational speaker and conducts leadership and teamwork seminars and lectures for corporations and groups across the map. He is also a sought-after presenter for firesides, school assemblies, public events, expos, and tradeshows.
Jeremy served his mission in the San Pedro Sula, Honduras mission, currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is a member of the Willow Creek 1st Ward.
Be sure to listen to the attached interview with Jeremy where he talks more about his leadership and coaching experience.
Enter Jeremy…
Leadership Under Fire
On February 13, 1945, “I” Company from the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division’s Third Battalion and “D” Company from Second Battalion were ordered to attack Mt. Bijang, a hill overlooking Manila, that allowed Japanese forces to shell the city. The battle lasted all day long with attacks and counter-attacks, and as D Company’s commanding officer, Steve Cavanaugh said, “The action was pretty bad up there…”
In all the commotion of the battle, a lone figure crept up to Cavanaugh’s side, firing away with his M-1 Garand rifle when Japanese machine gun fire burst into their ranks and a voice cried out, “Steve, I’ve been hit!”
Cavanaugh glanced over with concern that turned to surprise. “Carrico!” he shouted. “What are you doing up here?”
The wounded paratrooper was my grandfather, 1st Lieutenant Andrew J. Carrico, III. Despite the pain he was in, Grandpa obediently responded to his CO, “I had to be with my men.” You see, Cavanaugh had ordered Grandpa to rest that day and to stay behind the fighting line since he had experienced front line combat for over a month. But Grandpa couldn’t do that.
Why did Grandpa place himself in such danger? Why did he seek out those who were in such precarious circumstances on that South Pacific hillside?
The purest answer that can be given is that he did it out of love.
Champion Leaders
You learn a lot of things when you’re coaching athletes who are hurtling themselves down icy tracks at over eighty miles an hour in fiberglass and metal rockets. You come to appreciate perspective and the wider viewpoint that comes from experience. You come to respect guidelines and safety measures even more when you are in charge of organizing and running a semi-experimental program. You learn that every athlete learns differently and comes to the table (I mean, ice) with their own mindsets and goals and emotional energies.
When I was the head coach for the U.S. Adaptive Bobsled Team, I felt a kinship to my grandfather, who demonstrated such courage and compassion for his men and for the future of the free world. While I will never match his level of sacrifice and bravery, I wanted to honor his example as I sought to help develop some of the world’s first adaptive bobsled athletes. As I thought about the way he led his men, I could not help but think of the Savior and the way He leads. Indeed, His example is the ultimate case study on leadership and if we sincerely desire to make a difference in the lives of those around us, we would do well to study His life and follow His pattern.
If we are but willing to do this, then we will be able to follow the invitation of President George Albert Smith who said, “It is your duty first of all to learn what the Lord wants and then by the power and strength of your holy priesthood to so magnify your calling in the presence of your fellows that the people will be glad to follow you” (The Church News, 7 Sept 1968, p.15.)
To that end, here are three principles of what I call Gold Medal Leadership, which I have observed from the Savior’s life and teachings in the scriptures.
1. Know Who You Lead
Whether you are a leader in combat, in business, in sports, or in a Sunday School classroom, understanding that those you lead are unique children of our Father in Heaven is key.