Let me tell you a story about a man named David Loop. I'd never heard of him until July 31 of this year when I came across a Facebook post about him saving a little dog he thought was dead on the road.
He stopped, thinking only to move the dog out of the way of upcoming cars, and she moved. For David it was love at first sight. What follows is a story of love, courage, and determination. You can follow his story and that of little Miracle here or here.
As I followed her story I noticed that there were thousands of people all over the world following, donating, sending gifts and interacting with each other on the Facebook page.
I became more and more intrigued about this David Loop. I discovered that this was not a "one off" rescue, that in fact he runs a cat rescue organization on top of his regular job. I got to see his kids, his family, and his interaction with his followers. I wanted to understand more about how this man could mobilize so many people. He embodies compassion.
Having written so much on leadership in the past I can say that he has the ability to rally people towards a common goal, while at the same time going above and beyond what is expected or even normal himself. To many people this last aspect would put him into the hero category as well.
For me the best way to describe David's behavior is:
Action + Compassion = Leadership in the Moment
Tennis great Arthur Ashe said it best,
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
David:
• Took action immediately. He could have driven by and hoped that someone else would stop or deal with the problem.
•He asked for help. He asked for help from his network, his family, the veterinarians involved, the Facebook community.
•He shared the progress, the setbacks, his fears and his successes never giving up hope and doing everything possible for a successful outcome.
•He never gave up, he was relentless in a very pleasant and action oriented manner. It was clear to everyone that he was not going to give up.
•He cared and because he cared and put himself "out there" and was fully committed to his course of action.
People follow someone who believes in what they are doing, who lives that belief with both actions and words.
I continue to follow David's progress because he brings a smile to the world, and because I continue to learn from his approach to life, his immense compassion, his singular dedication and his ability to inspire and rally people to a cause.
Even as I was writing this post David spearheaded another rescue, which took 26 hours of a kitten, stuck in a drainpipe. The Fire Department and Animal Control gave up hope... David did not.
Once again people gathered to this cause and helped in every way possible.
We need these great stories in our lives.
If you want to support his work and be part of the story go here: http://www.sierrapacificfurbabies.com
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