As we approach Memorial Day this Monday, our thoughts turn solemn—not to the sales, the summer kickoffs, or the backyard BBQs, but to the men and women who laid down their lives for our freedom. Memorial Day is not a holiday we celebrate—it’s a sacred day we observe. It’s a moment for remembrance, for reverence, and for deep reflection on the ultimate price of liberty.

These are not just names on gravestones or stars on a flag. These were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, leaders and servants. They stood in the gap between tyranny and freedom, between chaos and order. And in doing so, they modeled something all of us—especially those in leadership—should never forget: the power of sacrificial service.

True leadership isn’t about position or prestige—it’s about purpose. The kind of leadership that moves nations and transforms lives always starts with someone willing to carry the weight for someone else. Our fallen heroes didn’t lead from boardrooms—they led from the battlefield, through courage, conviction, and selfless action.

Today, as we honor their memory, we’re also faced with a question: What are we doing with the freedom they fought to secure?

Are we leading with integrity in our homes, our businesses, our communities? Are we standing firm when it’s easier to stay silent? Are we using our platforms—however big or small—to lift others, protect truth, and serve the greater good?

Leadership requires vision, but it also demands sacrifice. And while most of us will never be asked to make the ultimate one, we are called daily to live with that same mindset—to lead not for applause but for impact.

So this Memorial Day, I challenge you: Pause. Reflect. Then lead with honor. Make decisions that would make the fallen proud. Live with such conviction that your leadership, like their sacrifice, leaves a lasting legacy.

Because freedom was never free. And leadership, at its best, always remembers that.