I had it all planned out. My email for the day was done in my head and I could not wait to get home to write. Life was good. Another post was done and I was ready to relax for the evening (ha!).

Then it happened. I should never have turned on the tv and left my blog in my head for another day’s posting. The minute I saw the Chilean rescue of the miners from deep within the belly of the earth, I knew my posting was changing. This story was too important to leave by the side.

After 69 days 33 miners who were buried alive together were rescued and brought back to the top of the earth to their waiting families. They had been trapped by a terrible accident and tonight they are each as an individual and a group – nothing less than a miracle. No one has ever been trapped that long and that far inside the earth and survived.

I could not comprehend how that could happen and then the reporters started telling the story:

• The earth shook and the mine collapsed. Men told stories of seeing a white butterfly down in the shaft that kept them from being crushed by rocks. The white butterfly has not been seen since.
• When the men realized they were trapped, 33 men looked around and realized they needed each other. In stressful conditions, leaders emerge and Luis Urzua rose to the top and became their leader. They did not vote him in – he just became the leader through his actions and his wisdom.
• He began taking it upon himself to organize the group and create a system and procedures by which they would live in the belly.
• He took a straightforward approach to his leadership and said – “perish separately or work together to defy the odds.” He believed in “solidarity” in order for all to survive.
• He gave each man a job and a . Each man had a purpose and they began a new life confined inside the belly of our earth.
• They insisted on keeping clean through a shower of a natural waterfall that just happened to be nearby.
• They “found God” during their daily prayer organized by one of the men.
• Each man had a purpose and each man had a job.

As the men below began to create a new community, the leaders of Chile recruited anyone and everyone from around the world who could help them rescue their countrymen. A company in Pennsylvania was instrumental in the drill that loosened the rock. NASA was helpful in helping with and emotional status of the miners. The mining Minister of Chile would not leave the mine until each and every man was rescued. His presence at the mine turned him into a national hero and media star. He was there to hold press conferences, comfort families and he even played guitar around campfires to comfort everyone. (Are you feeling the same as you did in the Gulf of Mexico?)

As I watched families reunited and a country very proud of itself, I ran for the box of tissues and thanked God for this story.

I looked at the well as a camera looked deep inside. All you could see was darkness. For the last 20 minutes of each miner’s ride from the belly to the top of the earth they were in darkness. With their hands by their sides, encompassed in a tube with rock all around them – I am sure they were praying and asking God to keep them safe as they headed towards the light. They must have felt alone for the first time in those 69 days.

The story goes on with families and children reunited with their fathers and sons. I am confident a movie will be in the making soon and I’ll be there with popcorn and tissues in hand.

What did I take from this story? A lot!

The fact that Leadership saved these men was my biggest revelation. The leader below in the belly took control of a very difficult situation. The leaders above worked together to save those below.

All had one mission – To Save the Miners.

The leadership skills that saved those miners were:

• Organizational skills
• Compassion
• Empathy
• Wisdom
• Willingness to accept help from others
• Team work
• Humbleness

The leaders in the belly of the earth and those above had all those traits in common. They were willing to put pride and ego aside to survive.

Are our leaders in America willing to do that? Do we have the leaders it will take to rescue us from peril?

Here are some things you can do to activate your citizenship today and build our leaders for tomorrow:

1. CONGRATULATIONS: Senda congratulatory note to the American company who helped save these 33 miners. http://www.schramminc.com/
2. THANK A LEADER: Who do you remember as the best leader in your life? Write, phone or email him/her and let them know you appreciate their leadership skills and why.
3. VOTE FOR A LEADER: Look at the list noted above and decide if the candidates you are able to vote for match those characteristics. If they do – VOTE YES.

We need leaders in America. Will you do your part by voting for one?