How would you define courage? For one Vietnam veteran, it meant honoring his fallen brothers by returning to battle to save a next generation of soldiers. Today, IBFL continues a 12-part series of stories and excerpts from Brad's 2017 book, "In Business For Life: What Being In Business For Life Has Taught Me About the Business of Life." These are funny, painful, reflective and, above all, redemptive moments chronicling Brad's professional and personal peaks and valleys. For more information about Brad or In Business For Life, visit www.InBusinessForLife.org.

​You can’t expect those around you to be transparent if you’re not. People become comfortable with transparency when they become comfortable with and trusting of those around them. In organizations, that only happens when the leaders demonstrate transparency themselves and prove trustworthy to those who follow suit. This aspect of leadership comes quite naturally to me, though like any strength, it becomes a weakness when taken to extremes. To this point, Elaine once asked me, “do you ever have an unspoken thought?” That was many years ago and I’m still trying to come up with my one unspoken thought so I can speak it and remove all doubt.

A former employer once brought his “alcoholic bag” to my attention. His addiction had cost him dearly, but he was on the road to recovery and seeking a new job as a software developer. He could have tried to hide the truth, but his 12 Steps training had taught him otherwise.