I had the honor and pleasure of participating in a conference whose theme was Followership at the US Naval Academy this week.

It is deeply gratifying to see one’s life work enter the fabric of such institutions. The panel on which I served was titled “Ethics: The Leader, The Follower and The Organization.” The program description of the panel asked the questions: “What responsibilities does the follower have to ‘lead from below’ when defining ethical guidelines in business, warfare or politics? How does a follower toe the ethical hardline when a leader vacillates?”

My fellow panelists included a Navy Seal, a CIA consultant, a former Ambassador and a pilot charged with defending the Capitol on 9-11.

The real life experience of this panel truly warrants the description of awesome and their individual wisdom was impressive. My hats off to the young midshipmen who chose the theme of this year’s conference. In addition to the Naval Academy, 60 other military academies and top tier universities sent their representatives. I look forward to these ideas taking firm root as this generation of courageous leaders and followers rise in responsibility and service.