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How we lead shapes everything
- Cory Simpson
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Credit: Adobe Stock
This OpEd was originally published in S.C. Media:
June 30, 2025
Author: Â Cory Simpson, CEO, ICIT
Editor's note: This is the start of a recurring series on the importance of how we lead.
COMMENTARY: I’ve buried more teammates to suicide than to combat. That’s not a statistic—it’s a reality I live with.
They weren’t weak or broken. They were warriors—friends I trusted with my life. Friends who carried weight with strength and grace. Friends who gave all in service to something greater. Their loss stays with us—a call to lead in ways that stretch people toward strength, protect their purpose, and honor their sacrifice through how we carry forward.
This is why I’m writing about leadership. Because how we lead—at every level and in every setting—shapes lives. Leadership decisions aren’t abstract; they’re deeply personal. The stakes may look different in an office, a home, or a combat zone—but the responsibility is the same: people are counting on us to deliver outcomes and look out for them along the way.
I’ve spent over twenty years serving in elite military organizations, practicing law in high-consequence environments, and building teams in national security and the private sector. Today, I lead two mission-driven organizations. I’m also a father of two young children and the proud husband of an active-duty Army physician.
One truth has become clear: How we lead shapes everything.
Leadership is measured by presence, not position. It’s how we show up—every day, under pressure, in uncertainty, and often without a playbook. Choosing to lead well is one of the most important decisions any of us can make.
That’s why I’m starting this series—How We Lead. The effects of strong leadership show up in people: their trust, effort, and outcomes. Everything worth building depends on it.
A shared responsibility
Leadership is everywhere, woven into the choices we make, the standards we set, and the influence we have on others. Whether we recognize it or not, each of us is a leader. We lead at work, at home, on teams, in communities, and in crisis. How we lead shapes the people around us, the systems we build, and the outcomes we deliver.
Leadership is a shared responsibility. It earns trust through consistency and grows stronger through action. Great leaders bring others with them by listening, investing, and leading from the front. Whether you're the first through the door or the last holding the line, how you lead becomes the standard others follow. And the most powerful standard is integrity in action—living what you ask of others.
The demands are constant. Time is always short. And people will give more than they think they can, especially when the mission matters and trust the leaders and teammates beside them. That extra effort can be a source of strength or strain. Good leadership channels it in ways that build people up. Poor leadership risks drawing on it in ways that wear them down. The difference isn't always visible in the moment, but it matters deeply over time.
Sustaining that momentum takes leadership that sees the weight people carry, strengthens belief in the mission, and builds teams that share the load. That’s what makes selfless service sustainable—when people give fully to a cause greater than themselves and still feel seen, supported, and valued.
What good leadership looks like
Every generation works to define leadership—through principles, traits, and models. The language may shift, but the fundamentals hold. What lasts are the qualities that stand under pressure and bring out the best in people.
At the heart of effective leadership are three values: Humility, Empathy, and Resilience. These aren’t theories—they’re real-world, observable, and essential. And they don’t operate in isolation. Humility deepens empathy. Empathy strengthens resilience. Resilience reinforces humility. Together, they shape leaders who meet the moment and carry others forward.
Humility shapes character. It grounds leaders, anchors them to principle, and earns the trust teams rely on. Leaders who lead with humility live their values, align action with purpose, and keep the mission at the center of everything they do.
Empathy shapes presence. It allows leaders to connect, communicate, and build trust in the moments that matter. Leaders who lead with empathy create space for others to contribute, understand the weight their people carry, and unify teams around shared purpose.
Resilience shapes intellect. It gives leaders the steadiness to adapt, the clarity to decide under pressure, and the focus to stay sharp through challenge. Leaders who lead with resilience absorb friction, regroup with intention, and return more prepared, more focused, and more capable than before.
Why I’m starting this now
Leadership reveals itself under pressure. I’ve led through moments that demanded decisive action, where outcomes carried real weight. I’ve stood beside friends shouldering more than their share—with discipline, focus, and quiet professionalism. And I’ve seen what happens when leadership rises to the moment—and when it falls short.
That experience fuels the urgency behind this work. Strong leadership builds people, holds teams together, and moves missions forward. This series is about leading that way—with humility, empathy, and resilience—not perfectly, but with consistency, strength, and a deep commitment to the people we serve.
How we lead
Everything worth building—teams, families, organizations, communities—starts with people. And people rally, endure, and excel when they’re led well.
Lead with humility, and you stay grounded in purpose.
Lead with empathy, and you earn trust that holds under pressure.
Lead with resilience, and you bring strength that carries others forward.
This is how leaders rise to the moment and shape what comes next. That’s why I’m writing this series: because how we lead shapes everything.
Cory Simpson is the CEO of Gray Space Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting and advisory firm, and the Institute for Critical Infrastructure (ICIT), a non-profit organization dedicated to the security and resilience of critical infrastructure that provides for people’s foundational needs. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0.  The opinions expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect the views of any employer or affiliated organization.
About ICIT
The Institute  for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)3think tank with the mission of modernizing, securing, and making resilient critical infrastructure that provides for people’s foundational needs. ICIT takes no institutional positions on policy matters. Rather than advocate, ICIT is dedicated to being a resource for the organizations and communities that share our mission. By applying a people-centric lens to critical infrastructure research and decision making, our work ensures that modernization and security investments have a lasting, positive impact on society.
Learn more at www.icitech.org/.
ICIT CONTACTS:
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Parham Eftekhari
Founder and Chairman
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Cory Simpson
Chief Executive Officer