Leadership Pieces: Joanne L. Duncan
Part 4: A Lesson on Deliberation
Do not make any hasty moves.
With the Leadership Pieces series, I focus on an attribute from a variety of leaders and share how adopting it has improved my life and leadership.
Leader: Joanne L. Duncan
Attribute: The value of deliberation
Summary: Actions undertaken in rash emotionalism are short-sighted.
My mother, Joanne L. Duncan (1945–2017), is one of the greatest influences in my life. She and my father, Fred Duncan, sacrificed immensely so that my brother, Damon, and I could experience the world beyond Detroit.
Over our lifetimes, she modeled and instilled an incalculable number of lessons in me and Damon. Many of which have become even more valuable since her passing. Yet among her numerous nuggets of wisdom, one stands out so much that her grandchildren can say it in her voice of maternal concern, “don’t make no hasty moves.”
For years, I assumed she meant do not be impulsive, which is a life lesson in and of itself. However, not making hasty moves is that and more. For example, I am a swimmer. When learning how to swim, I experienced many fear-induced moments of terror which prompted a thrashing about that exerted tremendous effort and complicated the situation. I learned that through centering — assessing what I am facing and what I can do about it — I arrived at an efficient and decisive choice. Or to put it simply, the better choice.
As a child, I participated in a number of fist fights. Perhaps it comes with being a boy or the circumstances of my environment, but more often than not, it was immature overreaction. I believe my parents biggest fear for me was how easily I would respond with fisticuffs at the slightest provocation and how such a response could have unfavorable and possibly fatal consequences. My dad would emphasize the discernment between standing my ground and senseless bravado. Yet, it was my mother who really drove the point home.
One of my mother’s favorite movies was The Godfather and we watched it together one afternoon via Betamax. She often had to explain what was going on as I too young to grasp the intricacies. But her insistence on the consequences of Sonny’s temper resonated the most. It’s pretty hard to fathom my mother trying to convince me that my temper would get me killed, but she meaningfully conveyed the value of rationality in contrast to Sonny’s irrationaly. Or as my dad would say, “cool heads always prevail.”
From then on, she applied her warning of not making hasty moves to my dating activity, want to transfer schools, discontent with professors, frustrations with employers, and embracing seemingly fail-proof opportunities. In every single instance, the value of deliberation and viewing circumstances from multiple angles proved prudent and beneficial.
Mother’s Day without one’s mother is dispiriting. While I am glad she is no longer suffering from the ills that plagued her, I miss my mother terribly. Yet, as I long as I am, she is. And in instances when emotions are high and my hands begin forming fists, her wise adage — “don’t make no hasty moves” brightens the path ahead.
Sabin Duncan is a husband, father, educator, native Detroiter, and Creator of Literary Soul Food. He holds Doctorate and Educational Specialist degrees from Eastern Michigan University and Masters and Bachelor degrees from Hampton University. He writes fiction and nostalgic Hip Hop essays as Sabin Prentis. Find out more about Sabin and his books at sabinprentis.com.
Other Leadership Pieces:
- Myrlie Evers -Williams: Growing from adversity
- John Chaney : Core values remain intact in dynamic circumstances
- Ella Baker: Value in grooming and working with next generation
