I support medical freedom. I believe it is a basic human right for each person to determine their own medical choices. No government, employer, or educational institution should discriminate against anyone because of their choice. This past Saturday, I joined thousands at the Minnesota State Capitol who feel the same way.

Why am I bringing this up?

People are losing their jobs. Students are being denied an education. Many sit back, watch, and say nothing. I cannot. I can no longer.

This is a leadership issue

You are probably thinking to yourself, “Zach, you should stay out of this one. This topic is off-limits. You aren’t a medical professional. You aren’t a politician.” This article isn’t about medical expertise or politics. It’s about three things: integrity, inclusion, and servant leadership. Those are leadership issues. Those are my issues, all day, every day.

Integrity

I value integrity. I believe in doing the right thing. Integrity also means being integrated and whole. It means being true to yourself. As a leader, I know that I get the best work from people when they feel like they can be their true selves on the job.

Across the country, people everywhere are being coerced to disintegrate and go against their personally held beliefs to maintain a job or get an education. This is wrong. This is anti-integrity. This is a leadership antipattern.

Inclusion

I’ve written previously on this blog about my journey and views on racial and gender equality. People conscientiously object to receiving a vaccination for a variety of reasons. For some, it’s a matter of faith. Some are skeptical of the mainstream narrative. Some others adhere to alternative medical practices.

I’m not advocating for a particular viewpoint. I’m advocating for the rights of the minority. Isn’t that what inclusion is all about? The majority doesn’t need to be protected. They have the power and the rights. It is up to leaders to ensure that the minority is heard and protected.

Servant leadership

I’ve written often on servant leadership. In short, it is the people-first approach to leadership. A leader’s role is to lead, but not through coercion. Coercion is always the poorest option. Servant leaders focus on creating environments rich with psychological safety and team member empowerment.

Many advocates of coercive policies believe the ends justify the means. For servant leaders, that’s not good enough. The ends don’t justify the means. The means matter just as much.

Why now?

The unvaccinated don’t have many legal protections. Governments, companies, and universities that discriminate have every legal right to do so, but that doesn’t make it okay. Long ahead of new laws, comes the voice of leaders and advocates that stand on moral ground.

My offer to you

I’m quite fortunate. People in my company aren’t losing their jobs over this. Yet, the world still isn’t safe. Our society is such that people can’t express their thoughts on this topic without inviting ridicule, gaslighting, and hatred. What can I do about that? I can be a safe person to talk to. Some people reading this feel completely alone and isolated. You aren’t. You can talk to me.

My challenge to you

Make yourself a safe person to talk to on this subject. Advocate for the minority. Right now, society is eager to remove the rights and freedoms of tens of millions. Leaders have a responsibility to do better.

Gandhi is commonly credited with the saying, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” You’ve probably heard that quote before. Have you considered how it applies to this issue? Have you considered who has power and who does not?

The conversation

This blog has a comments section. As always, I invite you to comment on this leadership issue that I have raised. Let me know what you think. However, it is not appropriate to use the comments section on my blog as a place to argue a personal point of view on vaccination. That wouldn’t be safe, so I’m not going to allow it. You can certainly contact me directly and privately about anything on your mind.

Finally, the views expressed here are my own. They have not been reviewed or approved by CHS. Thanks for listening.

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