The Choluteca Bridge, located in Honduras, is also known as the Bridge of Rising Sun. The bridge was built by Hazama Ando Corporation between 1996 and 1998 and became the largest bridge constructed by a Japanese company in Latin America.
In the same year the bridge was commissioned for use, Honduras was hit by Hurricane Mitch, which caused considerable damage to the nation and its infrastructure. Many bridges were damaged while some were destroyed, but the Choluteca Bridge survived with minor damage. While the bridge itself was in near perfect condition, the roads on either end of the bridge had completely vanished, leaving no visible trace of their prior existence. More impressively, the Choluteca River (which is several hundred feet wide) had carved itself a new channel during the massive flooding caused by the hurricane. It no longer flowed beneath the bridge, which now spanned dry ground. The bridge quickly became known as, “The Bridge to No Where.” In 2003, the bridge was reconnected to the highway.
The Choluteca Bridge was strong, firmly anchored and immovable. While these are the qualities one hopes for when driving over a bridge, are these the qualities one looks for in today’s leaders?Le
Leaders Know, In an Ever Changing World, Change is Bound to Happen
Much like what occurs in nature, due to nature, things have a tendency to change, even when you think it won’t. Change can be difficult to adapt to, however, change is going to happen. Baby Boomers can remember the days of rotary phones attached to a wall. Back then, a mobile phone was when you had a long cord attached to the receiver which enabled you to take the phone into another room for what you thought was privacy. Today, technology and the way of doing business change much more rapidly. Like a river that can carve itself a new channel, life, projects and leadership are fluid and can change directions in the blink of an eye. Be ready and willing to accept and work with inevitable change. When necessary, be the change agent.
Leaders Are Firm but Flexible
The dichotomy of the Choluteca Bridge and Choluteca River is one worth comparing. While the bridge itself remained firmly anchored, which is what one hopes for when commuting over such a structure, the river, by way of a storm, found a different route to continue its forward progress. Sometimes the storms of life can cause us to re-think our goals and how we attain them. After Hurricane Mitch moved through the area, the bridge had become obsolete while the river found a new path. Leaders need to be flexible enough to know when and how to administer change, otherwise they will become obsolete.
Leaders Are Anchored in Core Values
In an ever changing world, core values are a constant. Core values define what we stand for. The values we live by are not simply a mission statement or a job description but the essence of who we are. While difficulties and challenges may cause us to re-think certain goals and objectives, the storms of life don’t cause us to abandon our core values.