General Grant’s Secret Weapon….Do You Have It?

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It’s 4 am.

He’s fast asleep. Dreaming about daffodils and dandelions. Not a worry in the world.

Suddenly someone barges into the General’s room, shaking him awake.

“Sir! Wake up!” Sweat dripping from the young officer’s chin, anxiety seeping into the room. “The enemy is on our left flank — they’re breaking through!”

How would you respond?

If you were General Ulysses S. Grant, you wouldn’t wake up any differently than if it was a slow Sunday morning.

Ken Burns shares,

Grant had what they call 4 in the morning courage. That meant you could wake him at 4 am and tell him the enemy had turned his left flank — and he’d be as cool as a cucumber.

finding your 4 am courage

Ken Burns uses this story to highlight an aspect of doing quality work.

Burns sees this quality as essential not just for war — but for storytelling.

When it comes to crafting his world-famous documentaries, he says you need courage like General Grant. “What you develop is 4 in the morning courage.”

4 am courage means being unafraid to cut things out. To change direction on a dime and edit ruthlessly. Loving the work you poured yourself into but not being married to it. If something needs to go, it needs to go.

As Faulkner famously said, you need the courage to “kill your darlings.”

what this means for us

We all face moments where 4 am courage is required.

Whether stepping away from a friendship, sunsetting a product feature, or saying goodbye to a job. Life will always present us with opportunities for 4 am courage.

The question is this — how will we respond? As anxiety-inducing setbacks? Or like General Ulysses S. Grant?

The choice is yours.

As for me, I’m trying to muster more 4 am courage.

Even when it’s uncomfortable, even when I’d rather hit snooze.

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