In the city of Denver, while I was vice-president, a big husky policeman kept following me around until I asked him what he was doing. He said he was guarding my person. I said: 'Your labor is in vain. Nobody was ever crazy enough to shoot at a vice-president. If you will go away and find somebody to shoot at me, I'll go down in history as the first vice-president who ever attracted enough attention even to have a crank shoot at him.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A vice-president jokingly dismissed protection efforts, believing he was too unimportant to be targeted.
- In plain terms
- The vice-president joked that nobody would shoot him because he was not important enough.
- What can you take from it?
- Leadership roles do not always attract the attention you expect.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do leaders underestimate their own visibility?
Another view
Underestimating risk can lead to inadequate security.
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