We must do what they fear – tell the truth, spread the truth. This is the most powerful weapon against this regime of liars, thieves, and hypocrites. Everyone has this weapon, so make use of it.
-Alexei Navalny
Alexei Nvalany grew up splitting his time between military bases in Russia and spending the summer in what’s now Ukraine. His worldview was influenced heavily growing up by several world events. First was the Chernobyl disaster and the impact that it had on his extended family and friends who lived in the area. Life on a military base influenced him – He saw firsthand the sacrifices that were being made in the Russian-Afghanistan war, and experienced shortfalls in provisions where his family struggled to get milk at times for his little brother. There was also the fall of the USSR and a glimpse into a new level of freedom that showed him what the possibilities could be for his community.
Alexei would grow up to be a great leader for the Anti-Corruption Foundation and would make headlines across the globe for his activism and drive to secure the Russian people the freedom that they desired.
He followed his convictions
There are few people in our current era who have led a life of conviction like Alexei Navalny. He was a man who saw the impact that a corrupt and power-hungry government had on its people. Alexei initially tried to make an impact as a lawyer and later ran for office, but truly found his calling as an advocate for reform using social media. He would commonly call out corruption of the highest-ranking officials and their associates.
In his words, his actions were driven by a few principles. “The best way to elect leaders is through honest and free elections. Everyone needs a fair legal system. Corruption destroys the state. There should be no censorship.” All of these things are easy to say, and easy to agree with in a free country, but extremely difficult to change in a place where those liberties aren’t already afforded to its people.
Alexei ultimately gave up everything to follow and stand by his convictions.
What do you believe in so much that it guides your actions? Think this week about those subjects and categories of things and evaluate:
- What has changed over the years for you? Were there events or growth that evolved your view?
- How have you advocated for yourself and others in those areas/
- Are there opportunities to continue to grow or refine your convictions?
Your convictions will heavily influence, just as they did with Alexei, the legacy that you leave (or don’t) during your time on Earth.
He knew the danger and stepped up anyway
Alexei had at least two assassination attempts on his life. In 2017, he was sprayed in the face with a bright-green dye that was filled with unknown chemicals. He lost 80% of his sight in his left eye. In 2019, he was imprisoned and later sent to the hospital for severe allergic reactions in his eyes and skin. His personal doctor determined that he had come in contact with “the damaging effects of an undetermined chemical.” In 2020, a Russian group laced his underwear with a highly potent chemical agent and nearly succeeded in killing him. His flight was diverted as he became ill mid-flight and fell into a coma. It wasn’t until he was moved to Germany under the care of their best doctors that he began to make a recovery.
All of that happened in just three years.
Each attempt made him more passionate and determined to seek freedom for the Russian people. Sometimes we’ll be called to step up, and perhaps the threat or consequence will be much smaller than what Alexei faced, but it will still cause you to pause before taking that brave step forward. When the time comes and your inner voice is telling you to give up and walk away, remember your “Why”. Why are you leading like you are? Who are you representing? Who is counting on you? What are the implications if you do walk away? Sometimes getting re-grounded in your purpose helps give you that mental fortitude to keep pushing forward.
He kept a sense of humor even in the toughest of times
Alexei had a great sense of humor that shone through no matter how dire the situation was. You would think that after two confirmed assassination attempts, he would be pretty bitter. I know that I would be! He never lost that core cheerfulness of who he was. It can be seen in the documentary “Navalany” as he shares his story of tracking down the group that tried to kill him the second time. He’s also seen watching Rick and Morty on the flight back to Russia, where he knows that he will be immediately arrested and put in prison. In his book, Patriot, the second half of the book is a collection of letters he wrote from prison leading up to his death. He is in one of the worst prisons in the world, and he describes in funny detail the doctors, guards, and prison environment itself.
He refused to let a person or government steal his joy.
Humor is a great trait to infuse into your leadership (Show #44). It shows authenticity to those that you lead, makes you more relatable to others, and helps you not take yourself too seriously. Are you intentional in being light-hearted with yourself and others? Areas to focus on here include:
Find the humor in everyday things – Even when Alexei was moved to solitary confinement and “exercise time” was moved to 6.30 AM in the artic, he found the humor in everyday things. He wrote about the silliness of the guards dressed up watching him in the cold, enjoying brisk walks in the small confined outdoor spaces, and what the guards and interviewers would talk about with him.
Focus on the positive – Knowing that his imprisonment length kept getting extended, he knew it would take the fall of the regime to get him out of prison. Despite a hopeless situation, he worked on his mindset to appreciate the small things that were going on around him, his interactions with others, writing his letters, and the rare chances to meet people he knew face to face. Thankfully, our situations aren’t this dire, but what a great reminder to seek out those positive things that happen around us, even in the hard times.
Understand when to leverage humor – Alexei was extremely witty and smart. Although his humor got him into trouble with the government on a number of occasions, he understood, especially in prison, how humor could be properly used. He still kept his humor with the guards and doctors, but kept the most witty things in his letters. Remember that there is a right and wrong time to lean into humor.
A few interesting facts
- He convinced the government to establish an election process for the Mayor of Moscow. They agreed and in 2013, placed 2nd in the race. Although he did not win, it raised his prominence as an opposition leader in the country.
- Navalny was a Yale World Fellow – a member of a prestigious program for leaders and policymakers.
- He won multiple awards, including the European Parliament’s human rights prize; The Courage Award from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights; and the Dresden Peace Prize, among others.
- His parents are basket-making factory owners, and he considered himself half Russian, half Ukrainian.
- His lawyers were arrested, imprisoned, and charged with “participating in an extremist community” for passing on his letters and messages from prison to the public. Those letters make up the 2nd half of his memoir.
Alexei Navalny was a leader whom I greatly admired. He was a man who truly stood on his convictions and fought for the rights of the people of his nation. He truly lived his life as a leader and ultimately paid the price with his life because he refused to back down or give up. I highly recommend the Oscar-winning documentary Navalny as a starting point to dive into his story and his memoir, Patriot, as a further read. Below is a portrait of Alexei that is on display in our home, by Atlanta artist Fabian Williams.
Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH
