It was 1998 and Dave, a friend of mine, was deeply sick with cancer. We all knew at any moment things would change for his family. He was a much older man than we were and we respected him as a much wiser-than-we-were kinda guy.

At 3am on a terribly cold wednesday morning, my sick friend's wife called another friend of mine who was my mentor at the time. His name is Frank. She told him that Dave was in terrible shape and asked him if there is anything he could do to help. Frank jumped out of bed and drove 30 minutes across town to be with Dave and his family.
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When Frank arrived, Dave could barely speak, had lost so much weight that he had no energy to move or stand. Frank picked up Dave and carried him into the shower, cleaned him off, and then placed him in a chair in front of the bathroom mirror. Frank shaved Dave's face until he looked picture perfect.

Frank then went into Dave's closet and grabbed his military uniform from his past, clothed him and adjusted all his medals on his shirt and jacket. Then Frank carried him into the living room to sit upright next to his wife.
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It was within that same hour that Dave died. In his house, in his favorite outfit next to the love of his life, leaving behind a powerful final memory of the man she truly remembers looking his most proud.
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When Frank cleaned, shaved and dressed a dying man, he was showing visionary leadership from his heart. He saw from a distance the situation as it meant for others, not just himself and prepared Dave to experience it at his best. Frank knew that the future was imminent which meant that the time to act was now. He crossed the chasm between thinking and execution with those around him, and in doing so, translated a needed vision into reality.
‍This is true leadership.