Hill after hill, without knowing what lies beyond: the line keeps going.
Leadership Quality #3
Commitment: Without commitment, no one can become an outstanding leader.
Leadership Quality #6
Courage: Courage doesn’t mean having no fear, but acting in spite of it.
3 min read4 sectionsSituationLink to the quality
Contents
“Lockerbie: A Search for Truth” is a five-part series based on a screenplay by David Harrower. In Germany it has been running on Sky Atlantic and WOW since January 16, 2025, under its English title. Colin Firth plays the physician Dr. Jim Swire. It is based on a book by Swire and Peter Biddulph. The series therefore follows Swire’s view of the bombing of December 21, 1988, and that view is disputed. As an example of the Quality of Commitment, his story is instructive all the same.
A golden spiral circles in ever tighter rounds around an open, dashed ring at the centre – like the decades-long search for truth in “Lockerbie”.
01
A mission born of loss
Situation
Swire’s daughter Flora is on Pan Am Flight 103, which explodes over Lockerbie in Scotland. 270 people die. In the series, the family learns that there was a warning beforehand. Swire becomes the spokesman for British relatives and demands an independent inquiry. It is refused, so he investigates himself.
Link to the quality
Commitment arises when someone makes a cause their own. Swire takes on a task that nobody assigned to him. Leaders recognize real commitment by the fact that it still holds after a rejection.
02
A risky piece of proof
Situation
In May 1990, Swire smuggles a fake bomb through security at London Heathrow and flies with it to the USA. It consists of a cassette recorder and marzipan. He wants to show that security has hardly been improved. Among the relatives, this met with both approval and rejection.
Link to the quality
Here the secondary link becomes visible: the Quality of Courage. Swire puts his reputation on the line to expose a failing. The action is not one to imitate. The insight behind it is: those who want to change something bear a risk themselves.
03
Twelve years until the trial
Situation
The series shows Swire’s journey to Libya and his meeting with head of state Gaddafi. Only in 2000 does the trial of two Libyans begin in the Netherlands. In January 2001, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is convicted and the second defendant acquitted.
Link to the quality
Commitment is measured by its duration. Enthusiasm lasts for months, a promise lasts for years. Leaders should ask themselves which goals they keep pursuing even when no progress is visible for a long time.
04
Committed to the truth, not to the outcome
Situation
Swire doubts the evidence and believes Megrahi is innocent. He visits him in prison and founds a campaign for him. Many relatives, especially in the USA, reject this. A group of US relatives accused the series of spreading unsubstantiated theories. The series also shows how Swire’s family suffers from his search.
Link to the quality
Swire stays with his question even though the verdict offers him closure. That costs him approval. But commitment needs a counterweight. Those who hold on to a conviction for a long time must listen to dissent and see the price paid by the people around them.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
01
Make a cause your own instead of waiting for an assignment.
02
Hold on to your goal when the first rejection comes.
03
For big undertakings, think in years, not in weeks.
04
Listen to the objections of those who do not share your view.
05
Pay attention to what your dedication costs your family and your team.
Summary
The series shows a father who turns a loss into a commitment lasting decades. It tells the story from his perspective and therefore remains open to attack. For leaders, the value lies in the pattern: persevere, bear the risks yourself, endure dissent. Commitment only shows once it costs something.
