February, 2008 - #7

Speech reference and key words: Leadership, Values, Candidate, Trust

Some Thoughts About Leadership

In this era of intense political hostility and widespread distrust of the basic institutions of society, fault-finding has become a way of life. Many people in leadership positions are part of the problem.

We need guides to lead us out of the angry toward the friendly and cooperative. True leaders have attributes that haven't had much attention for several decades. It would be well to remind ourselves of some of those attributes...

Excerpt

"As our visit drew to a conclusion (in conversation with a college student of obvious brains and talent, who was spending a prolonged term in a foreign jail for an offense having to do with illegal drugs), I asked at what points he would focus his attention if he were a member of the Drug Commission, in order to try to help other people avoid the sequence of decisions and actions which led to his jail sentence. He responded quickly more or less in these words: "I would try to convince the people in positions of leadership to accept the responsibility of their positions, to stand up and be counted on those things they consider important. For some reason, most adults seem unwilling to say flat out what their experience has taught them about the complicated business of living. Why do you people in education give your students the double talk about everyday decisions, and save your glory statements for pronouncements about Vietnam or civil rights or some other important but remote situation? Why do you leave the young to flounder around, trying to learn what is good sense and what is error by experiment or guesswork.”

I have periodically thought about his comment and his question, but I haven't talked much about, them because I haven't been able to figure out a very satisfactory answer. Why are people in positions of responsibility reluctant to say publicly and unselfconsciously this is what I believe, and believe with every fiber of my being? I still don't know. And I feel awkward in taking a try at it now, but, friends, here we go for better or for worse, so fasten your seat belts."  ...link to full text of the speech or  ...download full text