A Few Thoughts on Leadership

 

               As our current Presidential campaign gets underway, I’d like to take a few moments to think about leadership. After all, we like to refer to the American President as the most powerful man, perhaps someday woman, in the free world. We want to choose a person with outstanding leadership traits. As a soldier who started out as a private and ended up twenty-seven years later as a lieutenant colonel, I learned what makes a good leader. I served under some of the best leaders in the military, and some of the worst. I also served as a leader in some of the most difficult situations, in peacetime and in combat. After retiring from the Army, I spent eleven years teaching in High School and Junior High, both leadership crucibles. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things about what it takes to be a leader. 

               A good leader must be compassionate. As a leader, I often made decisions that had profound consequences, good and bad. As a commander of troops, periodically I had to put someone out of the service, a task I never really enjoyed. Once, I had to prosecute and jail a soldier for multiple instances of sex with a minor, and though I was pleased to see him shuffle off in an orange jumpsuit after conviction, I never forgot the pain this caused his family or the indelible pain he visited upon his victims and their families. Even though all the soldiers I lead into combat came back in one piece, the stress involved profoundly changed all those involved. Leaders need to remember that their decisions effect real people in very real ways. A leader without compassion runs over the people in their organization…or country…without compunction. Sometimes leaders must make decisions that cause pain; but, they should never do so casually.

               A good leader understands that they represent and must care for all the people in their organization. Again as a leader of troops, I was responsible for all the members of my organization, not just the ones that pleased me or I felt were like me. It was my job to set the conditions for all of my soldiers to succeed. As a teacher, I needed to give my best, even to those students who actively worked against me and did not want to learn what I had to teach. A president is not just working for those who elected them. They represent and work for the entire country. We do not need leaders who consider those who disagree with them their enemy, for the president represents the entire population Republican, Democrat, Independent, and other alike. They must work for and protect those whose lifestyles they find offensive and do so with the same vigor as they work for those whose lifestyles they find comfortable.

A good leader respects others. In our multicultural society, we must work with others, respecting them despite our differences. When a leader looks down on and ridicules those who are different, they shut the door to cooperation and limit solutions. A good leader eschews making fun of those who may differ. A person who seeks to elevate themselves by putting down others, especially for their disabilities, forfeits the ability to lead the rest of us. Such behavior reveals a timid fearful soul. Ridicule bends any discussion away from the facts at hand and must be avoided.

               A good leader must rightly handle truth. Those who are unable to tell the truth when under pressure show themselves as unfit for any position of public trust. Of course, all of us fail from time to time; however, some public figures consistently prevaricate, and this trait renders them unsuitable for leadership positions. We must be able to trust those who occupy positions of leadership and power and an inability to tell the truth has a corrosive effect on trust. Simply put, a habitual liar is not worthy of our trust, no matter the policies they embrace.

               A good leader respects, works with, and strengthens ties with allies. Despite our preeminence in the community of nations, we need our allies. A good leader works to build up those things that bind us together and understands that in all these relationships there is an element of give and take. We do not always get everything we want. Sometimes we must give to maintain good international order.

               A good leader constantly learns. All leaders come to the job with a skill-set or they would not be leaders; however, true leaders understand that they come to the job with knowledge deficits. As an officer in the Army, I was constantly assigned to positions for which I was manifestly unprepared. I had to identify those with appropriate knowledge and experience and then learn from them. That takes a certain level of humility. A leader unwilling to admit their own ignorance cannot adequately serve the country. The United States is a large country and the problems and challenges we face are complex and multifaceted. No person possesses adequate knowledge to address all the issues, which is why we have a cabinet and the other apparatuses of government. A good leader takes input, and not just from those who agree with him. A good leader understands that even those in the opposition have good ideas and seeks their input. All leaders at all levels need the trait of being a life-long learner.

               A good leader has a strong moral compass. In the often-murky world of governmental affairs, a leader needs a firm grasp of fundamental right and wrong. Might does not make right. A good leader takes the time to discern the right course of action and then summons the moral courage to see it through. Frequently those of their party or other interest groups may urge them to take morally insupportable actions that will forward the party cause; yet, they must possess enough courage to say no. Some of the components of a moral compass a leader needs are: an ability to tell the truth, fidelity to a promise made, compassion for the weak, courage in the face of adversity, and respect for others. These universal moral imperatives, and there may be others, enable a person to lead others.

               A good leader listens to divergent points of view. While in various leadership positions in the Army, I found that often those who viewed things differently than I did contributed key components or ideas to the success of any given operation. I found that I did not understand everything and those with differing points of view often provided key insights. A good leader listens to others, taking in their ideas. Finding the solutions to gordian problems requires a leader to take input from many different quarters.

               A good leader is flexible. A good leader understands that the world is dynamic and solving problems requires a certain amount of give and take. Being too wedded to a policy may lead to serious failure. What may have worked well in the past, may not work well in the present. A willingness to try new strategies, to set off in new directions as it were, helps a leader explore new avenues, perhaps leading to greater success.

               As we consider who we want to lead our nation through the next four years, we must take the time to assess candidates on their leadership qualifications. The president is only one part of the government. They are the one official who represents us all and a good, strong leader transcends mere policy considerations. A president must work with congress and within the confines of constitutional law as understood by the Supreme Court. After all, a leader who stokes the fires of division cannot possibly unite the nation no matter their policies.