Intermission

This week, I’m pausing the presentation of installments of my new book to comment on leadership and the U.S. Presidential Election.

—————————————————————

Leadership and the U.S. Presidential Election

America has lost grasp of the meaning of leadership. This concerns me more than the ideologies of the right or left.

What does political leadership look like?

-A person with a clear vision for the future?

-A person who puts the country’s interests ahead of their own?

-A person who stands firm when the stakes are high?

-A person with high integrity?

Or, 

-A person who agrees with us and promises to give us what we want? 

There have been thousands of books written on leadership. An exhaustive list of qualifications would consume pages. But what does leadership boil down to?

My career involved overseeing contract negotiations for a Fortune 500 company. We were a very important customer of many large firms. As such, I had the opportunity to interact with numerous executive leaders. Here are some things I noticed:

1. “A fish rots from the head.”  People don’t fail an organization; rather, leaders fail the people. Whenever I encountered poor performance, incompetence, or shady practices in a firm, it always traced back to leadership. A leader’s personal competence and character matter…a lot!

2. Narssicistic demigods don’t last. Such leaders rule by intimidation. They are feared rather than respected; their organizations don’t thrive.

3. Purpose matters. Leaders with a clear vision and purpose motivate their organizations— results follow. 

4. Strong leaders are honorable— holding themselves to high standards and expecting no less from individuals in their orbit. 

Leadership isn’t as complicated as we make it out to be. Think of the people you associate with and respect; how many are frequent liars? How many always put themselves first? How many demonstrate weak personal values and behaviors? How many bend with the wind, depending on what benefits them personally?

Where does this leave us? 

Unfortunately, Miles’ law applies. Rufus Miles, a bureaucrat in the Truman Administration, is credited with the phrase: “Where one stands on an issue depends on where they sit.” He was clairvoyant! Half the country feels we are headed in the wrong direction and are concerned enough to vote for a candidate whose personal behavior is disqualifying. The other half prefers a candidate who speaks in platitudes and appears to stand for whatever might win an election. 

Many on both sides believe the survival of our democracy hinges on the election outcome. But that doesn’t make sense. When voters are equally divided, democracy produces a stalemate by design. Furthermore, democracy is self-correcting when one side takes the country in the wrong direction. The outcome of this election does not threaten our democracy, but our behaviors might. 

The programs supported by each Presidential candidate significantly add to our Federal budget deficit, which is already spiraling out of control. This is more serious than most people understand. Interest expense already equals expenditures for health and defense. Inflation is crippling all but the very rich. Yet our fiscal stewardship continues to undermine the value of a dollar. 

I am an optimist, but I am worried. People have lost respect for our institutions: Government, Science, Education, Religion, Business, etc. This loss of respect might be warranted, but it’s not good. It suggests we are headed for a big reset, a control-Atl-delete. No one knows what that will look like, but history suggests it won’t be pleasant.  

A continued decline in institutional trust will lead to revolution. Presently, we are experiencing a “soft” revolution that could quickly worsen. Positive change will require two components: regaining trust in institutions and positive visionary leadership. Neither is on the horizon.

So, where does that leave us? 

I suppose a little like ants floating downstream on a log—thinking they’re driving! 

I spend an hour or two daily keeping up with national and world events. It does not leave me in a good mood, so I’ve decided to take action. This week, I canceled the auto-renew feature on the news publications I subscribe to and plan to use the time saved to read sources that put me in touch with the beauty of life. 

Rather than complaining or despairing, we can all take responsibility for improving the world, even if only in our limited spheres of influence. 

For instance:

-We can pursue beauty rather than divisiveness.

-We can extend kindness to one another.

-We can seek to understand rather than judge.

-We can accept that differing opinions do not imply lower intelligence or lack of character. 

-We can hold ourselves and those around us to high standards of integrity and behavior. 

-We can plant a tree. 

My generation didn’t live up to its ideals. The following generations will have to fix this mess. I’m confident my granddaughters and their contemporaries will be up to the task. 

Next Tuesday, democracy will do what it does. Half of the voters will have a bad day. But do not despair! If the outcome leads the country in the wrong direction, democracy will ultimately self-correct.

Whatever the result, let’s channel the positive sentiment expressed by Maya Angelou:

“This is a beautiful day,

I’ve never seen this one before!”

—————————————————————

Installments of The Secret Within can be found here.  

Former blog posts can be found here by subject category and here chronologically. 

You can subscribe to my latest posts by filling in your email address at the bottom of this page.  

My first book, Towards A Life Well-Lived, can be purchased by clicking this link. Proceeds from sales are donated to Peace In Schools, a Portland, Oregon-based organization supporting mindfulness training in high schools.