Where are the Lech Walesa’s, the Margaret Thatcher’s, the Ronald Reagan’s, the Winston Churchill’s, the Golda Maier’s? Where is Mandela, de Klerk, Gandhi, Pope John Paul 11, Harry Truman. Generals MacArthur, Eisenhower and Schwarzkopf. Where are the Chesty Puller’s and George Patton’s….and Admiral Nimitz? And Shirley Chisolm, Margaret Sanger, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King? Lee Iacocca and Pete Rozzelle. TR, FDR and JFK? Lombadri, Auerbach, and Halas? And the list goes on. But curiously, why is it so easy to go back in the past and pick out such names but so difficult to find their current counterparts?
Maybe I’ m just too “old school,” but it seems there is a dearth of leadership in this country right now. When I listen to a Mitt Romney or John Kerry, I just don’t hear that strong sense of vision, that passion to be able to get people to commit 100% and take the necessary action to see that vision become a reality. When JFK was guiding us through the Cuban Missile crisis, that passion was contagious and I had it. I was ready to do whatever was necessary. Great leaders excel in the art of communication and motivation, instilling confidence and enthusiasm, and demonstrating integrity on a consistent basis. JFK instilled that confidence and passion during those 14 scary days in October 1962. I doubt Al Gore could do that for me. Rudolph William Giuliani ? Maybe. Bill First? Never.
In any organization, a leader’s actions set the pace. Such behavior wins trust, loyalty, and ensures the organization’s continued vitality. One of the ways to build trust is to display a good sense of character composed of beliefs, values, skills, and traits. Lee Iacocca once said, “The speed of the boss is the speed of the team.” These days, it’s called walking the talk. If the leaders don’t do it, do not expect the team members to do it. Chesty Puller walked the talk. So did his men. Greenbay Packers, under Coach Vince Lomdardi, would do anything to win his praise. It was called mutual respect.
These leaders didn’t pontificate; they just led by example………..by having the aforementioned ingredients of values, traits, beliefs, and skills. Arguably, President William F. Clinton was a chief executive who produced rock solid results, but did he demonstrate integrity on a consistent basis? President Richard M. Nixon’s ability to be visionary is historically manifest but he too stumble along the way.
In their work “Leaders,” researchers Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus conclude, “Leaders articulate and define what has previously remained implicit or unsaid; then they invent images, metaphors, and models that provide a focus for new attention. By so doing, they consolidate or challenge prevailing wisdom. In short, an essential factor in leadership is the capacity to influence and organize meaning for the members of the organization.” They continue, “Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing. The difference may be summarized as activities of vision and judgment — effectiveness verses activities of mastering routine — efficiency.” In this sense, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are leaders of today, for they created technical models that provided a focus for rapt attention.
Bennis and Nanus describe leaders as changing the basic metabolism of the organization. Business lecturer Tom Peters wrote that leaders, “must create new worlds. And then destroy them; and then create anew (’Thriving On Chaos’).” Interestingly, Peters defines visions as aesthetic and moral — as well as strategically sound, which, of course, would eliminate Hitler’s quest of the world as being a vision. Martin Luther King had a vision that was not only proclaimed, but was lived convincingly and was an exemplar of the process. MLK walked the talk. Pete Rozzelle had a vision for the National Football League and he influenced those around him to carry out his vision. He took the league to the next level. Ella Grasso, first woman elected state Governor in her own right (Connecticut), shut that state down during the Blizzard of 78. It was a decisive action by a great leader.
How do today’s leaders stack up? The McCain’s, Hillary’s, Biden’s, First’s, Tommy Frank’s, Paul Bremer’s, Wes Clark’s, Judd’s, Jeb’s, and so many others…….how do they stack up on the leadership index? Does our own Senator John Sununu have what it takes to become a great leader? Maybe. Does Hillary? Will she walk the talk? Time will tell.
And what about today’s business leaders? We have Carol Bartz, Muriel Siebert and Robert L. Johnson. Michael Dell, the Wyatt’s and the Wrigley’s and they are darn good…..but where are the Lou Gerstner’s, Jack Welch’s Harold Geneen’s and Lee Iacocca’s? The Hewlett’s and the Packard’s. The Ken Olsen’s, An Wang’s and IBM’s Watson’s? The Land’s and the Eastman’s. Today, an alarming number seem to be doing the “Perp Walk” on television, slurping excessive pay at the corporate trough, or playing insider tips on the stock market. Some are even called “Celebrity CEO’s” as if they were movie stars or super athletes. How nauseous is that? Business ethics seems to have become an oxymoron. Today’s corporate leaders seem to be saying, “do as I say, not as I do.” Their obscene compensatory behavior is is hardly the stuff of leadership. Thankfully, we have the Gates and the Buffets, but there are too few like them. Regrettably, the period 2001 through 2004 will go down as the period of great corporate accounting scandals and that is just plain shameful.
What ever became of the Y.A.Tittle’s and Sonny Jorgensen’s who would take their bloody lumps and get up ready for more, instilling in their team mates a sense of dedication seldom seen these days. That was “old school” leadership. Today’s leadership is doing the boogoloo in the end zone after a touchdown.
Closer to home, how does one recognize a leader? Recognizing that no one is perfect, what are some traits to look for? What about that special kind of leader in the Mount Washington Valley? Maybe he or she will possess some of the following:
Personal ethics and integrity should top any list. “Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.” Albert Einstein
Courage…..the willingness to take risks and be accountable for the outcome. “Last, but by no means least, courage moral courage, the courage of one’s convictions, the courage to see things through……” Douglas MacArthur
Inspires and motivates……nothing is as contagious as genuine enthusiasm. “If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.” Vince Lombardi
Committed, dedicated and cool under pressure…….inspires confidence. “Dedication is not what others expect of you, it is what you can give to others.” Unknown source
A desire to envision and create. “A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.” Denis Waitley
The ability to prioritize. “If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s important and then give it all you’ve got.” Lee Iacocca
A genuine desire to help others succeed. “The more I help others to succeed, the more I succeed.” Ray Kroc, Founder of MacDonald’s.
Decisiveness. “If I had to sum up what makes a good manager, I’d say decisiveness…..in the end you have to set a timetable and act.” Lee Iacocca
Know anybody like this in the Valley? I think I might know a few. Like to work for someone like this? I’ll bet they are around; the trick is to find them.
“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.” Harold S. Geneen
Ted Sares, PhD, is a private investor who lives and writes in the White Mountain area of Northern New Hampshire with his wife Holly and Min Pin Jackdog. He writes a weekly column for a local newspaper and many of his other pieces are widely published.
His works focus on issues and themes dealing with socio-political topics, business and economics in which he advocates a free market approach to capitalism, patriotism, and matters dealing with individual freedom.They are frequently inspirational in nature and sometimes reflect the Objectivist philosophy of novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. He also writes short stories that feature ironic and surprise twists.
