Redeeming Hope

Which leaders do you stand beside?

Wherever I go on my book tour, one of the most pressing questions I get is this one: How can we find the leaders we seek? People’s disgust with the quality of leadership in the country, and in their local communities, is palpable and deep. What can we do?

First off, I am always quick to say that our leaders in Washington, D.C., will not the lead the way forward. In fact, I believe they will be the last ones to join in building improved conditions in public life and politics. They are too mired in their acrimonious and divisive ways; and they are too concerned with pursuing their own personal agendas, personal interests, and personal vendettas. I believe they can hardly see their way clearly to alternate paths in public life and politics.

But I am equally quick to ask the following question of the rest of us: How well do we support the good leaders in our communities? For instance, how often, when a leader comes under fire, do we:

1. Step forward to literally stand beside the individual and vouch for their integrity, even when we do not agree with a particular position?
   
2. Step forward to say clearly that the individual leader is a good person, and that we and others will not stand for scurrilous and mean-spirited attacks against them?
   
3. Step forward to praise an individual leader for taking a tough-minded and principled stand – whether we agree with them or not?

If we want better leaders, then we must exert our own kind of leadership. Only then will the quality of leadership improve. Those of us of good will must step forward to actively and visibly stand beside people of good judgment. We must let our voices and our views be known to others, so that we can put on notice those people who operate through fear and intimidation.

Too many of our good leaders are left standing alone naked in the public square just at the moment when they need us most to stand beside them and vouch for their worthiness. If we want good leaders, then we must vow not to abandon them, and instead find ways to show our support. Our desire for good leadership will require us to act.

So, please, take the test: What leaders do you stand beside?

You can ping this entry by using http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/115 .

Hi Bethe,

Believe it or not, this is my first time responding to a comment on this blog! I vow it won't be my last!

Time is a big issue for people. But what I think you have in mind makes a lot of sense. Why? Because you're fundamentally seeking ways to engage your students. What will be important is that they have the opportunity to makes sense of all the different sources, and to put their thoughts and feelings into their own words. I'm sure this is something you've already thought about.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't thank you for spreading the Institute's work! Thanks.

This issue of "time" keeps calling me back for reconsideration. I'm teaching in a doctoral program in Public Policy and Administration, and most of my students are active professionals. I'm trying to think about the assignments I give them in terms of multi-tasking--for instance, participating in your Blog (where I can watch their thoughts and interactional skills and others can learn about our program) rather than always using the internal online eCollege (or Blackboard) discussion rooms; reading Hope Unravelled as one of our texts (thereby supporting the values of the Institute indirectly by sales); and having them network participants in a couple of other websites together with yours just by referring to thoughts they find there. I don't know whether you would like this--or whether it would work--but it might be one way to change their self-perception from "consumers of an educational product" to "citizens in the real world"? There are some fabulous blogs out there, but the participation in so many of them is sparse probably because of some aspect of this time issue. Thanks for your work!

Last night following a community conversation in our town our State Senator stayed around to talk. I was thinking about how he did have to use his time to be part of the conversation, but he did. I was thinking he could have used that 90 minutes for more time with his family but he was continuing to balance family with his commitment to the community and the job. He is a politician you want to stand up for because he stands up for the people of his district. Rich, I think your words are on target. We have given politics and politicians short shift because we let the stereotypes govern what should be our common-sense thinking. Thanks for the reminder and let's hope those of us reading the blog remember to remind others of the need to stand next to and behind those politicians who are doing the people's work.

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