JFK and the Absolutes of Leadership

I’ve had the fortune of sitting down face-to-face with some of the world’s great leaders. My point is not to impress. I am lucky to have the position I do to meet them.

My point is I can’t remember talking to any of them about leadership where each did not refer to President John F. Kennedy. Whether he is bigger than life because of his untimely death – or if he is just universally admired with an approval rating of 70.1 percent according to Gallup, he clearly possessed the tangible and intangible traits that make a leader great.

As a perpetual student of leadership, through my interviews with great leaders, I was able to learn and amalgamate what I deemed the Twelve Absolutes of Leadership.

John F. Kennedy has all twelve. Here is each “absolute” and why President Kennedy exemplified each.

1. LEAD – These famous words, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” encapsulated leadership. With those words, President Kennedy inspired a nation. Leading is less abut analytics and decisions, more about aligning, motivating and empowering others. Kennedy launched his short Presidency and motivated a nation to move purposefully forward with a focus on tomorrow.

2. PURPOSE – On May 25, 1961 before a joint session of Congress, President Kennedy stated that the United States should set as a goal the "landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth" by the end of the decade. In doing so, he gave the entire nation a purpose, a vision. Purpose enables dozens, hundreds and in this case, a nation to make thousands of decisions in unison.

3. STRATEGY – is the ability to nimbly adapt to changing conditions and not lose sight of ultimate goals. While one could argue that every president must employ strategy in every decision, Kennedy was pushed to the strategic, decision-making edge – probably further than any other President -- during the Cuban Missile Crisis (per #10).

4. LEARN – To be an effective leader, you must demonstrate learning agility – the ability to learn from experience and apply that learning to new, first-time situations. For Kennedy, probably a great and painful learning lesson was the Bay of Pigs – a botched attempt to oust Fidel Castro from power in Cuba. Under the President’s direction, the mission was undermanned. The failed attempt led to death of the invaders.

Plus, as chronicled, the invasion “made Kennedy appear weak, inexperienced, indecisive, and the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khruschev, tried to capitalize on the youthful American president’s failings. and emboldened.”

Kennedy regretted his decisions and said, “I’d rather be an aggressor than a bum.”

5. PEOPLE – In leadership, quite simply, results are only as good as the people on your team. But rather than being a collection of stars, a great leader assembles a mosaic of talents that work together, complement one another and carry the organization forward.

President Kennedy, after a difficult primary against Lyndon Johnson, made Johnson Vice President – showing willingness to put politics aside and pick accomplished people. His Administration was a mosaic including such notables as Robert Kennedy, Dean Rusk, Robert McNamara, and Arthur Goldberg.

6. MEASURE -- The purpose of measuring and monitoring is to carry you forward into action. Of course, through the challenge of landing a man on the moon, the President set forth a challenge ultimately measured by that achievement.

But, measurement also comes with incremental progress such as the Civil Rights Movement. While many may argue that we have not achieved equal rights for all under the law – we have come a long way since 1960.

7. EMPOWER – The bridge from planning to action is empowerment of others, not yourself. People must empower themselves and the leader’s job is to inspire that empowerment.

Kennedy inspired thousands of students to live and work in developing countries around the world; dedicate themselves to the cause of peace and development. It inspired the beginning of the Peace Corps -- an inspiration of empowered young people that lasts today.

8. REWARD -- is not about money – it is about celebration of milestones. Perhaps the greatest reward Kennedy gave this nation – he actually never witnessed. It could have been the crowning achievement in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and said, “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

9. ANTICIPATE – As a leader you need to create the vision, but must also anticipate the future that others cannot yet envision. Again the race to space – and saying we would land a man safely on the moon was the unimaginable to America and the world. The byproduct of that challenge drove a nation to accelerate the computer age and more.

10. NAVIGATE – Is to perpetually set a strategy in an ever changing environment. This was obviously apparent in the Cuban Missile Crisis. And an iconic story was that of PT109. The PT boat was struck by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. The entire PT crew was thrown into the waters. Kennedy towed injured crew member, Patrick H. McMahon, 4 miles to a small island to the southeast. All eleven survivors made it to the island after having spent a total of fifteen hours in the water.

11. COMMUNICATE – Communication is connection and inspiration. But, communication is also a leader’s information highway, it flows freely in each direction – in good times and especially in challenging ones.

No time was more challenging for President Kennedy than the Cuban Missile Crisis when the US and Soviet Union came close to a nuclear conflict. Key to averting the conflict was constant intense communication between Kennedy and Soviet Premier, Nikita Khruschev.

12. LISTEN – Listening as a leadership skill involves observing with one’s eyes and ears, picking up tone, nuance and body language.

By listening to the nation, and Reverend Martin Luther King, President Kennedy took action and was instrumental in making the Civil Rights movement a reality. In office, he appointed an unprecedented number of African Americans to high-level positions, strengthened the Civil Rights Commission, spoke out in favor of school desegregation, praised a number of cities for integrating their schools, and had a President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity.

So, on this day, while a nation remembers President Kennedy, we are all absolutely reminded of remarkable leadership.

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Photo: Central Press/Stringer / Getty Images