What Does Leadership Look Like?

Occupying a position of authority does not necessarily make someone a leader. This holds true whether the role is at a startup, or an established company, or even the highest office in the U.S. government.

It’s all too common for people to become “bosses” without demonstrating the ability to lead. 

That’s not to say that “bosses” don’t wield power; they absolutely do, but in the absence of leadership they can only influence others by fear. Companies and governments are organized as hierarchies, which can encourage authoritarian rule by those at the top. 

It’s far easier to rule by fiat than to lead through influence, but the latter approach will engender loyalty and enduring support. Individuals begrudgingly obey an autocratic ruler, but willingly follow someone they embrace as their leader. 

True leaders emerge by providing each of the following to the larger group:

• Stability
• Inspiration
• Respect
• Recognition
• Vision

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Stability

“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

— Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the United States of America)

Stability is the basis of leadership. During periods of uncertainty, people respond to a strong voice guiding them through the storm. In periods of calm, stability comes in the form of lasting institutions that serve as a moral compass for the population.

American democracy remains strong to this day, largely based on The Declaration of Independence written in 1776. Thomas Jefferson was tasked with writing the first draft, including these words which every U.S. citizen should embrace:

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Jefferson also drafted The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which addressed both freedom of conscience and the principle of separation of church and state. The Virginia statute became a model for the First Amendment of the United States Constitution: 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Words matter. Choosing the right ones provide stability and can guide long-term institutions. Both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution have directed the evolution of our country for nearly 250 years. The Constitution remains the law of the land — outlasting any single president.

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Inspiration

“ If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” 

— John Quincy Adams (6th President of the United States of America)

John Quincy Adams’ election was decided by the House of Representatives under the provisions of the 12th Amendment to the United States Constitution — because no candidate received a majority of the electoral vote. This was the first (but, not the last) U.S. Presidential election where the elected president lost the popular vote. 

Although noteworthy for the circumstances of his election, John Quincy Adams continued to inspire in the years after his presidential term.

Adams served in Congress after his presidency and was one of its leading voices against slavery. In 1836, Adams vocally opposed the “gag rule” (proposed by Southern Representatives) which prevented discussion or debate about slavery. Adams antagonized the pro-slavery faction of Congress into an open fight, attacking slavery and slaveholders as immoral. Adams’ fight finally ended in 1844 when his motion to repeal the “gag rule” was carried by a vote of 108 to 80.

In 1841, Adams played a role in the case of United States v. The Amistad, which was tried before the U.S. Supreme Court. This case was the result of enslaved Africans breaking free from their captors while aboard the Spanish vessel La Amistad. Adams joined the case on behalf of the 39 enslaved Africans, and ultimately the court ruled they were “declared to be free, and be dismissed from the custody of the court, and go without delay.”

When a leader takes the right actions, it provides inspiration for others to achieve greatness.

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Respect

“If you treat people right they will treat you right… ninety percent of the time.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States of America)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (“FDR”) is the only president in U.S. history to win four elections. He held the presidency from March 1933 to his death in April 1945. FDR led the country through two major crises: the Great Depression and the Second World War.

FDR’s first challenge was to lead the domestic recovery from the Great Depression. In March 1933, the civilian unemployment rate was 25% and the stock market was down 85% from its height in 1929. This was the backdrop of Roosevelt’s inauguration speech, where he spoke these words:

…first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. 

Although the country was facing an immediate domestic crisis in the Great Depression, Roosevelt understood the U.S. still needed to lead globally. Later in the very same speech, FDR addressed the role of America’s influence in foreign affairs:

In the field of world policy I would dedicate this Nation to the policy of the good neighbor — the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others — the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbors.

These words of diplomacy and respect aren’t the most quoted in FDR’s speech, but they speak volumes about his leadership through both the Great Depression and the Second World War. 

During the first 100 days as President, Roosevelt initiated federal programs, public works projects, and financial reforms and bundled them together as the New Deal. He enabled citizens to maintain their dignity while on the road to recovery, putting them to work in many programs such as the Tennessee Valley Authority. 

In his Second New Deal with the American people, FDR initiated programs that demonstrated respect for all U.S. citizens:

• established the Work Projects Administration (WPA) to employ millions of unemployed Americans
• enacted the Social Security Act to provide economic security for the elderly, the poor, and the sick
• the National Labor Relations Act was signed into law, to guarantee basic rights of private sector employees 

In Roosevelt’s first term as President, unemployment fell from 25% to 14.3%. By the end of FDR’s presidency, unemployment had dropped to below 2%. These were monumental achievements (more than any other presidency), but Roosevelt also led the nation through the Second World War.

Roosevelt died in April 1945, just a few months before the end of World War II. But before his death, FDR helped draft the Declaration by the United Nations which formed the basis of the United Nations. Even during a time of war, Roosevelt helped establish an institution where each country is a neighbor “…who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbors.”

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Recognition

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

— Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States of America)

Harry Truman was Vice-President during FDR’s final term in office. On the 12th of April 1945, Truman was summoned to the White House and informed of FDR’s death by Eleanor Roosevelt. Truman’s first instinct was to ask the new widow what he could do for her. Her response: “Is there anything we can do for you? For you are the one in trouble now.” Truman’s instinct in this moment of transition demonstrated the selflessness of his character.

Continuing upon the work of FDR, Truman supported the creation of the UN and signed the United Nations Charter in June 1945.

In April 1948, Truman signed the Marshall Plan to aid 18 Western European nations affected by the Second World War. The plan’s namesake was not Truman, but Secretary of State George Marshall. Under the 4 years of the Marshall Plan, the United States donated $13 billion to help rebuild post-war Western Europe.

In April 1949, Truman joined forces with Canada and several European countries to establish the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) — a formal peacetime military alliance with the aim to contain Soviet expansion and support democratic ideals. Truman appointed General Dwight D. Eisenhower as the first Supreme Commander of NATO. 

Truman also established the National Security Council (NSC), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA). These organizations were created to maintain the sovereignty of the United States and the security of its citizens. Truman established these lasting institutions while eschewing personal recognition.

An archive of the Obama administration’s website describes the National Security Council and Truman’s role in its creation:

The National Security Council (NSC) is the President’s principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. Since its inception under President Truman, the Council’s function has been to advise and assist the President on national security and foreign policies. The Council also serves as the President’s principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies.

Under the Trump administration, the National Security Council is roiled in controversy. In January 2017, Trump restructured the NSC by removing the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff while adding Steve Bannon, a controversial figure. This change drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats; by April 2017, Bannon was removed from the NSC. More recently as a result of the 2017 Special Council investigation, one of Trump’s foreign security advisors has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. 

The Trump administration’s website for the NSC removes any mention of Truman and simply says: “Check back soon for more information.”

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Vision

“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” 

— Barack Obama (44th President of the United States of America)

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961, two years after it became the 50th state in the union. His mother was born in Kansas, and his father was from Kenya. Obama was the first elected President born in the state of Hawaii. He was also the first African American to serve as President.

In his first inaugural address, Obama talked about about the vision of leaders coupled with the resolve of the people:

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents.

President Obama inherited an American economy in turmoil from the Great Recession, which many economists consider the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Within his first year in office, Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to spur economic growth. 12 months later, the private sector started creating more jobs than it was losing — a trend which continued for the next 23 months.

Obama’s accomplishments through his two terms in office include the following:

• passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, after five presidents over a century failed to create universal health insurance
• signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to re-regulate the financial sector after the Great Recession.
• ended the war in Iraq, pulling out all U.S. troops in December 2011
• ordered the special forces raid which resulted in the killing of terrorist leader Osama bin laden.
• injected $62 billion in federal money to help turnaround the U.S. auto industry
• engaged the U.S. in military action with a coalition of European and Arab governments to support rebel troops in Libya. Moammar Gaddafi was subsequently overthrown.
• publicly called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to accept reform or step down in the “Arab Spring” uprising. Mubarak was eventually overthrown.

In Obama’s second inaugural address, he spoke again of the vision for a new nation that Jefferson and the founders articulated in 1776:

That is our generation’s task — to make these words, these rights, these values of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life. It does not mean we all define liberty in exactly the same way or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time. 

It was also a call to action.

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Leaders can exist anywhere within an organization — not just in formal roles of authority. If you’re waiting for a problem to be solved by someone in leadership, consider taking charge yourself. Be the leader in the moment.

Leadership is not defined by an office. 

Leadership is revealed through words and actions. 

You know it when you see it.

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This post was originally published on Medium. Follow me on twitter: @mrp

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