Come back, Teddy Roosevelt

"Walk softly and carry a big stick, you will go far."

How many times have we heard these words?  Surely a wise and prudent approach to dealing with the world-at-large.  Since the death of John Kennedy, however, the men of the Oval Office have abandoned any semblance of balance, and instead have skewed far too left or far too right in all their dealings.

Walk softly - do not be overly boastful, demanding, abrasive, instrusive, nor militant.  In other words, embrace a proper amount of personal humility.

Carry a big stick - do not employ isolationist, cowardly, appathetic, nor slovenly practices in your relations with others.  Demonstrate the ability and be prepared to defend yourself and your "best interests" with zeal.

You will go far - People the world over best respect and understand that which they can relate to the easiest.  Good and trustworthy citizens are not looking for a  fight, but they don't falter when the fight comes to their door.

We need a president willing to:    (a) Live out this motto on a personal level in word and deed,   (b) Apply this standard to the national discourse, and   (c) Evaluate, address and engage our international friends and foes alike by their willingness to demonstrate this behavior.

If Teddy were alive and campainging today, I think he would have a lot in common with Mike Huckabee.  More on this in the coming days.

~ rg

Leadership

Leadership. The scarcest of talents in the entire human gene pool - is leadership. Think about the American presidents of your lifetime. How many were true leaders? Not many. What about your workplace. Do you report to a leader, or just another herder/driver. Most people who assume positions of ultimate responsibility are not trained in the art of leadership. They may have countless hours of tutelage in every management technique under the sun. But, leadership is misunderstood and thus ignored in our learning institutions.

So...does your boss lead or herd? Which category would you put our current president in? And what about the senior pastor at your church? Leader or herder? When the buck stops with you, do you lead? It takes less effort to herd, don't you think?

How would you define leadership? And for that matter, is it all that bad to be a herder ... if you're good at it? The most puzzling aspect of this is; it's actually easier to lead than to herd. Herders are easily trapped in micromanagement of operational details. Leaders, on the other hand, are able to keep their heads up and their eyes on the horizon. The ship sails better with the captain on the bridge, than if he is below decks tinkering with the engine.

A leader must master the arts of discernment, communication and network building. If you have acquired those talents and you surround yourself with great people, success is just a matter of time.

So.....are you a leader?