The McKinsey definition of leadership “is a set of mindsets and behaviors that aligns people in collective directions, enables them to work together and accomplish shared goals, and helps them adjust to changing environments“.
Leadership can be used for good – Gandhi, for example, or for evil, like Lenin.
Leadership often comes down to “one man’s mind.” It’s not intuitive, and it’s far from always positive, and it always demands risk from the leader. You have to have skin in the game.
The positive outcome of the early years of our nation came down to a few leaders who were aligned on key issues and fought bitterly on others. Names like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson are indelible.
As a society, we venerate great leaders. Lincoln. Teddy Roosevelt. Lombardi. Eisenhower. Reagan. Steve Jobs. Sherman. Patton. Wooden. I could fill this page with names of those who exemplify superb leadership.
Decades after their passing, they are still highly regarded, and while what they accomplished may have diminishing importance, how they lead is legendary. Now, leadership is not always used for good; need I mention Hitler, Castro, Pol Pot, Rev. Jim Jones.
There was recently a media circus organized by Hakeem Jeffries where he stated that Democratic voters are threatening “Blood and Violence” over their inability to hinder the Trump agenda all the while behind a banner proclaiming “SAVE MEDICAID”. Not once did Jeffries say that violence was a bad idea. He didn’t remind his legions that firebombing storefronts was not how to effect change.
Just the opposite, in fact, Jeffries delivered what I believe is a not very veiled threat. By not denouncing violence, he’s actually encouraging it.
Standing behind him are elected Democrats who are saying the Democratic base has “a burgeoning desire to circumvent the rule of law,” all the time damning the Constitutional Republic that we hold dear. What was being said boisterously was nearly treasonous.
I’m shocked at the congressman’s failure to direct the collective that he leads away from violence. He’s not the only one – Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill. said their base “wants them to do more” and indicated they have little regard for staying within the bounds of legality.
Democrat leadership is priming the pump for exactly what he and his ilk accuse the Republicans of on January 6, 2020, only this time they are promising it will be massively bloody. It makes one want to question the competence of these officials.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is supposed to be the House Minority Leader, but it is looking more and more like he’s working to incite a riot.
Trump is being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize because he is leading away from armed conflict both in the Middle East and involving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The Democrats should look to the White House as an example of how to lead.
The Democrats need to be reminded that they lost in rather spectacular fashion. They lost the popular vote, the electoral vote, and control of both houses. If they don’t denounce violence, they are guilty of leading it, and that’s not how disagreements should be settled in polite society.
President Trump is leading by example. He’s getting some amazing things done, and some of the initiatives that were panned by the pundits and alleged experts are working very, very well.
The Democrats need to become part of the process or continue their rapid descent into obscurity.
I need to paraphrase General George S. Patton.
“Lead. Follow or get out of (Trump’s) way”.
