As a leadership coach, speaker and writer, I am always looking for examples of leadership to share, and I often find them in the places you would expect – business, politics, current events, sports. But I recently had the pleasure of finding leadership in an unusual spot, my son’s Rock Star Camp. Local songwriter and musician Dean Fields supplements his income with guitar lessons. During the summers, he takes these lessons a step further in the form of Rock Star Camps. Last week, my son finished one of these camps, and I was struck by the extraordinary leadership it takes for Dean to make these happen.Here is how it works:
Today marks the 265th anniversary of John Paul Jones’s birth. This extraordinary leader was the father of the American Navy, and his willingness to lead courageously earned him his place in history. His immortal words, “I have not yet begun to fight” spurred his officers and sailors to victory against a far superior force in the battle of Flamborough Head during the American Revolution. These same words have inspired naval officers throughout history to lead courageously. As the son of one of these officers, I felt compelled to illustrate the attribute of courage in my book, If You Will Lead, using Jones as the paradigm.
President Obama has the unique distinction of being the only president sworn into office by a Chief Justice whose confirmation he had voted against. During Chief Justice Roberts’ confirmation process in 2005, then-Senator Barak Obama said that he opposed Roberts’ nomination because he feared what Roberts would do in the “hard cases.” He questioned what Roberts would do in those situations where “. . . the constitutional text will not be directly on point. The language of the statute will not be perfectly clear.”
I spend much of my time speaking and writing about the role that choice plays in our ability to reach our leadership potential. I often tell my clients that true leadership starts with choosing to become a leader. As with all rules, there are always exceptions. There will always be leadership roles that are thrust upon us. For me, that was the case with fatherhood. When my wife and I chose to become parents, we considered many things, but we never thought about the leadership implications. During the past fifteen and a half years, I have learned that being a father is the most important leadership role I will ever play. Even though I didn’t choose to lead when I chose to become a father, I have chosen how to grow into this vital role, and I hope fathers everywhere will do the same.
Recently, I was listening to a reporter talk about the European financial crisis. She said, “The problem is, the Europeans have borrowed too much.” For some reason, this statement just struck me as wrong. It wasn’t that it was untrue. It just missed the point. The problem isn’t the borrowing per se. The problem is the underlying reason governments borrow so much – the spending. This may seem like an insignificant or meaningless distinction. Spending, borrowing, it’s all connected. The issue here is accountability, and that is what makes the two different. It’s easy to blame nameless, faceless politicians in Washington or the capitals of Europe for the debt crises. They irresponsibly kept raising the debt limits, which got them into this mess. They’ve borrowed so much money that the prospect of paying it back seems impossible.
Testimonials
Ph.D., Director, Gilliam Center for Free Enterprise and Ethical Leadership and Professor, Management Department, College of Business, James Madison University
Ph.D., Director, Gilliam Center for Free Enterprise and Ethical Leadership and Professor, Management Department, College of Business, James Madison University
President, AAISP – DC
P.Eng., President ACT Canada
President, Arneson Leadership Consulting
(Steve was named one of the country's Top 100 thought leaders on leadership in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and one of the Top 25 leadership coaches in America for 2008, 2009 and 2010 by Leadership Excellence magazine. )
Former Governor and Senator, Commonwealth of Virginia
EVP and CFO, Intersections, Inc.
(USN ret.), former POW
President, Financial Services, Capital One
CEO, Korea Exchange Bank
formerly management columnist at the FT, now Visiting Professor at the Cass Business School, London, and director of strategy at Edelman in the UK
former Commanding Officer, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN-69, and recipient of the John Paul Jones 'Inspirational Leadership Award' from the Navy League of the US.
Professor Emeritus, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia
Co-author Anytime Coaching: Unleashing Employee Performance Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Graduate School of Business
Bishop Emeritus of Richmond
Professor Emeritus, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia.
Head Coach, Butler University Men’s Basketball Team
Managing Director, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Author of Be Your Own Coach, and On Becoming a Leadership Coach, and creator of the Georgetown University Leadership Coaching Program