I finished my undergraduate work in Sociology in 1969 and immediately thereafter set out to backpack around the world. My journey took me through Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and eventually, Latin America. I traveled for two years with little more than a rucksack, sleeping bag, a few coins of the realm earned doing odd jobs. Everywhere I went people welcomed me into their homes. They referred to me as “the young American vagabond” and were it not for their goodwill, my travels would have ended very quickly for want of food and shelter.
One thing that surprised me everywhere I went was how many homes displayed a picture of John F. Kennedy. Often these pictures were nothing more than clipped newspaper photos, yellowed with age, but lovingly framed and displayed prominently next to a religious icon. Everywhere I traveled, J. F. K. and America were regarded with awe and reverence. What did these people know of J. F. K, the leader? Just words. But his words had rung around the world and inspired in people a vision and hope for the future.
Fast forward to the years 1998 to 2004, a period during which my family and I cruised our little sailboat halfway around the world and back again. During our voyage we were welcomed into many homes and enjoyed the hospitality of people from more than 25 nations. Almost 30 years later, J. F. K pictures no longer hung next to images of the Virgin Mary, nor did pictures of Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Regan, Bush, Clinton, or G. W. America had fallen from grace. There was still a sense of awe, but visions of hope had been replaced by visions of American military might, wealth, avarice, and raw power.
Word Picture:In November of 2000 my family and I dropped into a little dockside bar in Cartagena, Columbia. The patio was packed with Colombians watching TV. Usually such a crowd meant a soccer game or beauty contest was underway. As we waded into the crowd, we realized they were watching the U.S. presidential election returns on CNN. As the returns came in, the election was called for Gore, then for Bush, then Gore again, and then Bush. The crowd groaned again and again in disbelief as they watched the confusion unfold. One Colombiano turned to me and asked, “What hope is there if even you Americans can’t make this democracy thing work?”
A theory of knowledge begins and ends with words, just words. The impetus to effective human action does not reside in the details but in a grander dialog that fills people with a sense of purpose and meaning. The job of leadership is to frame this grand dialog in a manner that others can understand and make their own. It is a prediction rather than an ideology, and it becomes followership’s foundation for action. The rest is footnotes.
Vision, aim, and constancy of purpose—just words—were W. E. Deming’s prescription for effective leadership. This was not mere opinion. It is science.
In the coming U.S. election, is there a candidate who understands this?
