Lines of Succession

I've been fortunate to hear a number of former and current U.S. Presidents speak in person over the years, which started when I was a junior in high school and had the opportunity to hear then President Ronald Reagan speak in Indianapolis.  I don't remember anything from his speech (and I don't even remember why he was in Indianapolis), but I do remember having to show up a couple of hours early and not being allowed to leave my seat until after he had finished his speech and left the building.  To be 100% honest, I really wasn't in to politics at that point in my life, which is really too bad when I think now about the opportunity that I had then to hear someone who has been called "The Great Communicator" speak.

I bring this memory up for two reasons.  First, this past weekend my wife and I went to the movie theater for the first time in forever to watch the new movie, Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid.  The movie started off with a little too much "America and Apple Pie" but we both ended up liking it by the end.  Second, I just finished reading The Situation Room by George Stephanopoulos, which talks about how U.S. Presidents from Kennedy through Biden dealt with the major crisis (or crises) of their respective administrations.  One particular crisis featured prominently in both the movie and the book - the assassination attempt on President Reagan on March 30, 1981.  While I can't remember any of the details from Reagan's speech in Indianapolis, I can remember where I was and what I was doing when he was shot in Washington, D.C. by John Hinckley, Jr.

I also vividly remember then Secretary of State Alexander Haig telling the White House Press Corps, "As of now I am in control, here in the White House, pending the return of the vice president and in close touch with him."  Vice President George H.W. Bush was on a plane flying back to Washington, D.C. from Texas at the time (remember that communication back then wasn't as simple as it is now).  President Reagan was in surgery under general anesthesia, and with Vice President Bush not immediately available, no one really knew who was technically in charge.  Haig and David Gergen (Director of White House Communications at that time) had the following exchange, as transcribed in Stephanopoulos' book:

Gergen: Al, a quick question.  We need some sense, a better sense of where the president is.  Is he under sedation now?

Haig: He's not on the operating table.

Gergen: He is on the operating table.

Haig: So the helm is right here.  And that means right in this chair for now, constitutionally, 'til the vice president gets here.

Gergen: I understand that. I understand that.

Shortly thereafter, Haig delivered his now famous statement to the White House Press Corps:

Haig: Constitutionally gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president, and the secretary of state, in that order. And should the president decide he wants to transfer the helm to the vice president, he will do so. As of now, I am in control, here in the White House, pending the return of the vice president and in close touch with him.

While it's hard not to admire Haig's "Take Charge" attitude, particularly during a crisis, he made a glaringly obvious mistake.  The U.S. Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 actually specifies who has authority after the vice president, and it's not the U.S. Secretary of State.  The individual who is third in line of succession after the Vice President is the U.S. Speaker of the House, followed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.  The Secretary of State only comes after that. 

I've mentioned Keith Grint's model of leadership in the past (see most recently "Tame the Chaos?").  Grint suggests that the preferred leadership style during a crisis is "Command", which he defines as a more authoritative, hierarchical, "one person in charge" type of leadership.  In The Situation Room, Stephanopoulos mentions a story told by Anthony Lake, who served as the National Security Advisor to President Bill Clinton during the failed Black Hawk Down Incident during the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia in October, 1993.  Lake said, "I bought a used sailboat once.  And in the cockpit, someone left up a little brass plate that said, In an emergency, consider doing what the captain suggests."  When viewed from that lens, Haig was clearly using the right leadership style for the situation that he and his team were facing.  The problem was that he just didn't have the constitutional authority to take charge.  If there had truly been a concern about who was "In Charge", authority should have been passed to Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill.

There is enough confusion and chaos in the middle of a crisis.  The last thing that any organization needs (particularly the United States Government) is confusion around who is in charge.  As I reflect on this particular episode, I can't help but wonder how many organizations today have developed a clear line of succession for when the leader is not immediately available?  Admittedly, we live in a different world than 1981 - communication is much better and if someone in the organization needs to get in contact with the leader, it's usually not too difficult.  However, there is no substitute for "boots on the ground" leadership presence, and someone needs to be in charge until the organization's leader can be contacted and ideally until he or she can be physically present.  If your organization doesn't have a defined line of immediate succession, perhaps you need to develop one?