My wife and I were sitting in a hotel room the other night after a great day at the beach. We sat down to watch, probably for the umpteenth time, the 1995 film "The American President". The movie features an all-star cast, including Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, and Richard Dreyfuss. There's a powerful scene in the middle of the movie that says a lot about leadership. I'll say more on that in a moment, but first I have to set up the scene.
Douglas plays President Andrew Shepherd, a widower who pursues a romantic relationship with environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade, played by Bening. President Shepherd and his team are also trying to win passage of a crime control bill during a re-election year. Sheen plays President Shepherd's best friend and Chief of Staff, while Fox plays a senior advisor on domestic policy. Dreyfuss plays his principal opponent, Senator Bob Rumson. Senator Rumson has been questioning President Shepherd's "family values" given his relationship with Ms. Wade. President Shepherd, to this point in the movie and against the recommendations from his advisors, has avoided any discussion about his personal life. His previously high approval ratings have fallen since the relationship with Ms. Wade became public, and he is losing votes on his signature crime bill. His team asks him to hold on the environmental bill (which is being pushed by Sydney Ellen Wade) until after the election, in order to get enough votes to pass the crime bill.
There are a couple of key points made in the dialogue. First, during a heated argument, when the Chief of Staff (Sheen's character) tells Michael J. Fox's character that the President doesn't answers to him, Fox's character responds by saying, "Oh yes he does, I'm a citizen. This is my President. And in this country it's not only permissible to question our leaders, it's our responsibility!"
I actually think this statement applies to more than just political leaders. Benjamin Franklin reportedly said (though this is questioned), "It is the responsibility of every citizen to question authority." Questioning those in authority, when done respectfully and tactfully, helps assure that leaders are accountable for their actions and decisions. It also promotes transparency and fairness. I know very few leaders (at least good ones) that would suggest otherwise. Blind obedience to authority is not only counterproductive in the long run, it can often be deadly (see the description of a number of very well-known examples here).
I wanted to focus on the second point that Fox's character's makes in the scene. He follows his comment above by saying, "The American people want leadership. And in the absence of genuine leadership, they will listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone [meaning Senator Bob Rumson]. They're so thirsty for it, they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand."
President Shepherd responds, "We've had Presidents who were beloved, who couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty. They drink it because they don't know the difference."
Cue the dramatic music! I've thought a lot about this last statement over the years, and I actually think that the two points are interrelated. For example, blind obedience to authority can lead us to follow leaders who we think have all the answers but actually don't. It's also not always clear to distinguish the good leaders from the bad ones. Leadership is certainly not about popularity - in fact, leaders who make the hard, difficult decisions can be very unpopular, at least for a period of time. As President Shepherd admits in another speech (shortly after the one mentioned above), "I was so busy worrying about keeping my job, I forgot to do my job" (or something similar).
Good leaders aren't afraid to make the hard decisions or tackling the problems that are difficult to solve. Good leaders lead by example and demonstrate both integrity and accountability in all that they do. Good leaders empower their teams by trusting them and delegating responsibility. Good leaders support their teams and provide them with resources and opportunities for growth and development. Good leaders are honest, open, and transparent. Good leaders are empathetic and understanding. Good leaders persevere and inspire others to persevere. By all accounts, President Shepherd was a good leader. We don't know as much about Senator Rumson, but by all accounts, he wasn't a good leader.
I am reminded of a quote by General Douglas MacArthur, who said, "A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent." Don't be fooled by the mirage. Don't drink the sand.
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