The Leadership Lives Blog

Wichita City-To-City Visits

 

Just got back from a city-to-city visit with 62 of my closest Wichita friends. Visioneering Wichita started the visits 4 years ago. We have visited Richmond, VA., Jacksonville, FL., OKC, OK and Ft. Worth, TX., and this year Chattoonga, TN.

The purpose of the visits is for several leaders from Wichita to see how other communities have "done it." Done it refers to city development, et al.

Visiting the cities had been great - but more important has been developing relationships with people who truly are making a difference in our community. Several of the people who have gone on these trips have become leaders of initiatives the past few years.

Committing to help make a difference in a community requires a whole lot of effort. One just doesn't wake up one morning and start "making a difference." Getting involved requires stepping forward and saying "I'll help" and then sort of swallowing your agenda and working with others. You voice and time make so much difference.

So, leading requires becoming involved. Involvement requires sacrifice - both of money and time. Money and time - the only resources we really have - and we have to be careful how we allocate them.

Congratulations to all my friends who are making a difference in Wichita. It's great being around you all and enjoying your frienships - and willingness to help our community by sacrificing your resources.

Time To Start Making A Difference

My friends, I haven't been saying anything for awhile. In that time we have elected a President who has a primary goal of redefining America in his image - which image is totally opposite of that which the founding fathers used to create this great land.

I know the primary purpose and objective of this blog is to discuss leadership. Well, I'm moving that definition to include understanding why leadership is required to protect and embellish America as the land of liberty - not the land of government telling me what to do, when I can do it, and how I can do it.

I lived in Germany for two years in the early 70's. I got a good look at Socialism - and I have no desire to live under such a system. We are part of the greatest country in the history of civilization. We have done more good for more people in a shorter amount of time than any other civilization has ever done. Yet, our current leadership choses to say we are a failure.

What empowers a leader to say such things. I'm thinking and studying and I'm going to find alot of answers - for myself - and hopefully it will help others.

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Boise State beats Oklahoma

OK - so what does this have to do with leadership? it's actually quite obvious. A leader many times makes a decision that's unexpected, even weird, that leads to success in a dramatic manner.

That's what Boise State did last night. Who in the world would have expected what happened. And, what is even more meaningful, I think, is that Boise State went back to the playbook from many years ago to win the game. Perhaps one could surmise that, at times, what has worked in the past can be very successful in the present?

Leadership must include flexibility and the willingness to surprise. Sure, a strong foundation allows one the flexibility to be courageous. But, it still takes guts to make the call.

It was really fun to watch and I learned alot.

President Gerald Ford Dies

A couple of days ago President Gerald Ford died.

He was a great leader to me. Why? In 1968 I had my first introduction to politics. A friend of mine talked me into going to the Alaska State Fair to work in the both for Richard Nixon. From that point on I was hooked on the excitement of politics and because of that experience I became a Republican. I would have been one anyway because I believe very much in little government and even less public spending.

Anyway, I digress. I became a Richard Nixon fan. When he did what he did it really made me angry. But, I had great faith in the system. When President Nixon resigned and Gerald Ford took over it was a very strange time. I wouldn't say that the constitution was in any jeopardy because most of us felt that things would work out - and they did. But, President Ford was a catalyst to enable that to happen.

It took great courage for him to pardon Richard Nixon with the famous logic that the country needed to heal and get Watergate behind it. What a wise man he was. With the scars of Viet Nam and Watergate we need to move on - for sure. Unfortunately he was never able to come out from under the liberal press tearing him apart because of the pardon he gave to Richard Nixon. Because he couldn't do that, an unknown peanut farmer from Georgia, Jimmy Carter, was elected President. What a joke he turned out to be. Obviously, the position is very tough but he was just plain strange.

A leader needs to be able to generate confidence in the populus. Jimmy Carter did anything but that. From the way he handled the oil embargo to the way he handled the hostage crisis in Iran he just didn't know how to bring people along with him. I feel that a leader has to be able to share his vision in a way that excites others and generates confidence in them. I believe that was proven by the way the country adopted Ronald Reagan, both Democrats and Republicans. We wanted someone to say that it was OK to be an American and to remind us all of what a blessing it is to be in America.

Gerald Ford led the healing. He was a man that the average guy could relate too - from his slipping on airplane stairs to his football roots. He was truly one of us, not a blue-blood Republican. His transitional role enable the Reagan revolution to begin, I believe.

And, President Ford's wife was a great example to all. Her honesty in sharing her challenges has lead to so many others being able to do the same.

Ethics

Whew - can one believe what is going on right now with sex in politics? Is it ever more clear that one cannot separate his character into public and private. What one is has to be consistent. What I say in public has to be what I live in private.

However, should leadership be hamstrung by the desire of others to purely destroy? Whether one is Democrat or Republican or an party in any other nation of the world, one is seemingly just looking to retain power by destrying others. How can that we call that leadership?

Foregiveness......Accountability?

Thoughts I've had the past few days. Leadership requires, I think, the ability to say: "Yes, I did something wrong - and here's what I am doing about it." Or perhaps, "I did something wrong, I'm sorry."

But, I think the world today thirsts for failure, so that people's faces can be rubbed in it. Therefore, we go out of our way to "not fail" - oftentimes by not taking responsibility - or by avoiding being held accountable.

Thus, victims are born. Instead of it being my fault, it's someone else's fault. And, why does this happen? That's where forgiveness comes into the equation. In my opinion we are so slow to forgive, or in fact, we don't forgive, people are afraid to admit they did something wrong. Christ told us that we should forgive "7 times 70". That's 490 times, do we really do that? Now, don't go crazy on me here and say "How could we forgive a murderer 490 times?" because that's not what I'm talking about. It's the little things that get blamed on others because I don't want to be hammered for taking the heat myself.

So, as leaders, let's forgive and be held accountable.

Mike Roberts Resigns

The President of McDonalds annouced his resignation today. Here's a guy who had the vision to turnaround a brand that was truly almost in a death spiral (it couldn't have been in a death spiral) or they would have died. That's what it's called a death spiral.

Anyway, what made Mr. Roberts so exception as a leader? Personally, I think his indepth knowledge of his product - he knew it inside and out - gave me the confidence to have a vision and stick with it. He knew his that he had to know his customers and then provide what they wanted.

Also, he surrounded himself with people who could make a difference. He wasn't intimidated by people who probably in many ways were more competent than him in certain areas.

II salute Mr. Roberts, he was a great leader. He truly made an McDonalds a better company.

Also, what a great name - Mr. Roberts.

Oh yea - one more thing....

I invite others to join the discussion. Maybe we can be the "butterfly wings flapping that lead to a hurricane."

Why am I doing this?

A wise man once said: "I teach the people true principles and the people rule themselves."

I have this believe that strong leadership is still very much needed in this world. Leadership from people who have strong morale foundations. People who, regardless of what polls may say, or popular culture may say, or the neighbors may say, or whatever, will take a position and have the desire and vision to inspire others to become better.

I would hope that as time goes on, this blog will become a place where strong principles of leadership can be discussed, debated, evaluated, studied, loved, hated, developed - in a positive and meaningful manner. The purpose being to grow, not degrade or debase.

I strongly believe that the world lacks leadership. Where do we go from here?