Leadership is not a science ordained by rules of conduct. Leadership promotes well-being of the community and is responsive to a change of circumstances or conditions to avoid harmful effects. Speculation of who is fit to lead is often a bias consideration based upon a personal assumption of what the leader’s actions will do or has done. Only factual evidence of causing actual harm, wrongful loss or a record of criminal activity is the only standard of leadership in determining competency. Unfortunately, the publication of fake news often under rate and overpowers the leader’s achievements and service to the community.
Politicians, political analysts and news columnists are inclined to find non-issue “comfort zones” rather than to research the truth. It is easy to use buzz words and phrases such as climate change, scientists tell us, globalization, open borders, protests against conservative assemblies, condoning violence and just shout rather than listen. The recent remarks by President Trump on the detailed reasons for leaving the Paris Climate Accord and the need to privatize the FAA Air Traffic Control System so it can privately fund and adopt GPS aircraft tracking to replace the outdated and inefficient radar program, goes largely unheeded for the Democratic Party, who only want to resist the President. They are unable to comprehend that the Paris Climate Accord will show less than one percent reduction of carbon dioxide after 30 years and require nothing of China and India who are building more and more coal-burning electric power plants. Additionally, the required technology that our air traffic control system needs to switch from the current outmoded radar system to a state-of-the-art GPS aircraft tracking system, will require massive funding by the airlines and private aircraft owners. Two tests of leadership: 1) does the program control the problem? and; 2) does it provide self-funding rather than a taxpayer burden?
Construction managers of large projects are highly focused on completing the project ahead of schedule and under budget. These leaders often appear to be brisk and ignore issues that do not compromise the project. These non-issues may be presented to challenge the leader’s performance. This same syndrome is crippling our National goals by the incompetent politicians and biased media whose goal is to disparage and prevent our President to succeed as leader of our country. As Congressional investigations proceed, the big story is the fact that there is no “smoking gun” that would support the President’s impeachment.
When leadership is continually confronted with myths of malfeasance, fake news and false statements of the media and unscrupulous political charlatans, it requires tactics that provides a conduit of truth to the public. To this, the opponents disregard the free speech and attack these conduits such as tweets and public rally’s. The primary role of a successful leader is to hang in and never give up to the obstructionists that having noting to contribute.
Environmental and safety issues are an important priority of leadership as they are well aware that a failure to include design based controls can result in unnecessary lengthy delays and costly retrofits, fines and litigations. Leadership includes a resolve to make tough decisions. When Harry Truman was nominated by President Roosevelt as his Vice-President, there were many objections to this unknown Mid-Westerner that was overruled by President Roosevelt. When Truman became President and was apprised of the atomic bomb that had just been developed by the super-secret Manhattan Project, he had the resolve and leadership to use it to end the war with Japan. President Truman knew full well that to continue a conventional war with Japan would take the lives of several million American troops.
Leadership is an artful skill that allows for the application of unlimited choices of action. Leadership cannot be restricted to conventional actions that may have collateral damage. Leadership is not about pleasing everyone, it is all about doing what is best rather than catering to those with unfounded opinions.