As the nation prepares to lay former President Gerald Ford to rest, his friends, family and peers pause to answer the question, “What is the legacy Gerald Ford leaves behind?”
Several have honored him for a unique leadership trait -- seems Ford was renown for surrounding himself with people smarter than himself and for being willing, on a regular basis, to lay himself bare in front of them and ask them for their brutal honesty.
This man, who at one point in history held the ultimate position of power, was ready at any time to be told that he was wrong, that there was a detail he was overlooking or a nuance he had not considered. He had learned one of the entrepreneur's toughest lessons: you might be responsible for FINDING all of the answers, but you'll never HAVE all of the answers.
He kept those willing to tell him the truth close to him. Better to hear "tough news" from somebody on your team and face the facts while there might still be a chance make it right. As he described it, “I am a man who likes having critics who are not enemies.”
He understood the danger that leaders face when direct reports sanitize information, filter feedback and and under-report screw-ups in an effort to coddle the boss's ego. Ford created an environment in which a wart was called a wart without coyness or delay, making it easier to get quickly to the task of applying a remedy instead of wasting time and energy camouflaging it with makeup and hoping it would go away.
His cabinet members focused their energy on doing their jobs, not protecting his ego. And EVERYBODY was more effective because of it. As Jim Collins says, “The moment a leader allows himself to become the primary reality people worry about, rather than reality being the primary reality, you have a recipe for mediocrity, or worse.”
It’s an admirable trait, an admirable legacy, and an admirable man.
Will leaving room for critics, allowing the truth to surface quickly, be part of your legacy?
Tuesday, January 2, 2007Gerald Ford’s Legacy: Having Critics Who were Not EnemiesPosted by Inner Circle at 3:10 PM Labels: Communication, Legacy
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2 comments:
Presidential Candidate Ford came to Iowa State when I was in College. He told the crowd that he was glad to be at Ohio State. Not very well received.
I have actually always been an admirer of President Ford. He once said, "He hoped that he was, Honest with himself, Faithful to his friends and Fair with his opponents." We should all live by that standard.
If any one heard President Carter’s eulogy of President Ford in Grand Rapids on Wednesday afternoon, the respect and admiration both men had for one another shone brightly.
Take it back 30 years to see how two men ran against one another in the Presidential race, to find that their common interests were not that much apart. Both found themself as friends... living by values that made them into the respected leaders they are.
We all have it within ourselves to explore our leaderships styles and to gather others around us when the tough decision have to be made. Listening deeply helps leaders find that guiding light that makes them into Great Leaders.
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