Good Leadership

It is so refreshing to read news by the Brits or the Canadians or any other English press, for that matter. I like being able to read about my own country through the eyes of others in the world , reading about the US in 3rd person.

This British General sure is laying his opinions out in the open...not that I agree with everything he says. But I wonder how this kind of voice would be received in Washington. Another absolutely refreshing thing to watch is Parliament sessions on Downing Street. I think most Americans would see British parliamentarians as somewhat disrespectful to the Prime Minister in many cases. But if I had to choose between politics where intentions are hidden or devised and questioning the leader is seen as disrespectful versus politics where you just "have it out," speaking what you really think, I think I'd take the latter. I still struggle with my American side that has taught me to protect the respect of my leaders and part of showing respect and trust is following what they say. But as I reflect more on what makes a good leader and follower, I realize that being a good follower does not mean unquestionable obedience.

Any leader who only wants or demands that everyone agree with him/her is not a good leader. Rather I respect those leaders who are willing to surround themselves with dissenting voices in order that they can better assess and critique the situation in which their decisions are crucial.

Right now is another test for Washington - is Washington willing to listen to the dissenting voices in the international community in order to gain a broader perspective on what is going on with North Korea or how the US can respond? Or will the US decide to use the same hammer on North Korea it has been using in most other international conflicts the last six years? Will the US demand, once again, unquestioning followers by saying, "you are either with us or against us."

Abraham Maslow once commented: "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail." Wouldn't it be refreshing to try out new tools? Or better yet, if we learned how to use other tools, maybe not every conflict will look like a nail. It is frustrating to see leaders that are limited in the tools they know how to use and are unwilling to take the time to learn how to use new ones. What's just as troubling is when our leaders ignore any possible wisdom in the dissenting voices and thus close their eyes to important aspects of the total situation, in this case, a global concern.