Terry Newell is currently director of his own firm, Leadership for a Responsible Society. His work focuses on values-based leadership, ethics, and decision making. A former Air Force officer, Terry also previously served as Director of the Horace Mann Learning Center, the training arm of the U.S. Department of Education, and as Dean of Faculty at the Federal Executive Institute. Terry is co-editor and author of The Trusted Leader: Building the Relationships That Make Government Work (CQ Press, 2011). He also wrote Statesmanship, Character and Leadership in America (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) and To Serve with Honor: Doing the Right Thing in Government (Loftlands Press 2015).
All in Statesmanship
After the nasty presidential campaign of 1800, Thomas Jefferson emerged victorious. In his inaugural address, he encouraged the nation to heal their divisions and recall what they shared.
Sound judgment is essential in a president. Voters must consider if a candidate has it and not be swayed by surface attributes of presidential campaigns.
Society can be stronger if leaders can admit they are wrong, but we often make that very hard for them to do.
Joshua Chamberlain put his commitment to country above his career as a college professor, serving with humility and courage during the Civil War and throughout his life.
Our fascination with whether a president is up or down in polls leads to short-term thinking - and thinking biases - that may harm the nation’s long-term needs.
In rushing to help Ukraine defend itself, we must also ask important questions to ensure that laudable goal does not lead to a much wider war.
Not a failure of military and economic power, Afghanistan is more about sloppy thinking among American policymakers.
The power of statesmanship increases when leaders can marshal the power of brevity in what they write and say.
Incoming President Biden faces the herculean task of restoring Americans’ trust in each other, our major institutions and our national government.
Leaders need to demonstrate empathy. With it, trust grows and society can improve. Without empathy, leadership is hollow. and often fruitless.
The 2020 presidential election will test our fidelity to the Constitution and its expectation of a peaceful transition of power.
Military leaders often need to ask those under their command to sacrifice their lives. To get that kind of commitment, they must love those they lead.
Presidential judgment requires foresight, reason and prudence, especially when confronting a pandemic.
The Senate handling of the trial of President Trump has further weakened Congress and the separation of powers so essential to the preservation of liberty.
America’s current tit-for-tat approach to Iran can lead to war. Leaders of democracies need carefully developed and widely supported strategic thinking before plunging into military conflicts.
When we allow leaders to avoid responsibility for their actions, we destroy the trust on which a healthy society depends.
Exciting presidents may be fine, though we should be wary of them. Boring is not necessarily bad.
I am an American and Jewish. I always thought I was a good American and a good Jew. Yesterday, the President of the United States told me I was neither.
The climb up the leadership ladder is often slow and and arduous. The fall is much faster. Those who have made it to the top can stay there, but only if their realize the dangers on the uppermost rung.
Fearful of backing down, nations may back into war. As Memorial Day approaches, it is worth recalling lessons from Vietnam.
