The Audacity of Leadership
10 Essentials to Becoming a Transformative Leader in the 21st CenturyBy Anton J. GunnAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2009 Anton J. Gunn
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4490-1712-5Contents
Foreword........................................................................ixPreface.........................................................................xiiiIntroduction The Need for Audacity.............................................xviiChapter One The Significance of a New Century..................................1Chapter Two Essential Number 1: Have Vision....................................11Chapter Three Essential Number 2: Have Commitment..............................21Chapter Four Essential Number 3: Be Authentic..................................29Chapter Five Essential Number 4: Learn to Listen...............................41Chapter Six Essential Number 5: Master Selflessness............................53Chapter Seven Essential Number 6: Have an Emcee's Attitude.....................61Chapter Eight Essential Number 7: Lead through Connection......................71Chapter Nine Essential Number 8: Build a Leadership Team.......................79Chapter Ten Essential Number 9: Develop the Next "You".........................87Chapter Eleven Essential Number 10: Take Explosive Action......................93Chapter Twelve Conclusion......................................................99Acknowledgments.................................................................103Appendix........................................................................105About The Author................................................................113Footnotes.......................................................................117
Chapter One
The Significance of a New Century
As we approach the conclusion of the first decade of the twenty-first century, we must recognize that we are in an era of great change. The world in which we live is constantly evolving at a rapid pace, whether we are referring to changes in technology, our environment, our culture, or our economic foundation. This is evident just in the first ten years of the twenty-first century, in which events occurred that we have not encountered in the history of our planet. Whether it is touch-screen cell phones, interdependency of the world financial markets, or airline security, our world has dramatically changed.
The changes that have occurred in this era are testaments of the great progress we have made. But as we closely examine the first decade of this new century, it is clear that some of our leaders have not shared in the positive change. Numerous examples of poor leadership, ranging from the War on Terror and the global oil crisis to the corporate financial crisis, have become the rule instead of the exception. These failures in leadership occurred right before our eyes, and our country was not prepared for the devastation that followed. Naturally, in our desperation, we sought the help of other leaders, but they also consistently let us down. Instead of gaining assistance, we found our religious leaders engaging in inappropriate relationships, teachers having sexual relationships with their students, corporate CEOs abusing their power, investment bankers stealing from pension funds, and political leaders becoming morally bankrupt and corrupt.
Consequently, their inconsistency forced us into a place of complete frustration and utter exhaustion. We are in need of change, but we approach this change with great hesitation, for fear that the grass may not be greener on the other side. Our uncertainty tends to give way to fear because we do not know who or what to trust.
So we continue to ask, "When will these troubled times end? Who will lead us out of the despairing state we're in?" Before now, most would answer these questions with a simple phrase, "I don't know." Today, I would like to challenge you to consider yourself as the answer; consider how you can contribute to creating the positive change we need; consider how you can become an instrumental part of the new era of twenty-first-century leaders.
What citizens of our country need more than anything else is someone who will be there, especially during times of crisis. People need confidence in their leaders. They need to have the understanding that there is someone who can bring strength, stability, and guidance during turbulent times. People are seeking out leaders with principles who will stand up in this era and give them the assurance that no matter what may go wrong, or how afraid they may become in the midnight hour, everything will be all right. They are looking for spiritual, emotional, political, intellectual, and economical direction. People are desperate for the confidence of a leader who is rational, equipped, and well-prepared to lead them through these uncertain times.
They have no confidence in many of our current leaders because many of them limit themselves to archaic concepts and neglect the demands of our present age. They see no need to push the envelope. They shun progressive thinking, and they find it unnecessary to challenge the status quo by boldly going where other leaders have been afraid to go. So it is time for a new legion of leaders to rise up and assume the position of transformation.
To become a transformative leader you must first recognize and understand the changes currently taking place. However, you must also recognize and understand the problems of the past-the mistakes that other leaders made-so that you can entertain ways to correct their wrongs. In addition to understanding the past and present, you must take the time to understand what people seek in leadership so that you can ultimately discover and meet their needs. But in order to develop these skills, you must possess a discipline that fuels your work ethic to relentlessly pursue your vision.
The historical context of a new century leader can be traced back to twentieth-century America. The twentieth century was an amazing time of growth and change. The face of the global community was changing-a change that began in our country. America was at the heart of that change as it relates to invention, experimentation, industrial innovation, and political leadership. There were people at the forefront of the revolution that transformed America into a diverse melting pot. The twentieth century was the beginning of a new era-one that forced the world to recognize the United States of America as an independent world power. We won the battle over the Western frontier and settled the country from coast to coast. We built a railroad that stretched across the continent, connecting one coast to the other. We drilled for oil and eventually became a world power in the petroleum markets. We produced steel in record numbers and in record time. In addition to our overall development, we were pioneers of the gasoline engine and the automobile. The telephone was created to make communication more accessible, and skyscrapers went from being scribbled on blueprints to forming new skylines of our cities. Americans like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Susan B. Anthony, J. P. Morgan, Jane Addams, Theodore Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington, Joseph Pulitzer, Alexander Graham Bell, and Henry Ford are among the few extraordinary individuals who used their innovative ideas to transform American culture. These individuals were willing to be the change they wanted to see, and in doing so, they managed to lay the foundation for the next century.
These leaders changed America forever. They each had an individual style and framework as a leader. But what they possessed, which left an indelible mark on America, was a vision dedicated to bettering the lives of the American people. Their authenticity, coupled with their ability to empower others, made them transformative leaders-these men and women were among the group of audacious leaders who transformed twentieth-century America.
It is my belief that in the twenty-first century, we have the same opportunity to bring about transformation. We must take full advantage of the charge before us to improve the lives and lifestyles of the American people. To accomplish this transformative task, we must be led by a group of transformative leaders. These leaders must be transformative in every field of human endeavors (e.g., business, politics, and religious communities). They must have a level of audacity that's unmatched, similar to the audacity of the great leaders at the turn of twentieth century.
So ask yourself, am I the transformative leader twenty-first-century America has been waiting for? Can I lend a positive contribution to our nation's progression? We all have the opportunity to assume the position of a transformative leader, but we have to decide whether we will actively participate or passively dissipate. I made the decision as a youngster to become an active participant through the guidance of one of my role models from hip hop music, Public Enemy. One of Public Enemy's messages was, "If you don't know your past, you don't know where you are going in the present." I assert if you don't know your present, you cannot predict your future. We must look back to understand our greatness, in that it only took us one hundred years to revolutionize the world. We've done so much and come so far. When we examine our present, it is evident that we are facing uncertain times. However, the beauty of it all is that we have the power to decide where we go from here.
I firmly believe that the turn of the century provides us the opportunity to make a significant change-at the beginning of a new century, people expect something different. They expect a bold, new perspective; they expect a challenge; they expect change. Therefore, just as a group of audacious, transformative leaders propelled America to challenge and change the world at the beginning of the twentieth century, our moral and civic responsibility is to challenge and change the world of the twenty-first century. But we can only accomplish this task through authentic, transformative leadership.
One doesn't have to look far to see what transformative leadership did for our nation at the turn of the century. Just turn on your computer and search the White House Web site. The biography of the twenty-sixth president, Theodore Roosevelt, provides a picture-perfect example of audacious transformative leadership.
President Theodore Roosevelt at the turn of the twentieth century.
With the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43, became the youngest president in the Nation's history. He brought new excitement and power to the Presidency, as he vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. He took the view that the president as a "steward of the people" should take whatever action necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the Constitution. "I did not usurp power," he wrote, "but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power." Roosevelt's youth differed sharply from that of the Log Cabin presidents. He was born in New York City in 1858 into a wealthy family, but he too struggled-against ill health-and in his triumph became an advocate of the strenuous life. In 1884 his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother died on the same day. Roosevelt spent much of the next two years on his ranch in the Badlands of Dakota Territory. There he mastered his sorrow as he lived in the saddle, driving cattle, hunting big game-he even captured an outlaw. On a visit to London, he married Edith Carow in December 1886. During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt was lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, which he led on a charge at the Battle of San Juan. He was one of the most conspicuous heroes of the war. Boss Tom Platt, needing a hero to draw attention away from scandals in New York State, accepted Roosevelt as the Republican candidate for governor in 1898. Roosevelt won and served with distinction. As president, Roosevelt held the ideal that the Government should be the great arbiter of the conflicting economic forces in the Nation, especially between capital and labor, guaranteeing justice to each and dispensing favors to none. Roosevelt emerged spectacularly as a "trust buster" by forcing the dissolution of a great railroad combination in the Northwest. Other antitrust suits under the Sherman Act followed. Roosevelt steered the United States more actively into world politics. He liked to quote a favorite proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Aware of the strategic need for a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific, Roosevelt ensured the construction of the Panama Canal. His corollary to the Monroe Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and arrogated the sole right of intervention in Latin America to the United States. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War, reached a Gentleman's Agreement on immigration with Japan, and sent the Great White Fleet on a goodwill tour of the world. Some of Theodore Roosevelt's most effective achievements were in conservation. He added enormously to the national forests in the West, reserved lands for public use, and fostered great irrigation projects. He crusaded endlessly on matters big and small, exciting audiences with his high-pitched voice, jutting jaw, and pounding fist. "The life of strenuous endeavor" was a must for those around him, as he romped with his five younger children and led ambassadors on hikes through Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. Leaving the Presidency in 1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari, then jumped back into politics. In 1912 he ran for president on a Progressive ticket. To reporters he once remarked that he felt as fit as a bull moose, the name of his new party.
So the question remains, can you follow Roosevelt's example of transformative leadership? Are you prepared to transform the twenty-first century as he transformed the twentieth century? Are you progressive in your vision and ideals to frame what we can accomplish together? Are you willing to surround yourself with people who can help you become a transformative leader? I wrote this book with the hope you might gain some inspiration from my experiences to propel you to pursue transformative leadership. These pages contain a synopsis of my journey to becoming a transformative leader, and I believe it will spur you to begin (or continue) your journey toward transformative leadership.
We've been given an opportunity to positively change our world, and because this change is demanding, few will assume the responsibilities of a twenty-first-century leader. However, as you journey through the pages of this book, consider this: Will you be one of the few? Will you take the opportunity to bring about change? Will you be a twenty-first-century leader who transforms our country, our world, and our planet for the next one hundred years?
Throughout the last decade, I spent a significant amount of time as a community organizer in South Carolina, working on issues that affect people. I took a community-based approach to addressing and solving issues such as health care, education, economic development, job training, and poverty. I spent a good bit of my time going door-to-door in communities, talking to residents about their hopes, dreams, challenges, and concerns. My ultimate goal was to help people understand what's happening in their communities, to find out the common community problems, and to work with them to create solutions.
People were excited about addressing issues that mattered to them, bringing a beam of hope that positive change in their respective communities was possible. Usually the arbiter who could solve their problems was a local elected official. Much to my dismay, the hard work was not always associated with finding a solution to a problem. The work was getting people to believe that their local leader was caring, committed, and honest enough to let them know that he or she was going to assist in finding a solution to meet the needs of their community. I would take them to see their local politicians. I would help community residents try to convince their local politician to do something about the problems in their neighborhoods. Each time, we came away disappointed. Instead of politicians trying to solve the problems brought by the community residents, they would resort to giving lip service to their concerns. These leaders would tell the citizens anything to ease their concerns, but their failure to act in solving these issues left in place a destructive status quo.
At the time, I couldn't understand why these leaders would get excited about maintaining the status quo. They were keeping communities oppressed by not making progress and changes that actually mattered to the people they represented. Despite their ineffectiveness, these leaders maintained their position of power.
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Excerpted from The Audacity of Leadershipby Anton J. Gunn Copyright © 2009 by Anton J. Gunn. Excerpted by permission.
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