I think one of the things that citizen’s struggle with the most is the lack of strong leaders for our Country. How many facts can we find that show the weakness of our leaders? Hundreds, maybe thousands, of examples. I know we all see the news articles about leaders that have lied, cheated, been arrested, stepped down, gotten recalled, and the list goes on and on. The most frustrating part, I think, is that our leaders seem to seldom take responsibility or accountability for their actions.
I think about what characteristics make a good leader. The ability to bring people together; to create and formulate a specific plan, idea or program; to solidify the goal of the group; to motivate and inspire; to be able to communicate effectively; to prepare and provide the necessities to make the plan a success; to look ahead and prepare for future contingencies.
So, how much greater is the leader who is not only prepared for the success of their plan, bill, act, order, etc., but also prepared for potential failure?
I am reminded of General Eisenhower and his writings for D-Day.
It was already an incredibly difficult decision, to give the Go Ahead for the landings; especially as the casualty rates were estimated very high (thank goodness the reality of overall casualty rates was much, much lower). Add in multiple countries participating (which, of course, include the input of those countries leaders), the weather (which had already caused the landings to be pushed out a day), the decoy landings, the choreography of all involved and it’s a wonder this incredible event ever happened, let alone was successful.
On D-Day alone, the Allies utilized around 375,700 troops for the Normandy invasion - including ground, airborne and naval troops; American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealanders. Allied casualties (killed, wounded or missing) are estimated at about 10,000, including 4,414 of those that were killed.
His Order of the Day for D-Day reads, in part, “Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is will trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory! I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”
We’ve seen the picture of Ike talking to some men from the 101st Airborne prior to them loading up for the D-Day landings. What most don’t know is that in Ike’s pocket is his release about if the landing failed, the fault is his and his alone. That release, in part, reads, “Our landings have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”
Those letters touch me deeply. They show the love of both Country and soldiers by Ike. They show true leadership – the success is shared by all; the failure is the leaders’ alone (and those potential failures are always in the mind of the leader, even if not spoken aloud). That speaks volumes to me – that the best leaders are those who spread successes and own the failures. That not only was he prepared to succeed, but he was prepared to fail. The failure letter is even more poignant because its existence was unknown to so many. I can’t help but look at that picture and think of that letter in his pocket.
How many leaders in our country today stand ready for not only accepting the accolades of any success, but for the accountability of failure?
Part of the responsibility of having good leaders in our country is on us, the citizen’s. Where do our responsibilities lie? We have an obligation to help our leaders be better. In todays’ world, how do we do that?
Vote: I know, I know, I can hear you now. “My vote doesn’t count”, “Election fraud is too prevalent”, “One vote won’t make a difference”. Did I miss any? So, here’s the bottom line – if you don’t vote, you will never have a strong foundation to make change, to be a part of change. The primary way to keep America balanced is to vote.
Know Your Leaders: Who are your local leaders? Your state? Your federal? I admit, I have to keep a list to stay up-to-date. Don’t know your leaders? Check your local newspapers, community pages on FB – look for City Government, Park Boards, School Boards, Water Boards and Fire Department Boards, to name a few general groups. At the County, State and Federal level, check their government webpage to find your leaders.
Provide them with Your Opinion, Your Voice: Most of the websites of your leaders provide a “Contact Me” link. I’ve found that’s the easiest way to share your opinion. A little note: print out your opinion prior to clicking on submit, as I’ve found sometimes that once you submit your comments, you have no record of what you sent. I have also found, while my State legislature is in session, that emailing all of the Representatives and/or all of the Senators sends a stronger message than just contacting my actual Senator or Representatives.
Get Involved: You don’t have to run for office to get involved or make a difference. Simply attend the meetings; in our current atmosphere, Zoom meetings are happening all across the country for local, state and federal boards and groups. You can simply attend the meetings and learn the process and gather information. Most groups meet once or twice monthly, so it’s not usually a huge time commitment. Find a group that deals with a topic(s) that you feel strongly about – children, veterans, parks – and put forth the effort to participate. It’s worth it. It’s worth it for you, for your community and for our Country.
America deserves better leaders. That means we have to hold our current leaders accountable and ensure that our future leaders are prepared to lead for the betterment of America. We the People hold some responsibility to elect and support strong leaders. It’s what will help keep us balanced.
