Leadership - A discussion of traits, characteristics, and current news of leaders.

Perhaps as much as any other occasion or event, leaders are often proven in times of crisis.

Today we honor and remember great men and women that provided leadership in the most trying moment of our nation's recent history.

We also honor the victims and comfort the familes of those that perished at the hands of evil.

Remember.  Do a good deed.














Men of Stone," G.N. Miller

The effects of Hurricane Katrina may be felt by New Orleans for years to come. Much has been done to put the devastation in the past. However, the mayoral election of New Orleans has dredged up the memory of Katrina. As New Orleans’ voters go to the polls tomorrow to elect a mayor, leadership is the central issue.

Current Mayor Ray Nagin is seeking re-election and has found himself in the familiar position of defending himself and claiming to be a victim of evil. Nagin made my list of those that failed to lead in 2005. Unfortunately for Nagin and fortunately for the citizens of New Orleans, Katrina offered a proving ground for Nagin’s leadership. Nagin failed.

Leaders are often defined by crises and how they react to adversity. Think Giuliani in the hours after 9-11. According to a new book, Nagin didn’t measure up. "The Great Deluge," was written by Tulane University historian Douglas Brinkley. Brinkley covers a week of the Hurricane Katrina debacle and according the Washington Post, depicts New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin as “too vain, too stunned and too paranoid to have been effective in the city's crisis.”

I can’t speak to the leadership ability of Nagin’s opponent, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. The two candidates squared-off in a debate on Hardball last week. Leadership will decide the outcome. Not a good sign for Nagin. I am not making a political endorsement. I know Nagin failed to lead before, during and after Hurricane Katrina and missed the opportunity to prove his leadership – when it mattered. The policy differences of the two candidates are minimal. So the decision of voters will be “who can get it done.” 

For sheer amusement, don’t miss Dangerblond’s clever review of Nagin.

I was at a community event last night. The topic of discussion was emergency preparedness and response. Since 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina, this has been a frequently discussed topic among government, education and business.

One of the speakers offered a simple recipe for emergency preparedness and response. It is..........

Plan, Prepare, Practice

This concept resonated with me as I thought about my own personal preparedness. It also seemed like excellent advice for leadership of any organization, activity or event. I also thought of the words of John C. Maxwell who noted that “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

Leadership is rarely successful by adhering to a set of strict rules. Leaders tend to be creative and flexible, capable of balancing many competing forces. This holds true for planning, preparing and practicing. There is no secret formula. Rather, what follows are concepts that require you to think, act and assess – and use your unique experience and expertise to lead.

The effects of Hurricane Katrina are unprecedented in US history. Refugees without homes are not a common site in the United States. I do not blame Bush or anyone for not anticipating the magnitude of this tragedy. However, the reaction to the crisis is where our leaders failed the victims of this natural disaster.

I was glad to see President Bush finally take responsibility for the government’s lackluster performance following the crisis on the gulf coast due to Hurricane Katrina. As the Chief Executive, he is ultimately responsible for the actions of the federal government – good or bad. Whether you like the guy and his politics (apparently only 39% of you do according to the latest approval ratings), I believe that his acceptance of responsibility is a demonstration of good leadership. This small ray of light comes after two weeks of leadership void. His next step should be to take decisive actions to correct the mistakes of the past two weeks.

This lack of official reaction and therefore lack of leadership in the days immediately following the disaster is remarkable to me. What surprises me about this situation is that there was so much opportunity for great leadership. Initially, the common plight of the Katrina victims provided a natural cohesion in this group. Likewise there was a natural unity and bond among the citizens of this nation that desperately wanted to help the victims. What lacked was a leader that offered a clear plan to provide hope to the victims and opportunities to serve to so many volunteers.

Think how things would have been different for the citizens of New Orleans if any one of the government officials would have decisively taken charge. How would the lives and futures of Mayor Nagin, Governor Blanco, former FEMA director Michael Brown been different if they would have stepped into the void and supplanted chaos with order, despair with hope. Where would the approval ratings of President Bush be if he had stepped into this situation with action?