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

I think leadership includes inspiring yourself and others to perform at a higher level.  Last night in New Orleans, I saw that as the New Orleans Saints dominated the favored Atlanta Falcons in a memorable game.

Since Hurricane Katrina hit a year ago, the city of New Orleans and its citizens have not had much to cheer about. The Superdome had stood as a painful reminder of the hopelessness and helplessness that so many felt in the days following the destruction of Katrina.

Last night in a Monday Night Football game, the SuperDome took on new meaning. It became a symbol of reconstruction, of hope and a brighter future. The atmosphere felt more like a Super Bowl than the third week of the regular season. U2 and Green Day played a pre-game concert, showcasing a cover of the The Skids song, “The Saints are Coming.” Proceeds from the single will go to Music Rising.

After the game, the Saints stood 3-0 and equaled the games they won all of last season. Remarkable things happened in this game as if the New Orleans fans in the SuperDome and at home watching somehow willed the outcome. For example, when was the last time you saw a blocked punt and a blocked field goal by the same team in an NFL game? Go back to 2003 and hundreds of games. Yet it happened last night.

The blocked punt rolled toward the end zone where it was fallen upon for a touchdown. The Saints, scoring in the most unlikely ways (blocked punt, double reverse), were empowered to dominate in all facets of the game until the final gun. Fans cheered madly for another 30 minutes after the game ended. It was a great game played by inspired Saints. But it was more than just an NFL game. It gave cheering fans a momentary return to normalcy. It provided hope for a turnaround, a comeback, an empowered effort to go beyond one’s own limits.

From the Washington Post

Do you think it matters to the people of New Orleans? Michael Vick, the Falcons multi-talented QB said afterward, "I never in my life heard a crowd roar so loud.'' They've already showed their commitment to the team, buying out the entire Saints season at the SuperDome for the first time in the team’s history.

This one game does not erase the painful memories or alleviate all the work ahead, but it was special and for now resuscitates much of the New Orleans energy and vibe that was drown under flood waters of a year ago.

There is some good stuff going around the web today.

I offer my support and encouragement to Chartreuse, an independent blogger that has thrown out an innovative idea that captures the power of new media and citizen journalism.

I often read what Chartreuse has to say about blog networks and new media. It is colorful if nothing. Over the past several months, we have become better acquainted with Chartreuse. I never thought of him as an activist but he has started something that is quickly becoming a major story and cause. His action, his innovation, his ability to draw support – his leadership - is worth noting. It started here.

“I read a story about FEMA not allowing Katrina victims to talk to reporters. That sounded a bit outrageous to me so I asked a friend of mine who works in a position which allows her/him to see what’s going on across the state of Louisiana to tell me if it was true. (Sorry, they are not allowed to speak “on the record” to the press!)”

Chartreuse received an unofficial on-the-ground-report from New Orleans – and it wasn’t pretty. It spoke of racial profiling and police harassment of Katrina victims. I have to say, the claims were so extreme, I wasn’t sure what to believe. I trusted Chartreuse to publish the truth. He wanted to know more. From his post yesterday

“I’m putting up $1000.00 of my own cash to send 2 people to New Orleans and the Gulf Region for a weekend to find out what’s really going on.”

“I write a lot about change, institutional collapse and personal empowerment. I don’t write enough about responsibility.

I feel we all have a responsibility to do what we can.

Let’s do something important.”

The call to action has not fallen on deaf ears. Know More Media is in with cash and coverage. Nearly a hundred readers have responded and several citizen journalists have applied to file the report.

We have it in our power to begin the world over again. - Thomas Paine

In New Orleans (and from around the country), the people have spoken and Ray Nagin is the re-elected Mayor of the ravaged Louisiana city.

I am surprised that the stranded people of New Orleans who lived through the horror of Katrina could so easily forget the image of all those school buses that sat underwater.

The challenges for Mayor Nagin are not trivial and it will take world-class leadership to guide this city through its continued recovery from Hurricane Katrina.  There is the challenge of not only re-building the city and shoring up the levee system but finding citizens that want to return. 

“Many thousands of homes remain abandoned, and signs of rebuilding are sparse. As each month passes, more evacuees are settling permanently in faraway homes.”

While the physical city was underwater last fall, today its finances are underwater as its tax revenue and base has been severely decreased.

As Nagin stated, "This election is over, and it's time for this community to start the healing process."  I hope that can happen.  The new hurricane season is already at hand.  Let’s hope it is not too late.

Read more at CNN, NPR and the Washington Post.

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.

Laura Bush visited the Gulf yesterday to announce grants totaling $500,000 to rebuild and stock libraries in the areas devastated by hurricanes of 2005. Bush is a former librarian and public school teacher and has selected seven public and private schools in Louisiana and three in Mississippi to receive the grants. The money will come from Laura Bush Foundation's Gulf Coast Library Recovery Initiative. The First Lady noted,

"Rebuilt libraries will bring children back to their schools, and rebuilt schools will help bring families back to the revitalized Gulf Coast."

This is a great cause to lead.

Read the complete story at the Washington Post.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

                                                     

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.

If you have taken the time to read any of my recent musings, you know I have spent a fair amount of time trying to glean from the rubble a handful of leadership insights from the response to our country’s worst natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina provided plenty of fodder for the world to again point a finger and proclaim with universal chorus all that is wrong with America. Of course the harshest criticism goes to the local, state and Federal officials that we as citizens look to for authority, civil order and in times of unprecedented disaster, basic food and water.

I have said my share regarding where, how and why our leadership may have failed. To add to that I found some keen analysis provided by Jonah Goldberg on how a “journalistic fiasco” added to an already downward spiraling situation. Unlike so many voices of the past thirty days, Mr. Goldberg calls it like it is – astutely and with candor including adding himself to the heap of those in the blogosphere that as he notes “bought the hyperventilation hook, line, and sinker.”

His analysis of “Katrina’s Other Consequence,” namely the failure of some journalists to report the events in New Orleans accurately, deserves your attention if you blog and if you hope that truth matters.  From my standpoint of offering insight into the leadership, his thoughts on this topic are equally noteworthy. 

From it, I was reminded of a quote that offers not only insight but hope for each of us as we look back to Katrina to find lessons that will make us better people, neighbors, volunteers, citizens and leaders. 

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”

From the mouth of a Yankee comes salve to the wounds of the south. Abraham Lincoln knew from crisis and leadership. And he knew how to heal.  As one of the greatest  leaders in our national history, he understood that if leaders will empower people, we will prevail.  I would venture that those of us in the blogoshere probably believed this truth long before Katrina hit.

However, in the past week we have had it burned into our souls. Blog-on and with it bring the truth.

Michael Brown, former Director of FEMA, didn’t have much upside to take the blame and learn anything from his Hurricane Katrina performance as he fidgeted for six plus hours in front of a Congressional hearing yesterday.  However, I thought he might comport himself with a little more dignity.  He was the “go to” man in the worst natural disaster in history.  Responsibility for leadership in such an overwhelming situation would severely test anyone and some failures would be expected.  I certainly did not expect perfection but I did expect more leadership. He is quite a contrast to Rudy Giuliani and  9-11, who faced a similar unprecendented disaster yet performed admirably.

My conclusion based on his performance is that he was not qualified to direct the emergency response of the Federal Government. Perhaps, we learned as much about him under the bright lights of the inquiry as we want to know.  His responses were self-protective and sadly at times immature.  In the face of the pressure of this hearing, he was uncomfortable, defensive and befuddled.

I thought he would have made more of an effort to look better and more in control - maybe take this opportunity to save some face. His comments were not constructive or helpful to making FEMA better.  Under pressure, he does not have the calm, clear thinking, decisiveness that a leader must have in times of crisis. Under pressure is where true leaders shine.  Michael Brown seemed quite dim after yesterday.

 

Leadership has probably not been at the forefront of most people’s minds recently with all the devastation of Katrina in the Gulf States. But perhaps it has been nagging at you subconsciously. Because during a crisis, leadership or the lack of it, is what creates cohesion or on the other hand allows chaos to flourish. I have no doubt that most Americans have felt frustrated and helpless the past few weeks. Effective leadership could have changed that.

I think it is interesting how most of us can identify a good leader and also usually know when the opposite is true. We don’t really even try, we just seem to know when leadership is present. We feel less anxious, we have hope and see a path and vision that leads us out of the crisis. We know someone cares and is managing a situation that seems unmanageable. We feel empowered and want to do our part.

I have already sensed a different type of leadership as Rita approaches. Good for us that we can quickly learn and adapt from our mistake of only a few weeks ago.

How do you plan for the most destructive hurricane ever? Can you? Should a leader be required to stand responsible when a crisis occurs?

Of course a leader should be held responsible – not for the crisis – but for the vision she sets forth for her organization.

Business is not static, at least not in today’s world where information and data can move across global markets in seconds. That means instability should be considered the rule and not the exception. As a leader, there are things you can do to arm your organization before the debilitating effects of an unexpected crisis strikes.

• Effective leaders will set forth a strategic vision and reiterate it often. In times of uncertainty, a steady hand that has consistently charted the course, will find loyal followers in the ranks.

• Effective leaders will create unity in their organizations. Organizational cohesion that has been formed prior to a crisis, will forge your team against the stress and force of unforesenn challenges.

• Effective leaders are found among their followers. Your physical presence will engender trust with those in your organization. Your composure and confidence will inspire the same in others.

• Effective leaders are “guiding lights” to an organization. Your commitment and focus to the business and your people will be an example that stabilizes disequilibrium and makes sense out of the chaos of crisis.

It seems Katrina has finally caught the attention of President Bush. Now that he seems focused on the task, will he succeed? That will remain to be seen and I don’t know if I will be measuring his performance here unless there is a lesson in leadership to be learned from the effort. But, I do think there something to be learned from this week’s events. While it is hard to defend his lack of presence until the past few days, I believe President Bush is on the right track to providing the necessary leadership to get our country though this crisis.

In crisis, a leader must:

• Understand the issues by being personally involved. Roll up your sleeves, put on your waders, whatever, let those on the ground know that you understand the gravity of the crisis. Bush finally got down and dirty and walked into the belly of the beast. As a leader, you are more likely to get support for your vision and strategic plan if those who you need to follow that plan feel that you understand the unique challenge of the crisis. As a great example of this principle, I think of Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower in the few days before D-Day walking the staging areas shaking hands with the young troops that would execute the greatest military invasion in history. They believed in his vision and in his ability to execute it. They could look him in the eye.

• Create a new vision. Shoveling mud ultimately is not what will lead your team through the obstacles of a crisis. A leader must to more. A leader sets forth what the future will look like after the dust settles. An effective leader transforms seemingly overwhelming problems into simplified solutions. To the victims of the disaster, the President offered specific solutions to not just restore the damaged areas but to rebuild to a higher standard by proposing the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone. This ideas is modeled on the U.S. effort after World War II to rebuild Europe, under the direction of Secretary of State George Marshall. Bush also noted in his speech that Katrina was not a normal hurricane and conceded that "the system, at every level of government, was not well coordinated” establishing that the status quo of the Federal government was not acceptable. That gave the rest of us some hope for future crises.

• Inspire with accountability. With an understanding of the crisis and an action plan, a leader will inspire. What keeps the momentum of this inspiration is an understanding of and accountability to the plan. Much of the organized relief effort of FEMA and other state and local agencies failed in the immediate aftermath of the Katrina because the relief plan, if it was formulated, certainly was not communicated or understood by most people including President Bush. Volunteers that came willing to help did not know how or where to help. There was no coordination between Federal, state and local government. Contrast that to the invasion of Normandy, where very few details of the attack went as planned, but each soldier knew his duty and the overall objective when he left England. When new obstacles arose, these soldiers adapted their actions to meet the larger objective. The vision and objective was sustained.

Dutifully, President Bush stepped up to the plate in New Orleans last night and set forth a plan to rebuild the beleaguered home of Mardi Gras. Only a few days ago, the Federal government seemed “dazed and confused.” Rightfully, President Bush took the heat and the associated blame for the poor performance of the Federal government’s response to what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls the most destructive hurricane ever.

I was impressed with President Bush and his delivery of the new plan. He gave concrete solutions and vowed that this “great city will rise again.” However, it will take more than speeches and promises to make this vision a reality but at least there is a road map and an opportunity for all of us to get on board and do what we can.

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?