Think Big, Henry.
Here`s a
chilling excerpt from a new movie about Daniel
Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, which Ellsberg leaked to Neil
Sheehan of the New York Times exposing the lies about the
Vietnam War (among other things). If you haven`t read the Pentagon
Papers I can tell you it`s an enlightening experience to say the very
least. It may shake your confidence in official leadership a bit, but
that`s
not necessarily a bad thing. Leadership should be questioned so power
remains as distributed as possible and decision making processes remain
as transparent as possible. More generally, those two concepts are
core principles to keep in mind while building communities, especially
if you want to create the circumstances where opportunities can spring
from anywhere. Anyway, back
to this film clip. There is one audio conversation between
Nixon and Kissinger cited in the film offering a glimpse into the
thinking
of Richard Nixon. Here`s the exchange:
Nixon: I still think we ought to take the dikes out now. Will that drown people?Absolutely. Insane. But instructive as well. This is what happens when leaders detach themselves from the reality of their decisions. Granted, this is an extreme case, but oftentimes even genuine leaders make bad decisions due to isolation. Lesson to would be leaders: get out of the office, get down in the grassroots, live like the people you lead.
Kissinger: That will drown 200,000 people.
Nixon: Well, no, no, no, no, no. I`d rather use a nuclear bomb. Have you got that ready?
Kissinger: That I think will just be too much, uh.
Nixon: A nuclear bomb, does that bother you? I just want you to think big, Henry, for Christsakes.
Whistle-Blowers: A Conversation with Ellsberg and Dean
Jim, I agree with you 100%. Leaders have to get down to the trenches often and see what they are up against. That is mandatory I don't care who you are or in what kind of leadership position you are in. Often times, like you said, leaders detach themselves from reality. My philosophy is "if you can talk the talk, then you must walk the walk. Great post Jim. Luv your blog.
Posted by CR on November 10, 2009 at 10:09 PM JST #