How we define leadership makes a difference
Who are our leaders today and why?
I ask why, because leaders obviously don’t emerge in a vacuum. They reflect their constituents. Us.
So, why do we get who we get?
First, just think about leadership in the abstract. Really, think about it. Think of this as an exercise for which you’ll have some patience. How would you define it? Make sure you do this before reading further. u
So, if we’re talking strictly leadership—-not influencers or social media promoters, sports figures or celebrities—-the field seems quite narrow to me, not sure if you’d agree. But here we go anyway.
Bring to mind those people across the political spectrum (biases aside please) who you envision to exemplify true leadership qualities.
Those who have proven to have integrity, honesty, character, live by a moral code, and live ethically. You have a feeling that their insides match their outsides.1
Got anyone?
I’ve had a very hard time coming up with people who I think fit this description. Mind you, the characteristics I mentioned above did not include any words that intimate perfection.
Our tradition understands human behavior differently, and has built into it, in the very fabric of our core teaching, the Torah, a path of correction. We will mess up.
Our culture is in contrast to that teaching. Unfortunately, many worthy individuals have been vilified because of imperfections. Even imperfections committed years and years before. For society, there seems to be no way to make amends.
We can learn from two biblical leaders. The Talmd2 compares the leadership of Moses to David. Moses requested that his major error be recorded, for all time, so others could learn from it. Imagine, making sure that others knew you had some flaws…major ones.
On the other hand, David preferred his failings be hidden. In a psalm he wrote, he specifically requests that of God. But, we know from the Torah itself that Nathan, the prophet, specifically rebukes David for his behavior. There were very real consequences for Moses’ and David’s failings, but public shame wasn’t one of them.
Why do we seem to take a special pride in ‘bringing people down’ in the most public way when they’ve erred? Not that they shouldn’t be held accountable, absolutely they should, but it seems that in our culture, everyone is scrutinized and expected to behave at all times at a level of perfection. And we relish the telling of it, and feed on it.
What I’ve also seen lately, from many political leaders in this country, is a penchant for selfishness. For grabbing the spotlight. For grandstanding. For making decisions without consideration of or input from those they’re representing3. They feel empowered to be not the leader, but the dictator.
They may be in leadership positions, but it’s not leadership. Not by far.
And this business is not easy. Compromise and collaboration come at a price. There is not one prophet in our tradition, not one, who asked to be in the position of righting the wrongs of society. It was an impossible job. Still is.
But I’m not leaving you in a good place when all I’m doing is laying out the problem (only partially, because as you know, it is SO complicated) without a solution. I do know that our current system doesn’t really work. People rise to the top when they might have ‘gamed’ the system, but that doesn’t make anyone a leader.
My heart was crushed when we lost those who fit the description of a solid leader4. But in a way, what would any one of them say about our situation today? Would they demand someone better? Would they make any outrage public? Would people listen to them or would they be dismissed as being out of touch?
What shall we do when we don’t have the individuals we need who exemplify the best of the best? One thing we can do is base our judgements on the right attributes.
Sometimes, I have chosen to disassociate from certain places because I was not able to compromise on certain principles of character. Those were hard choices, but ones I had to make.
So, I wish I had the answer, even one answer. But in some cases, probably most cases, the answer is not to disengage. The stakes are too high.
All I have is my heart to follow when it comes to making decisions that I need to, in order to choose a leader. I suggest you do the same—until things change.
This is one of the descriptions given in the Talmud for the type of person we should strive to be.
Yoma, 86b:15
“Authority is a great burden upon the shoulders of those who bear it; for as long as a person is alone, dwelling in the midst of his nation, just one among many, he is held responsible only for himself, but once he ascends to lordship and authority he is held responsible for all who come within his authority and jurisdiction. He must look to the welfare of all of them, shepherd them with knowledge and intelligence….” ~ Path of the Just / Messilat Yesharim, ch. 22
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg z”l, Reverend Martin Luther King z”l, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel z”l, and more.