Abraham Lincoln Speaks to Us Today

 

Abraham Lincoln Speaks to Us Today--The Greatest Threats to our Nation’s Long-term Health are Internally Imposed, not Externally

President Abraham Lincoln is often cited for his warning about the internal threats to American democracy. The most famous instance of this idea can be found in his Lyceum Address, delivered in Springfield, Illinois, on January 27, 1838. In this speech, Lincoln talked about the dangers that could bring about the downfall of the United States, arguing that these threats were more likely to come from within than from external enemies.

He stated:

"Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

More than ever, perhaps since the Civil War, those words serve as a warning and call to action for us today. 

In recent years, I have lamented how many adversaries we have turned into existential enemies rather than viewing them as competitors.  Today, our existential enemy list would be headed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.  Yet, while acknowledging the genuine and serious issues embodied in those threats, if we step back, do we seriously and objectively believe that any of these nations possess the resources, the global appeal, and even the intent, to deny the United States a pre-eminent, even if not unilateral, claim to global leadership?  

 

I don’t think so.

Think about it.  No other country in the world has the resources or power which America has today:  a currency that is convertible and has pride of place in the world's financial markets. Deep pools of capital readily available to stimulate innovation and the formation of new businesses.  The soft power stemming from a university system unmatched in the world.  The appeal, even if tarnished, of America’s culture, no better evidenced than the country’s unique attractiveness as a destination for immigrants.

 

I’m not suggesting we are living in a benign and friendly world, free of conflicts and competition.  We don't. We never have. There are military threats and actions that need to be confronted and economic policies that we need to pursue to ensure that our nation’s natural advantages which stem from the diversity of our people and richness of our resources are allowed to play out fairly.  And, there is one overriding external threat that must be confronted on a global basis:  climate change.  However, with all of that said,  I will argue that the greatest threat to this nation’s future is rooted in our internal governance structure and relationships with one another.  It flows from a number of factors, including: 

 

·       The corruption of our ability to govern effectively, to make happen those things most important to the future, culturally, economically and politically. 

 

Our system of government today is plagued by greater polarization than has existed since the Civil War.  It is fueled by many factors, including social media and fractured news channels that cater to deepening and individual points of view rather than encouraging with conversation.

 

The legitimacy of our government structure is undercut by gerrymandering and by the decline in both institutional and inter-personal trust.

 

·       We are continuing to fail to provide families with the support and implement educational policies and structures to close the long-standing and still-widening gap in work and life preparedness between people of wealth (largely inherited) and those of below-average income.

 

·       We continue to fail to implement an immigration policy that will continue to bring people of talent and ambition to this country as we have in the past.  This is going to be more important than ever in the future to compensate for the declining fertility rates impacting our nation and all of the developed world.

Obviously, confronting and addressing these gaps and challenges represent generational tasks.  They loom larger today than ever.  Above all else, they will call for strong, value-based, personal leadership at every level of government and public service, leadership directed not at bettering one’s personal position but selfless leadership dedicated to strengthening the fabric of this nation so that it will only endure but thrive in the pursuit of the vision which the founders of this nation embarked on 350 years ago.

What Defines the Most Effective Board Members I Ever Worked With

 

Sometime ago, I was asked to write an article for a magazine addressing the question:  “What were the qualities of the finest board members with whom you ever worked?”

 

That was an interesting topic, I thought.  I decided to approach it not by thinking about the qualities I would enumerate.  Instead, I started by identifying the ten finest board members, for profit and non-profit organizations, I had the privilege of working with.  There were close to 100 men and women on that list. It wasn't easy but I selected "the top 10.”  I then stepped back to ask myself a simple question.  “Why did I pick them?  What did they have in common?"

 

Here is what I found:

 

1.         Every one of them approached their board membership as if it were their own company for which they were responsible.  Their attendance and their participation mirrored what I would have expected if they were a member of the management of the company in terms of commitment.

 

2.         Their goal was to support the CEO and management in contributing to sustaining the success of the company and to honor their responsibility to shareholders to protect their interests.

 

3.         These were individuals who, when they spoke up, you listened to them closely.  What they said was likely to be fresh, significant and never said simply to announce to the boardroom that they were present. 

 

4.         They showed courage in speaking up in supporting what might be a controversial board motion or, in some cases, to object to it.  The first board member who speaks in a board meeting carries more than an average amount of weight.  There were many cases when I was CEO when a board member speaking up on a controversial proposal made the day. 

 

5.         They were willing to have a direct conversation with the CEO, usually privately, to provide their advice on an important issue on which they concluded the CEO was struggling.  This is a priceless attribute of a board member.  I can recall instances on boards on which I served going up to the CEO after he/she had made a proposal that was not adopted and telling them that I knew they felt strongly about the issue.  I urged that he go back to the board and make it crystal-clear how important approval of this was to the future of the company.

 

6.         While his or her commitment was to the success of the total enterprise, the strongest board members I worked with usually picked one or two areas where they particularly focused.   One board member I recall focused like a laser on innovation.  Another on insuring that consumers’ in poorer, underdeveloped countries were recognized and served through our product and pricing strategies.  Another that we were doing everything we should to advance the careers of women and minorities.

 

7.         Lastly, these best board members respected and worked well with other board members.  They were not out to show that they were special or that their ideas had to prevail. They were team players even as they maintained their independence. 

 

It would be hard to overstate the value I have seen outstanding board members provide.  This makes it important to choose a board carefully.  It is also vital that the relationship between the CEO and the board be open and transparent.  Boards respond to CEOs who genuinely want their input.  CEOs won’t agree with their board members all the time; sometimes they may even feel they “get in their way.”  But they’re open to input. They seek it.  They value it.  Board members recognize this and they respond.  

 

I’m a great believer in honest, candid annual reviews of board performance carried out by the Chair of the Board or the head of the Governance Committee. The results need to be shared openly in conversation with the CEO and the entire board.