I agree that leadership is crucial. I like the “volume” distinction. I understand that many, probably most, perceive that leadership in regard to the Deepwater Horizon event has been deficient. This widespread perception is meaningful to me.

I have not been to the Gulf. The only significant data I have for how leadership is being applied or received is transmitted through the media. Especially on this sort of issue, I do not consider the media a trustworthy source. It is inherent to broadcast media, in particular, to highlight conflict and disappointment.

What I can do is use Mark’s helpful description of good leadership to reflect on what I observed and heard our positional leaders saying and doing from late April. It seems to me they were predicting this would be a very long haul, that there were likely to be significant consequences, and they were going to hold BP to account. The appointment of Mr. Mabus is, as I understand it, specifically to bring together the regional “community” and competing interests and determine how “we” will deal with the reality together. Mr. Mabus has been selected for his perceived listening and leadership skills.

While excruciatingly academic, it would be an interesting project to take transcripts of “leadership” messages and see how the verbs, narrative, and audience changed over these days.

Someday I assume we will see transcripts of USG “discussions” with BP over time. These may give us even more data on how leadership was being exercised.

I am unhappy to be sounding so much like an apologist for the administration. But — until other data sources become available — I have perceived entirely reasonable leadership being applied.

But I will also admit that this experience calls into serious question that my definition of “reasonable” is the same as the vast majority of the population. My expectations of leadership are, it would seem, considerably less than most of my neighbors. This suggests I have made a good choice focusing on prevention and preparedness rather than response.

Picking up on Dan’s comment, it might have been better for leaders to admit that the capacity to manage the spill was simply non-existent until the flow could be staunched by drilling relief wells, and even this involves some room for doubt. Rather than giving people hope in the technical solution, leadership would have taken this challenge as an opportunity to bring people together to craft a vision for the recovery and restoration that balances the competing economic and environmental issues (not to mention the social and cultural dimensions).

This would have required leaders to acknowledge the failure of regulation (or the lack of it), and present the catastrophe as evidence that any attempt to manage the risks by technical and legal means alone leaves us with a residual risk that we can now see is simply unacceptable. The adaptive challenge posed by our thirst for petroleum could thus be presented in stark relief without ignoring the need to continue efforts to stop the flow, clean the beaches, and find and fine those responsible. At the same time, this approach would have made clear that these efforts alone will never put things back as they were. We can only create a better future by working together.

“…One last point then on leadership. Many of the posts in this thread and elsewhere on the blog seem to define leadership solely in terms of decisions and actions. An effective leader, these posts seem to suggest knows what to say and do, and says it and does it or at the very least motivates, delegates or instructs others to do it for him or her. I have attempted to point out that inactions sometimes matter more than actions in both a positive and negative sense…”.

Leadership is more than action. In many respects there is an intangible quality that inspires, instills confidence etc. It’s a much nuanced personalization in my view. Perhaps it a presence, an ability to capture the moment, maybe even charisma… I think those are the gap fillers if you will. Obviously no one has the right answer at the right time all the time. I do agree with you, in terms of inaction as a leadership trait. I would characterize it more as active stasis…overtly deciding to wait is in fact a decision.

It’s in that darkness or knowledge void that one seeks, for lack of a better term, comfort and that carries the day. So to amplify many of your themes, the humanist qualities for interactive and effective relations are often more important than simply having answers.

I very much appreciate your point of view.

Whether in the White House with the President or the staffers or for that matter on both sides of the Congressional floor in capable of the hard line which must be taken first among themselves and then with the necessary difficult decisions which must be made (yesterday) if we are to – globally – survive without more despair….

Last night, for the first time, a solar paneled aircraft flew at night and for 26 hours with 3 hours remaining when it touched down – technology…promise, hopefulness, astute entrepreneurial brilliance – this si what the 21st century and beyond should be about, not the dysfunctional and narrow minded perspective, the lack of tolerance towards others who may disagree…

Unfortunately, scripture has been written and while God hopes we can all repent, to change our selfish ways here and beyond, greed, self-agenda and hatred will prevail and we will not see man’s life span to 125 years and more…we will fail. We will fail because of this lack of leadership, this arrogance in greed, lust for prowess in power not only here in America, but even more so with the evolving German led EU and the all too powerful Vatican.

The stone walls erected by neighbor in Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East will not be torn down by the owners of the stonewalls built by their great-grandfather and repaired and retained by each successive generation and it will not be the Russians or the Americans or Europeans who will be able to help the Middle East or the Germans and Europeans the mistrust and inherent hatred which continually promotes disharmony, senseless murder of innocents and of our precious youth no matter where as I walk the streets of Cairo, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jericho and I see the same ‘ol, same ‘ol discomfort with one another, their misfortune and ours – for each of us shares one Creator and not written in the Koran, but in the Bible, if man would only follow simple ways of Life and respect one another, not necessarily to embrace one another, yet make tireless effort to understand another’s perspective, to discuss rather than pick up weapon and slay the other – all because mankind is unwilling to serve – entrusted – leadership roles to guide and mentor –

We need more elders to show those in Hamas, Hezbollah, AQ and others that cold-blooded murder is not their practice, their business with leadership coffers spilling over the brim and massive structures rise from the sands of their forefathers while the good Palestinian for example, sits almost in squalor, frustrated, fellow brethren turning their cheek the other way while each Palestinian should have hope, not despair, an education to enable their precious young to compete, to be innovative, to progress…yet, leadership whether the Arab Counsel or other in Dubai skiing indoors or buyers in upscale retail stores in their disinterest in assuring that all will be given dignity, entrusted leadership is no where to be seen and successive generations of youth -precious youth see very little if any hope for the future and being recruited by fundamentalists, point to the west, when in fact it is this lack of leadership, compassion and of course a woman’s lipstick which underscores the resulting despair of the Middle East which the west is also responsible -

I do hope more of this wonderful blog’s readers globally will keep talking about the need for character, the need for non-partisan leadership, individuals who truly care about others and those far yonder for we all share a stake in the near-future for all are being enslaved by the ever powerful and unfortunately, the “Brutes of Tehran” and the intolerance of the German leading the soon to be ten (10) nation EU supported by the Vatican whose first interest is its own coffers and hidden treasures beneath and in vault which will fail us all –

Serive and politics whether here in teh local community where one must campaign for a local Selectman’s seat paying $50 monthly as stipend for expenses, but to be elected, most incur $20k in election costs to in the seat or take a look at the present million and millions candidates must spend to get elected – to represent and guess what – most of us have reached a point here on Main Street USA, never mind anywhere else, where when we see “incumbent” on the ballot, a No vote of confidence as our great Republic is being torn from within.

We have a President who constantly turns to the Islamic followers and makes promises to them when he needs to get off the television every day and meet behind closed doors with his party members and together with those across the aisle turn this certain course of doom and enjoin all, not make an “appointment” when Congress is unable to question such appointment –

Mr. President, you have greatly expedited our demise in your first chapters of your Presidency by ramping up as never before the budget deficit. We really do not care whether Republican or Democrat, this quite apparent “agenda” does not sit well w/most Americans.

Service and politics go hand in hand and We are not seeing service to the Republic, but, rather, you and most others serving self and for you and others, some planned scheme of enslaving as many as possible and stifling innovativeness, discouraging entrepreneurial zeal, individualism in expression, creativity….

You said during your campaign days that you would focus on making this fairer for all, you have done the opposite and together with both sides of the aisle, lacking in experience and being nothing than pawns for those who have no intentions of giving up power, their lusting whether among the Arab leaders in the backrooms, downstairs in the basement in the goverment (capital) building in Pakistan or for that matter and for the most part among local, state and global leaders, whether clerics, parliment or school committe members all potraying that servive and politics spells self-agenda and a ticket to pre-eminece above the law given to us by our Creator showing us in simple terms how we can truly serve one another….

God Bless America and the Brits who were bombed for 86 of 87 nights by Hitler in the summer of ’40 and without Churchill and his leadership, all of us, no matter where would today be under the guise of the Third Reich whether in London or Amman….Have respect for history. While some idiot who rewrites history and willingly spills the richness of Persian blood on the streets of Tehran, a wonderful people, well-educated, innovative and despite the “Brutes of Tehran” as supposedly serving as politicians, another example of the tyranny of which people are subjected to in history and as with every form of man-made government since Babylon, a failure for service and politics have proven beyond man’s reach!

God Bless our Republic, the United State of America whose young men and young women are not at all on foreign soil to take up permanent residence, but willing to pursue the criminal….

What young American would want to stay on foreign soil and give up his/her Right to freedom, to challenge those today seeking to re-write the Constitution or amend existing immigration laws where because of the unwillingness, the lack of commitment to uphold immigration laws requiring specific procedures like all other sovereign nations….

….a USA which has looked the other way in recent years to allow 12 million illegal residents and now challenges, yes, you Mr. President, challenges the majorityof Americans whose grandparents and parents, even themselves, who have had to adhere to the immigration law, often standing in line for two years just to secure a visa to the USA….

….while you Mr. President, you cohorts and especially “smug-smiled Pelosi and Mr. Barney” seeking to challenge a local State government and its people so subjected to illegal behavior on the part of immigrant and you seek to use your legal manipulations to curcumvent the will of the people in all corners of our Republic, illigal immigration is not tolerated.

The unemployment rate is not 9.5% – get a hold o0f yourselves – it is far greater and the lack of real jobs, real meainful job creation in a nation which has allowed big business to set up manufaturing shop in and outside Beijing for decades and left with a servive sector, the lack of engineering and science graduates…more taxes…from what income as Americans, Europeans, even those in Dubai, have less and less and it all points to War once again as mankind is loed astray by those we entrust whether on Main Street USA or Main Street Lagos, service and politics depict leadership skills in nothing less than criminal action in the theft of mankind’s dignity and theft of his labor and gain by the bankers assuring that this generation and offspring remain impoverished and easily manipulated for those who are professional politicians abusive in their power understand that when hope is lost, mankind without his/her spirituality will do almost anything including believing that strapping a bomb around one’s waist – by the way witnessed by God – is somehow ok to kill, cold-blooded murder of another, an innocent fellow human being, and that somehow this hopeless individual duped into killing himself and others -

Enough is enough….

We are all tired of hearing how much BP has spent because of its intentional disregard for the “little people” and in China, such outright negligence, would be a line up rather than a service and politics as usual….How outrageous…empathy for ssharholder rather than our own families, children….

How dare you Mr. President? We are not interested in your continued overtures to the Muslim. As a Hellene, American born, second generation, proud of my Spartan heritage, however very proud of America which has been the Beacon of Hope for so many….The Muslim American works hard daily, is no different tahnanyoen else as I as Hellene, those we are American, love our nation, respect our forefathers and what they intended and wrote in affording us the Constitition….

Mr. President, while we have yet to feel confident of your citizenry and Right to be President as another example like the first stimulus monies which Hank Paulson and “Mr. Barney” have yet to account for – lost much like your birth certigicate and those who remember you in class or growing up (where) with you…We know we are at peril and with the EU promising slower growth and strife from within as we look at the 27th September German elections to see who will lead the new German-EU…We here on Main Street are quite enlightened and see service and politics here and yonder as nothing more than….

The clarity of Biblical pages and scripture are turning quickly with the clock ticking and while you choose to take our monies and enslave us to your service and political agenda, we do and unfortunately know your greed and partisan agenda….

….your unwillingness to place shareholder and elitist interests aside and Biblical scripture cautions you that this service and politics will result in your demise as well….for already we see your uneasiness and discord among you as all becomes more and more evident and little or no hope remains…Double dip? Far worse….

Joe Citizen
Main Street
chris.tingus@gmail.com

In this instance (Deepwater Horizon), I am less frustrated with the President’s performance than I am with that of his team and others more directly responsible for the Gulf response and recovery effort. I don’t hold the leader with position and authority responsible for every failure to reach the destination, and the flight plan is clearly still open on this one.

Because the journey matters too, I am concerned that the team has not adequately embraced the challenge Phil and I have discussed before, which is how to engage others interested in and affected by a crisis in broader cooperation and collaboration to define and pursue common aims. The anger being expressed reflects dissatisfaction borne being forced to make the journey in the first place, not getting to the desired destination quickly enough, and not having taken the recommended routes and shortcuts suggested by the passengers. Leaders cannot afford to attend any one of these issues to the exclusion or marginalization of the others.

We can’t change the fact that this journey has begun, but we can take concrete steps to address why we started on it and how we might prevent others from following us. We might not be able to speed up the journey without jeopardizing the safety or comfort of the passengers or endangering bystanders. So far the voices in the Gulf Coast have received most of the attention. I dare say others situated farther from the spill have different views about the wisdom of continuing offshore drilling. Leaders must assume responsibility for helping the passengers and bystanders reconcile their competing interests in the destination and timetable for getting there. Finally, the a leader must acknowledge the assistance offered even when its not helpful to engage it. Giving people a sense they have a part to play is only a start. They have to see and hear your response too.

I have little doubt that the technical side of this catastrophe is being handled about as well as could be expected. But that does not change the fact that people did not expect anything of this scope or scale, they had prior assurances that everything that needed to be done was in place to handle such a contingency, and they have had little evidence that they are getting closer to the destination. All the while, they are finding the ride unsettling and unsatisfying.

Phil was right to remind us that Lincoln, Roosevelt and Churchill faced similar struggles. Fortunately for them, they did not have to respond in a 24×7 media environment that questioned their every motivation and move.

One last point then on leadership. Many of the posts in this thread and elsewhere on the blog seem to define leadership solely in terms of decisions and actions. An effective leader, these posts seem to suggest knows what to say and do, and says it and does it or at the very least motivates, delegates or instructs others to do it for him or her. I have attempted to point out that inactions sometimes matter more than actions in both a positive and negative sense.

President Obama cannot afford either to be consumed with or by this crisis. He has many other important matters to deal with, some of them arguably much more critical to our national welfare. His lack of attention to the Gulf disaster should be interpreted as effective leadership, even if the situation does not improve as quickly as we might like, if and only if others step up to address the situation as I have discussed. This requires professionalism of the sort Phil suggests, and those qualities may exist in abundance among our military leaders, but I have seen them elsewhere in evidence and hope to see them engaged more effectively in this instance as well.

Managers can direct resources to achieve purpose in a predictable context. Leaders are needed to engage the unpredictable and still advance purpose.

Mark has previously admitted to supporting Mr. Obama in the election and continuing to wish him well. But I also read above (and before) an increasing dissatisfaction with the President’s leadership, especially tied to the Gulf crisis. Mark is certainly not alone, and if any phenomenon is well suited for crowd-sourcing it would probably be perception of leadership.

But why? The President’s policies and decisions did not create the problem. The government has committed significant resources to managing and mitigating the problem. A moratorium on deep water drilling was announced and has been defended, even under some legal duress. Regulatory measures are being tightened. The White House has intervened directly with BP in what, to date, seems to be a successful effort to hold the company financially accountable for the consequences of the oil spill. The President has set out a strategic goal (increased diversity of energy sources)as a long-term means of reducing our dependence on high-risk drilling operations.

I certainly agree the problem continues. Is there anything short of victory that defines leadership?

With apologies, I will share a bit of a whine… I surprise myself to share this in public. My generation – boomers – continue to dominate much of our culture. When we were young, our heroes — John, Bobby, and Martin were taken from us. In colleges and universities our idealism, whatever it might have been, was often exposed as self-serving. In young adulthood we suffered through Watergate and a number of other tawdry affairs involving our so-called leaders. During middle-age, as we have assumed roles of nominal leadership, we have vaguely perceived — and perhaps felt complicit — in an unsustainable, fundamentally unreal reorganization of economic and social relationships.

If I met Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Churchill on a mountaintop – emerging together from an aurora of light — I worry my first thought might be concern over what I had for lunch.

Exactly why is that? In part the system seems to want those without a record in reality so that the manipulators of the democratic process can provide an “electable” identity. See Robert Redford’s movie “The Candidate”!