Seeing the Future

Posted under Uncategorized on February 22nd, 2008 by with no responses 

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"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." ~ John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961

With those words, President Kennedy cast the vision for perhaps the most spectacular feat ever undertaken by the United States of America. His ambitious vision captivated the imagination of the Americans, and it motivated the nation’s brightest scientists and astronauts to pursue a seemingly impossible mission.

No one, even a generation earlier, could have fathomed a man walking around on the moon. Consider that only 50 years before Kennedy’s speech, most Americans were traveling by horse and buggy! In those days, sending a man to the moon would have seemed just as ridiculous as traveling backwards in time.

Amazingly, NASA accomplished Kennedy’s daring vision when the crew of Apollo 11 landed on the moon in July of 1969. Within a dozen years of JFK’s speech, 24 Americans had walked on the surface of the moon. America had done the impossible, and the entire country took pride in the accomplishment.

THE MYTH ABOUT LANDING ON THE MOON

In their article, "The Higher Plane of Leadership," Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller give seeing the future the top spot on their list of qualities held by servant leaders. When so many people float through life without a strong sense of direction, a leader serves by linking others to a purpose greater than their own self-interest.

In the case of President Kennedy, the vision to land on the moon rallied millions of Americans with a sense of meaning, and it turned a fanciful dream into a concrete reality. However, Blanchard and Miller caution against assuming that vision comes only from world leaders or history’s heroes. In their words, such assumptions, "fuel the myth that creating and communicating a compelling vision is someone else’s responsibility." Regardless of position, every leader has the duty to picture a brighter future, and to inspire others to create a better tomorrow.

If visions only started with Presidents and CEO’s, then we’d have a small number of elite leaders surrounded by a sea of mindless followers. Blanchard and Miller argue that leaders must have visions aside from those of their leaders, "Although vision from the top is critically important, it is no substitute for personal vision, vision for your team, your department, or your division." One could argue that President Kennedy’s vision to land on the moon was made possible by countless supporting visions of NASA scientists, engineers, and astronauts. By himself, JFK would never have been able to put the pieces in play to see the future come to pass. He relied on the visions of leaders at every level of government to develop the vehicles, systems, and programs to make landing on the moon possible.

To gain more insights from Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller, access their article, "The Higher Plane of Leadership," in the Fall 2007 issue of the Leader to Leader journal.

United We Stand… Divided We Fall

In the late 1960s, disillusionment with the Vietnam War was running high across the country. President Nixon won the 1968 election, largely on his pledge to end the conflict and bring American troops home. After de-escalating the Vietnam War during his first year in office, the Nixon Administration invaded Cambodia on April 30, 1970, expanding the war and sparking anti-war demonstrations across the nation. One of war protests ended in disaster and remains a symbol of an America at odds with itself.

THE KENT STATE TRAGEDY

On May 4th, 1970 students planned to hold an anti-war demonstration on the Kent State campus at noon. Fearing the protest would turn violent, the college’s administration prohibited the rally and called in Ohio National Guardsmen to maintain order at the university. However, outraged students showed up anyway – some 1500 taking part in the demonstration.

Shortly before noon, the National Guardsmen ordered the students to scatter, but they refused to leave. The Guardsmen then fired tear gas canisters into the crowd, but the wind dispersed the gas, rendering it ineffective. The Guardsmen, their military rifles loaded, decided to advance on the students in an effort to break up the anti-war rally. Undeterred, the students responded by hurling rocks at the Guardsmen and yelling insults at them.

Stymied in their attempts to disband the protest, the Guardsmen had begun to retreat from the students when several of the troops wheeled around and began to shoot. While some fired only into the air, others fired directly into the crowd of students. When the dust settled, four students were dead and nine wounded.

The first reactions from the students were of shock and disbelief, but as the reality of what had happened settled in, the students’ anger boiled into an uproar. The ugliness of the shootings could have escalated into even more bloodshed, as the hostile and agitated crowd prepared to mob the small group of soldiers. Fortunately, Kent State faculty, led by Professor Glenn Frank, made their way to the students and passionately persuaded them not to attack the Guardsmen. Such was the furor that it took twenty minutes for the faculty to convince the students to leave.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM KENT STATE

Leadership lessons from Kent State are particularly relevant today as America finds itself bogged down in another unpopular war, with strong opinions both for and against involvement in Iraq. As we move forward in a tense political climate, let’s not forget the principles taught to us by the tragedy in Kent.

The Power of Relationships
In the absence of relationships, misunderstandings may fuel hatred and even violence. The students at Kent State didn’t know the Ohio National Guardsmen. All they saw were soldier with guns – a representation of what they were protesting in Vietnam. Likewise, the Guardsmen didn’t know the students. All they saw was an uncontrollable and hate-filled mob, threatening to attack them.

The Kent State tragedy was moments away from being the Kent State Massacre when Professor Glenn Frank and the faculty intervened to calm the students. The relationships they had with the students earned them the right to be heard. Through their appeals, crisis was averted.

The Necessity of Civility
In the heat of a bitter clash of opinions, no excuse can be given for physically lashing out at the other side. Perhaps the four students who died would still be alive had not the protestors provoked the Guardsmen by showering them with rocks. By the same token, the students would certainly be alive had not the Guardsmen lost their cool and begun shooting their rifles.

The Freedom to Express Disagreement
In America, freedom of expression is a First Amendment right. When those in authority try to silence the voices of their opposition, we end up with brutalities like the Kent State tragedy. The freedom to criticize national policies is a mechanism by which leaders are held accountable for their actions by an active public. This freedom is a beautiful feature of democracy, and it separates the United States of America from the oppressive regimes of the world, which muzzle any voices of dissent.

To learn more from the tragic events on May 4th, 1970 at Kent State, visit the full account of the incident online at the university’s website

 
Laughter

"Mirth is God’s medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." ~ Victor Hugo

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." ~ E.E. Cummings

On this day...

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