What is a Leader?

Student Handout

PROGRAM GUESTS The Honorable JAMES A. BAKER III James A. Baker, III has served in senior government positions under three United States Presidents and is one of our nation's most distinguished public servants. Born in Houston, Texas, Baker was educated at Princeton University and the University of Texas School of Law after which he practiced law for nearly two decades. Baker's record of public service began in 1975 as Under Secretary of Commerce to President Gerald Ford. It concluded with his service as White House Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to President Bush from August 1992 to January 1993. Long active in American presidential politics, Baker led presidential campaigns for Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush over the course of five consecutive presidential elections from 1976 to 1992. He served as the nation's 61st Secretary of State from January 1989 through August 1992 under President George H.W. Bush. During his tenure at the State Department, Baker traveled to 90 foreign countries confronting the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the post-Cold War era. He also served as the 67th Secretary of the Treasury and Chairman of the President's Economic Policy Council under President Ronald Reagan. And from 1981 to 1985, he was White House Chief of Staff to President Reagan. At present, Baker is a senior partner in the law firm of Baker & Botts and Senior Counselor to The Carlyle Group, a merchant banking firm in Washington, D.C. He founded the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and serves on the boards of Rice University, Princeton University, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Vice President RICHARD B. CHENEY Since this program was recorded, Richard B. Cheney has become the Vice President of the United States. Raised in Nebraska and Wyoming, Cheney learned to love books as much as the outdoors. A standout athlete and student in high school, he earned a full scholarship to Yale University. There though, the young Cheney was overwhelmed by the academic rigors and wound up flunking out. "I had a lack of direction, but I had a good time," Cheney now recalls. Back in Casper, Cheney had a brief stint at the local power company, but eventually enrolled in the University of Wyoming and earned a master's degree in political science. After college, a congressional fellowship started him on his career in public service. In Washington, Cheney caught the eye of Congressman Donald H. Rumsfeld (R. -Illinois), who was impressed with his hard work and discipline. Rumsfeld brought his protege with him to the Nixon and Ford Administrations, and when Rumsfeld went off to run the Pentagon, Cheney took over as Ford's chief of staff at age 34, the youngest ever to hold the job. After Ford lost the 1976 election, Cheney won a congressional seat. During his 10 years in the House, he carved out a specialty in foreign affairs. And in 1989, he was chosen by President George H.W. Bush to head the Defense Department. As Secretary of Defense, he directed the intervention in Panama and the campagin to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. At the Pentagon, Cheney oversaw a massive military restructuring, dwarfing anything seen at IBM or AT&T. With the end of the Cold War, he and his staff reoriented the military toward regional rather than global conflicts. At the time this program as recorded, he was serving as Chairman and CEO of Halliburton Company, a $9 billion oil services corporation. In 2000, he was nominated to run alongside George W. Bush, and was worn in as Vice President in January, 2001.

BACKGROUND

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
-Anonymous

Trailblazer... Guide... Change agent... Coach... Captain... These are just a few of the many words used to characterize people as leaders. And while the English language is rich in ways to describe those individuals who help shape organizations, events and ultimately lives, the definitive "secret" or "formula" for leadership remains somewhat of a mystery. Are leaders born or made? Or are they people who rise to an occasion or situation? Browse the shelves in any bookstore or library and you'll come across dozens of books devoted to the topic. Today's rapidly changing societies and economies make effective leadership as important as ever. But what do real leaders have to say about how they've made a difference? Join us as distinguished representatives from government, public service, and business discuss what it takes to be a leader. In this program the Honorable James A. Baker, General Colin Powell, the Honorable Dick Cheney, General Wesley Clark, Habitat for Humanity's Linda Fuller and businessman Donald Schneider share their personal thoughts on the leadership experience.

PRE-PROGRAM EXPLORATIONS

Terms to define and discuss

• Vision
• Passion
• Courage
• Perseverance
• Preparation
• Integrity
• Resilience
• Honesty

Topics to Research

• Use the terms above and match them with individuals in history who manifest more than two of these qualities. Defend the match.
• Compare and contrast three leaders from socialist, communist, and democratic nations during the same time period in relation to the terms listed above. What conclusions can you draw?

Issues to consider

• Can leadership be taught? Can it be modeled? Explain.
• Are the outcomes the same if leadership is sought or leadership is thrust upon an individual? What are the historical justifications for your thinking?
• Where and what are the proving grounds for leaders? Are there common threads that exist for leaders in a specific arena, i.e., public service, business

• If there are commonalities within a sub-population of leaders, do these same elements of leadership exist in other domains?

POST-PROGRAM EXPLORATIONS

Achievement or Leadership Explorations

• Achievement Television (AT) has presented six elements of leadership: vision, passion, courage, perseverance, preparation, and integrity. Select one of the six panelists and present evidence to support which of the six elements s/he portrays. This will include research work to provide supporting data. What other qualities does this leader display? Are they as important as those noted on AT? Defend your position.

• Select two of the panelists and compare and contrast their lives before becoming leaders. Were there early indicators for leadership? Describe the family structure. What impact did the family have on who they became? Were they leaders in more than one area?
• Two of the panelists are leaders in social service. Research Habitat for Humanity and America's Promise for their mission, outreach, and success. How are they similar? How are they different? Could they have existed in another historical time period? Support your claim.

• Your state is establishing a Hall of Fame of Leaders. You are a member of the nominating committee. You are to select five living leaders in the categories of public service, business, research, medicine/health, science, social action, or education. In order to be considered for induction, you must provide the other members of the committee with a one-page justification for each of your five candidates.

History Exploration

• Select two leaders who lived in different centuries but were leaders in the same arena, i.e., business. Research their lives to examine their personalities, leadership qualities, and accomplishments. How are they alike? Different? Would either of these individuals have been successful if s/he had lived in the century of the other? Support your point of view.

Sociology/Social Action Explorations

• Social Action, no doubt, has existed in various forms since mankind evolved. Select a social action leader other than the ones on the panel. Learn what drove him/her to do more for their fellow man than their neighbor. What obstacles did the individual face along the way? Do the obstacles still exist? Does this organization still endure? Has its mission changed? How so?

• More high schools are requiring community service hours to earn a high school diploma. Research this trend, including court rulings, and present the views of the proponents and opponents. Poll your classmates for their views of this topic as well. Is required community service an oxymoron? Support your opinion.

English/Language Arts Exploration

• Leaders are often inspiring communicators with the ability to move others to action. Research a "Great Communicator". Why do you believe that s/he deserves this title? What did this individual achieve that others before or since have not? Provide examples of his/her work to support your thesis statement. What is the legacy of this individual? Does the word leadership apply to this person? Why or why not?

PEOPLE, PLACES and EVENTS

You may already be familiar with leaders in the fields of business, government and public service. Conduct a brainstorming session with your fellow classmates to generate a list of at least five individuals from those fields whose leadership abilities made a noticeable difference. Next identify a significant contribution or key event in their lives. And then determine the geographic location or place associated with that event.

PERSON			PLACE			EVENT

1._________________ ____________________ ___________________

2._________________ ____________________ ___________________

3._________________ ____________________ ___________________

4._________________ ____________________ ___________________

5._________________ ____________________ ___________________

There are many philosophies of leadership. And occasionally, when a leader is asked to comment on the topic, their viewpoint results in a memorable quote. Select a quote on leadership from an individual you admire. Then write a short paragraph on how the quote reflects that leader's views or accomplishments. Below are some web links to lists of quotes to get you started.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations

Donaghy Leadership Behavior Report Quote Page

Quotes, Illustrations, Analogies and Profundities

The Honorable COLIN L. POWELL Colin L. Powell was born in Harlem in 1937. His parents were Jamaican immigrants who stressed the importance of education and personal achievement -- two lessons Powell took to heart. He rose from his modest upbringing to the top of his career ladder, during a time in history when minorities faced significant impediments to success. Powell found his calling during his college years when he joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), graduating at the top of his 1958 ROTC class. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army and was one of 16,000 military advisors dispatched to South Vietnam in 1962. He served two tours of duty and was wounded twice. In all, he received 11 decorations for his service, including a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and the Legion of Merit. After receiving an MBA from George Washington University and being promoted to major, Powell served in the Office of Management and Budget. There he made a significant impression on Frank Carlucci and Casper Weinberger, both whom would call on Powell to serve in numerous capacities over the next two decades. Under President Carter, Powell was an assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and to the Secretary of Energy. In the Reagan administration, he was a senior military advisor to Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger, whom he assisted during the invasion of Grenada and the raid on Libya. In 1986 Powell left Washington to serve as commander of the Fifth Corps in Germany, returning to become the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs during the time of Reagan's summit meetings with Soviet President Gorbachov. In 1991, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bush, Powell became a national figure during the successful Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations, which expelled the Iraqi army from Kuwait. He continued as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs during the first months of the Clinton Administration, retiring shortly thereafter. His great popularity led many people to urge him to run for President in 1996, but he declined to run. For the next four years, he focused his efforts on America's Promise, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for today's young people. From 2001 to 2005, he served as the nation's 65th Secretary of State. General WESLEY K. CLARK, USA (Ret.) General Wesley K. Clark became the Commander in Chief of the United States European Command in July 1997. Prior to that, General Clark was Commander in Chief of the United States Southern Command, Panama, from June 1996 to July 1997, where he was responsible for all U.S. forces and directed most U.S. military activities and interests in Latin America and the Caribbean. His previous assignment was as the Director, Strategic Plans and Policy, the Joint Staff where he was the staff officer responsible for worldwide political-military affairs and U.S. military strategic planning. He also led the military negotiations for the Bosnian Peace Accords at Dayton. General Clark spent many years training leaders and soldiers including the forces that subsequently saw combat operations in Desert Storm. Clark is a 1966 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He holds a master's degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He is a graduate of the National War College and was a White House Fellow in 1975-1976. He has also served as an instructor and later Assistant Professor of Social Science at the United States Military Academy. He was miltary advisor to the peace talks in Dayton, Ohio, which brought a peaceful resolution to the bloody civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. As Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he led NATO forces during the Kosovo campaign in the former Yugoslavia. He retired from the army in 2000, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Since then, he has worked as an investment banker with the Stephens Group and wrote the book, Waging Modern War. In 2004 he was a candidate for President of the United States. LINDA FULLER Linda Fuller is co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International, one the most successful community service project in the history of the United States of America. Habitat is cited as an important leader in the battle against poverty housing in the U.S. and abroad. Linda is the wife of Millard Fuller, who rose to become a young, self-made millionaire. But as the business prospered, his health, integrity and marriage suffered. The crises prompted the couple to re-evaluate their values and direction. This soul-searching led to a renewal of their Christian commitment and they soon initiated a ministry in housing-- to make homes affordable to families with low incomes. With an army of volunteers HFHI has gone on to build homes for more than 300,000 people in 1,400 U.S. cities and 56 countries. Linda and Millard were recently presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of their life's work. Habitat's philosophy is based upon what the Fullers call the "Economics of Jesus." The no-profit, no-interest components of the program come from a passage in the Bible (Exodus 22:25) that says someone lending money to the poor should not act as a creditor and charge interest. DONALD J. SCHNEIDER Donald Schneider is President and Chief Executive Officer of Schneider National, North America's largest truckload carrier with more than $2 billion in annual revenues. Employed part-time during college in his family's small trucking business, Schneider graduated from the Wharton School of Finance and joined the company. He championed merit pay over union scale wages and utilized technology to create a logistics revolution. To enhance scheduling and loading efficiencies, he linked all his trucks by satellite. His innovations resulted in a vast private transportation network that encompasses 17,500 employees, a fleet of 10,000 tractors, and more than 20,000 trailers that travel more than five million miles every day. But Schneider realizes that his organization's success is based on more than the size of a trucking fleet or the use of sophisticated satellite technology. "We know that people work for other reasons than just to make a living-- that in the work we do we get an opportunity to self-actualize" says Schneider. "When people do anything well, sports, at home or at work, its "I am good at that." That's self-esteem. That is what we all need. Work is the greatest opportunity to generate that sense of confidence." We want work to be meaningful to people." That's a philosophy that benefits both the worker and the company.