The profane leader?

Profanity in the workplace used to relegated to dimly-lit smoke-filled testosterone-raging boardrooms, but has become more mainstream in recent years. Call me old-fashioned, but this strikes me as an unfortunate trend. Those who habitually curse and swear are not gaining respect and influence as they might imagine, and may in fact be hurting their careers. The following quote from President Ulyssis S. Grant sheds some light on the folly of swearing:

“I never learned to swear. When a boy I seemed to have an aversion to it, and when I became a man I saw the folly of it. I have always notices, too, that swearing helps to rouse a man’s anger; and when a man flies into a passion his adversary who keeps cool always gets the better og him. In fact, I could never see the use of swearing. I think it is the case with many people who swear excessively that it is a mere habit, and they do not mean to be profane; but to say the least, it is a great waste of time.*”

The problems with swearing:

• People who curse are relying on the effect of the curse words to give power to their message rather than the idea itself. If the message is worth listening to, it does need to be laced with curse words to get the other person’s attention.
• Excessive swearing rouses anger and makes contructive debate more difficult. The “cool head” usually wins.
• Excessive swearing demonstrates that a person is either incapable of self-control or is insensitive to the feelings of others.

All of which begs a question: Can “excessive profanity” and “effective leadership” co-exist?

* Kaltman, Al, “Cigars, Whiskey and Winning: Leadership Lessons from General Ulysses S. Grant” (Prentice Hall Press, 2000), p 10.

Good-bye, Gerald Ford

Like many Americans, I’ve been moved by the recent state funeral for former President Gerald Ford. I am deeply saddened by the loss of what I believe to be one of our country’s most courageous and underappreciated leaders.

When he became president on August 9, 1974, the country was in a crisis. For more than a decade, the nation had been rocked by political assassinations, a long and frustrating war, riots in our streets and on our campuses, economic distress, and scandals at the highest level of government.

The most defining event of his presidency may have been his pardon of President Richard Nixon, which effectively ended the Watergate scandal. The decision was very controversial and unpopular at the time, and most political observers agree that it cost him the 1976 presidential election. Today, most Americans agree that the pardon was a good decision, and a courageous act.

It’s too bad that it took the rest of the country so long to see what Gerald Ford instinctively understood in 1974. The country needed to move forward. It needed to heal. Perhaps Ford’s greatest presidential legacy is that he restored confidence in the office of the President and brought hope to the country.

That would be enough for most men, but his greatest legacy may have occurred in 1978. Concerned about his wife’s addiction to alcohol and pain killers, Ford had the courage to intervene. That intervention, according to Betty Ford, saved her life, and led her to found the Betty Ford Treatment Center where countless others have been treated for addictions.

I’d like to comment more on these actions, but I’ll save that for a future post. It seems more fitting for the moment to simply reflect on Gerald Ford’s contributions and let this post be a tribute to him.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Happy New Year’s Resolution

I have never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, perhaps because mine have always been driven by guilt. I tend to think of things I should stop doing, or more frequently, things that I feel guilty for not doing more of. Such as exercising more often, calling my friends and relatives more often, saving more for retirement, or praying more often.

Yes, I can heap mountains of guilt upon myself for these omissions of discipline in my life. But I’ve discovered that guilt is not a good motivator. This year, I decided to take a different approach to a resolution. Rather than letting guilt be my motivator, I decided to let opportunity be my motivator. In other words, what opportunities am I missing or overlooking? Not something I feel guilty about not doing, but something that – if I started doing it – would enhance my life.

Hence, my 2007 New Year’s resolution is to start blogging. I’ve called this blog Waypoint, which is simply a navigational marker along a journey. Metaphorically speaking, this blog represents the milestones and markers along my personal journey. My hope is to create some dialog, crystallize my own thoughts, and increase learning.

Now, if I could just overcome the guilt of sitting in front of the computer instead of exercising…