What if I told you a mystery factor will decide the presidential race – nowhere in the news? “What?” you say. That’s right, the real determinant is intangible, the power to credibly lead.
Let me unpack that. When we hear candidates, we take them with salt. We are tired of the countless lies and being manipulated. We doubt and should doubt.
Across the political horizon, we see money spent to influence us, to make us think this way or that. We know we are the object of their intent to inform – and to mislead.
Often missing is what we really want – authenticity and a sense that we – not they – are in charge. We know realness. The human ability to see through fakes is inborn and hard to knock out.
We know when politicians are making pie-in-the-sky promises, telling us what they think we want, giving away money (ours), declaring the obvious, adopting fake accents. We are not stupid.
At this moment in history, politicians often do more – they promise to punish those with whom we disagree, make them pay, and put them in prison. They play to our basest instincts and feed the beast.
But they are wrong. The majority of Americans – and this is key – see through this, and have no a declining appetite for hate. It tires them. They do not like being gamed or talked down to.
So, what wins? What do people crave, and want more of? What do politicians miss? Answer: We want the quality of political actors to rise. We are ready to be our better selves, not our worst.
We want them to remember who we are – all of us – and help us to regain lost balance, and lost pride in our nation, whether tradesmen or artisans, parents or students, lawyers, doctors, or teachers. We want higher expectations.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said it well. “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” That is it, right there. Most of us know right from wrong and want some lift.
What is leadership, then? Our Founders, Lincoln, TR, Truman, and Reagan taught us, as did millions upon millions of parents, teachers, veterans, and leaders of the past.
Leadership is not telling people what to do, luring them with money, dividing them into groups, or pitting them against each other. Leadership is not mandates or dodging, but being an example.
Leadership is having a clear vision of the good, the strength to hold that vision in adversity, knowing what it takes to bring others to it, believing they can do it, and empowering them. That is it. The mystery factor in this cycle is credible leadership, acts from the heart, and authenticity.
Our Founders did not tell us what to do but invited us to share a vision, freedom, and responsibility for our own destiny, individually and as one. They wanted government limited.
Lincoln, TR, Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, and Reagan did not find greatness by deception, dodging, or concentrating power. They did not lead by unnecessary mandates and hubris.
Lincoln’s style was finding common cause with the common man, letting us lead. “You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence…A man’s happiness is his own responsibility.” Lincoln asked us to hear “the better angels of our nature.”
TR wrote 37 books and led by example all his life. From “The Strenuous Life” to “Man in the Arena,” his speeches are riveting, dig for truth and share it.
On leadership, he wrote volumes, much on responsibility and accountability. “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” Say what you will, but leadership begins at home.
“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people…To befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship …” And leadership.
Truman, condemned for hard decisions, was about plain talk, and hearing diverse opinions. “When you have an efficient government, you have a dictatorship.” So, listen to the people, trust them, and act.
Reagan was equally direct. “The greatest leader is not … the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things.” So leading, in parenting or politics, is not about giving away the farm … but getting others to take responsibility for that farm.
So, what will decide this election? What is the mystery factor? Credible leadership. That is the wild card, mystery factor, quiet voice that speaks to all of us … Who really is a leader? That is it.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.
Great article. I’m not a huge fan of Trump’s personality, or, in certain moments, his leadership style… but he is a very credible leader.
He excels at recognizing circumstances that need to be addressed, even though that “earns” him lies from “Democrats” who want to obscure the highly beneficial differences that his leadership makes.
Donald Trump is why low-integrity “Democrats” like Harris lie…. because their own painful truth is that they want no daylight on the quality that he provided when he was President.
Let us not forget that when Trump was in the WH he did not take a penny for the job. The one before and after him could not stop grabbing with both hands. Funny how all those tireless hard working servants of the people end up millionaires. Just ask Maxine Waters.Leader will not be sugarcoating Maybe that is what scares many people But anyone with a pinch of common sense must know that good leadership is everything.It’s that or bust.
The qualities required for good leadership can vary depending on circumstances , such as where the leader is needed. The culture of some countries can influence some aspects of leadership — but certain ingredients for good leadership soup will be palatable nearly everywhere. Fundamental to good leadership is the ability to make good decisions .As with any business that is managed properly decision making is based on planning, organization, then the coordination of what is planned and organized so as to make good scheduling possible.All of those things are connected by intelligent,clear communication. Add the qualities of respect for honor ,honesty, integrity,courage and loyalty and that presents something that has principles indicating good character,and good leadership. For a leader to be understood by those he or she is leading it is important to understand the people who will be effected by the leadership. Being genuine about the goals ,the ideas , the principles being brought into the picture, being part of the leadership plan will make it clear about the respect for truth and that should be the most important factor involved in good leadership. You selected several good people as examples of good leaders Robert . .This is an important article.
In this time of our nation’s history, we are “led” by a massive, multi-level behemoth of tens of thousands of mostly unelected “officials” and even more powerful outside influencers with the power to dictate through rule, regulation, and mandate, not to mention the numerous illegal international agreements we are forced to abide by, all of which is unconstitutional. Unconstitutional because it’s everything the Founders wrote the limiting Document to guard against and which has been ignored, violated, and misrepresented to bring us to where we are today. That Document has all but been lost to history in the quest for political power; an agreement to protect and serve “for the general welfare” of the individual sovereign States that make up this nation, not an all powerful central government nor for a cradle to grave welfare cornucopia for the masses – to bribe the public for votes. A big factor long forgotten is this nation was founded of 13 individual, sovereign colonies which formed an ALLIANCE with the drafting of the Constitution, a condition which was supposed to continue with each new State – an alliance of 50 sovereign States.
Every four years, we participate in a huge “carnival sideshow” in which every conceivable deception can be listened to with the hope the illusions that follow can come true. It never changes and the outcome is always the same – nothing changes and we continue down the road to eventual serfdom under a global oligarchical ungodly elite.
We look for “A” leader to look up to and deliver the things we want and to keep us safe. There is no such mortal leader among us mortal beings on this Earth. When the true Leader returns, we will not vote to install Him.
One has to wonder how many of our past presidents, many of whom we consider strong leaders, could stand up to the scrutiny dumped upon current presidents. In the age of social media, substacks, 24/7 news biases and the divisive political climate; many of those past GREATS would get hammered by one side or the other!
Good article, as usual! Neither candidate is a leader, so we are, unfortunately stuck picking the least worst option. Trump is too egotistical to ever be a leader, but at least he can be decisive. And other countries know he WILL defend America’s interests. I certainly hope that he wins, and if so, picks a better cabinet than last time. He could have accomplished some great things by delegating to those people, had he trusted them, which he was right not to, while he was busy fighting the start of the Trump lawfare/get rid of him at all costs campaign. If he been allowed to actually BE President last term, we’d likely be ending his second term now and not in the mess we find ourselves in at this point in time.