Leadership is a big subject than would be fatiguing for me to say nothing of you. If I really did a comprehensive job. I'm going to content myself with making six points about leadership in this country today. I might make very different points if I were speaking 50 years ago. Or 50 years from now. I'm talking about today, and these are the points that I want to stress. Having to do with our condition is a society at this moment. My first point is that our leadership in this Society is more than ordinarily dispersed leaders are scattered around at every level and then every segment of this Society. If it weren't for this wide dispersal of leadership are kind of society simply couldn't work couldn't function till the greatest Business Leaders of the generations. Just passed Alfred Sloan of General Motors and Robert would have Sears Roebuck. Urge the necessity of decentralization as a management strategy for the large corporation and clearly they had no they weren't thinking about democracy or political considerations. They were thinking about an organization that is vital in all of its parts and not just at the center. They recognized and highly practical terms that has systems increase in size and complexity thought must be given to disbursing leadership and management functions throughout the system. the same is true for society as a whole excessive dependence on certain Central definition and centralized room making produces standardized solutions to be applied uniformly throughout the system, but the world out there the world to be coped with Isn't standardized it is the verse that is localized and it is surprising. Lesson Laskin top leaders make the system work without the help of many others throughout the society. And when we refer to our system would scare the fact that the nation is made up of innumerable subsystems, which sometimes mesh but off in class the difficult task of making fluid interacting systems function effectively cannot be ordained in Washington a great many leaders and various segments of the society must take the initiative and responsible action to improve social functioning at their level and in their segment reweaving connections between warring subsystems and proposing redesign of malfunctioning processes. But the very fact that our leaders are Mota Tunas. And widely dispersed brings the consequence that they're often not sufficiently conscious of themselves as leaders. Let me tell you a story. The monarch of an ancient Kingdom had been traveling abroad and his ministers plan to kind of a triumphal homecoming for him. But they knew that before entering the gates of the town. The parade would have to board a shallow River and they wish that they could have a bridge such as modern kingdoms had so they build one, but it wouldn't stay up and we're very experienced and Bridge Building. So they they ran late 50 leading citizens and persuade them that they could show their allegiance to the King by standing in the shallow water under the bridge and holding it up by one thing started across. He said this bridge seems shaky what's holding it up and the minister is not wanting to admit that they couldn't build a bridge said it's a miracle. Your gracious presence is holding it up and the people cheered and said it's a miracle. It's very cold and the leading citizens under the bridge where is excited as a timer of an ounce. So they stepped out from and under the bridge and applauded said, it's America and the Kings gracious presence took a Plunge. You may not believe that story but I got it right off the AP wire. Are widely dispersed leaders are very often like the leading citizens under the bridge they're needed but they're really rather modest. They don't always recognize their role and making this a society function and in a very end of tumultuous noisy Society. It's easy for them not to get the credit that they're do they don't think of themselves as the main support of the system and I think of you I think of the founding fathers Could see Americans today sitting around yearning for a great leader to save them from themselves. They be astonished that is not what the founding fathers intended. And when the all the pundits talk and write as long as though only that great leader can save the country. It's a wonder that are just dispersed leaders don't step out from under the bridge we ought to give them our credit and tell them explicitly that we need them. I'm talking about state and local government officials. I'm talking about leaders in the private sector in our voluntary sector all the various people makes up the enormously variegated texture of our society who play leadership roles my second point in our society potential leaders receive little encouragement as they come up a line when they emerge they emerge generally despite the lack of supporting attitudes The Prestige of specialization and Professional Training drain off potential leaders in the marvelously profitable non leadership roles, and so marvelously unprofitable Mount leadership roles. Drain them off into specialization scientific and technological people. People often sound as though they would prefer a world in which there were no leaders only experts Thomas Jefferson envisaged an aristocracy of talent, but most of today's the aristocrats of town feel no responsibility, whatever to lead. They spread their talent like a peacock's tail and other harsh cries against those who are trying to provide some measure of leadership. What's easier to see how people Talent can escape the responsibilities of leadership? It is not as easy to see how people highly placed in our political and economic and social hierarchy managed to dodge the responsibilities of leadership and yet they often do Many people of rank and status or not leaders at all in 1970. I asked a friend of mine the chairman of a great Corporation why considering his rather strong personal opposition to the Vietnam War. He never spoken out against it and he said well frankly John. I think I'm kind of a coward and considering the double-talk. I've been getting to the time. I I was actually grateful for his candor. Wonderful guy, but not a leader. the great portion of those in these positions The one would think of us positions that would provide an opportunity to leave lead are in fact time-servers. But the miracle is that the remaining portion the saving Remnant roll up their sleeves and Lead so I'm blessed impulsive responsibility drives him to step forward an act. It's a beautiful thing. My third Point given the extraordinary fragmentation of our society today a primary task of are disbursed leadership is to weave together the fragments of the fragmented segments of the society. Our society is an example of a harlem Cleveland is described as the nobody in charge system, which I think the phrase I think he use first on the international scene, but it's equally clear on the domestic Scene It is not a characteristic of our system that people like to dwell on. The myth of the establishment and the Hardy Vigor of conspiracy theories stem from are wanting to believe that someone is minding the store someone. if only the trilateral commission better a conspiracy than the feeling that there isn't anybody there but our society is not manipulated by a few powerful people behind the scenes. I have been behind the scenes and it's so crowded you can hardly move around. It's like Times Square on New Year's Eve. Well given the fragmentation it's not enough for leaders to work for the Triumph of their own particular segment of society. Each segment must find a way of flourishing that is compatible with even contribute to the flourishing of other segments of the society. And if our leaders and all of areas Fields business labor Agriculture and so on. Are concerned as they must be with weaving the society together. They must be concerned with dispute resolution with trade-offs with brokering with mediation in this one respect. They must develop the skills of politicians. I know all the pejorative overtones of that comparison, but politicians are the horse Traders the Brokers the mediators the Coalition Builders whom employ to keep are free and pluralistic society going on equally worthy groups want mutually incompatible things unless we want to shoot it out or leave the decision to the whim of a dictator. We have to turn to the much-maligned arena of politics. And then our faction-ridden society every leader in every field must at least have some of the politicians willingness to mediate our founding fathers after all we're skilled in mediating among conflicting views. They know all about faction. And they worked hard and successfully to move the new nation away from divisiveness and tar division of the common good. I would suggest the chamonix the father of the European common market is a far better model a future leadership then for example Charles de Gaulle where there were conflicting purposes mine a saw the possibility of shared goals and he knew how to move his contemporaries toward those shared goals. And how many such leaders do we have today? I'm afraid I have to say that the answer would make our founding fathers weep for the Republic. And it is not because the human material is lacking. It is because the very idea of a concern for the common good has faded has seriously faded a high proportion of leaders and all segments of our society today business labor the professions Etc are rewarded for single-minded pursuit of the interests of their group regardless of the damage that it may do the common good I rewarded for doing battle not for compromising. That's what's expected of them. And that's the way they behave but suppose that the expectations changed suppose. We made it customary to ask some uncomfortable questions of the men and women who have achieved prominence in the organizations and institutional groups. That make up our society. Are they Cosley encased in their own corner of community life insulated from other parts of the community are they one segment leaders part of the problem instead of part of the solution do they fatten on the difference of their own little circle and narrow their views to the Horizon of that Circle without ever seeking to understand the other worlds that make up the Republic that they think they love. Where do they make an effort to reach out across boundaries communicate with other segments and honestly seek to understand why the leaders of other groups hold other views do they form relationships of trust and understanding with leaders of other segments relationships in which they explore differences and work toward the achievement of common goals. Suppose that the one segment leader who refused to read out Reach Out Beyond his or her group came to be regarded as a distinctly inferior breed to the leader who accepted larger responsibilities and who without forgetting the goals of One's Own group also worked with others to resolve conflicts and serve the larger good. I would move us at least a few steps. Along the road to coherence as a society. my fourth point in our society leaders must help people understand the mutual dependence of the individual and the group meaning by group the family the community than the family and community of much to give the individual nurturing infancy the release of potentiality through education the protection of individual rights a sense of identity and belonging in return the individual must pay tithes of Allegiance. For the family to community. So the nation to humankind, obviously, the expression of such views is not the preferred formula for leadership in many circles today. God forbid that you should tell citizens are constituents that they owe anybody anything you tell him that Society owes them just about everything and you're going to see that the Hinshaw's the apple cart that the demagogue says I talked to ma Chrissy to these men and women I tell them that they have the vote and that there is is the kingdom and the power and the glory I say to them your Supreme exercise your power they say that's right. Tell us what to do and I say vote for me. Well, no doubt. The coddling of constituencies is a politician's prerogative It's a tough life and that's their business. Unfortunately politicians constituency is usually sufficiently broad so that he or she is in fact dealing with diverse groups and is forced to do a certain amount of coalition-building but we now have countless leaders of organized groups outside of politics who are zealous constituency cobblers. Never mind the good of the whole my constituents must not be required to give anything or give up anything or compromise anything. I don't know about that formula will remain popular but it's not good enough voters are not only Supreme. They're obligated constituents. Not only have needs to have duties. You're you are old something and you owe something. We must freely Grant allegiance to the society that gives us freedom Montesquieu said that a republican survive only as long as its citizens love it. Freedom an obligation Liberty and Duty that's the deal and our leaders must help us to remember your free within a framework of obligations to your family or Community or Nation humankind and of course depending on your beliefs obligations to your God or to your conception of the moral order. What we must expect of our society is it at create Arrangements that work toward freedom and Justice or the enhancement of individual liberty toward the release of human potential the Fulfillment of individual promise. And then what we must expect of the individual is that he or she accept individual responsibility and exercise individual initiative. You're the one who's responsible no excuses. You don't blame others. You don't blame circumstances. You're it. such individual commitments truly made comes the collective responsibility that makes social coherence real and Leadership possible. They're all kinds of things that make leadership impossible and a widespread irresponsibility is one of them. You just can't get there from here. Not at least in our kind of society. My fifth point is that leaders must be renewed Wars? It's difficult for any society to preserve a measure of creativity and the young people who will eventually perform the leadership functions all too often on the long road up young people become Servants of what is rather than Shapers of what might be in the long process of learning how the system works. They're rewarded for playing within the intricate structure of existing Rules by the time they reach the top. They're very likely to be trained prisoners of the structure. Now that's not all bad every vital system reaffirms itself, but no system can stay vital for long unless some of its leaders remain sufficiently independent to help it change and grow. The board chairman of a college seeking a new president talk to me recently about a leading candidate within the institution. He said no doubt. He'd make this college a more and more perfect specimen of what it is now, but if our destiny is to achieve greatness in some other dimension some new dimension will eat another kind of leader. There are many brilliant administrators, but only a few or renew hours of the system that they administer many fine and able Guild Chiefs. But again only a few who are renewals are many virtuoso performers are Specialists. I just great surgeons are great musicians, but rare is the one who sets a new direction or changes the way in which others perceive the possibilities of performance. In this sense Florence Nightingale for example was more of a leader than any of the resplendent British Army generals that she worked with she not only revolutionised nursing and provided the first powerful impetus the nursing education and the establishment of nursing schools. She in fact revolutionize the Gathering and maintenance of statistics on Battlefield casualties and health problems in the military and extraordinary performance. So important as the renewal function that if I had to choose between the words leader and renewer, I would unhesitatingly choose the ladder. And of all things that must be renewed none are more important than the goals and values that move people action and I have said over and over again in my own writing that those goals and values must be renewed and every generation doesn't matter how good a job the last generation. Did you have to do it over again? You have to reinterpret you have to give again the freshness of Truth to the values. Maybe you have to scrape the hypocrisy off. Maybe you have to reinterpret but it is an endless job down the generations. Leaders clearly must play a central role in that they must conceive inarticulate goals in such a way that will lift people out of their Petty preoccupations and unite them toward the common good Nemesis certus vision of what the nation or Community might be and help people to know what they can be at their best. Leaders have a role in creating the state of mind that is the society. They must call for the kind of effort and restraint the kind of drive and discipline but make for great performance. my sixth and final point is that leaders must instill in the American people a kind of new hard-bitten morale that mixes are natural American optimism with a measure of tough-minded realism and both are immensely important the optimism and the realism neither without the other will do the job high hopes that are dashed by the first Baylor or precisely what we don't need. We need to believe in ourselves and our future but not to believe that life is easy to sustain. Hope one need not blind oneself to reality surely we're sufficiently mature to admit that there is no solution to every problem and that we're going to fail in some of our best efforts to remedy the world's ills But to say that there are limits to purposeful changes one thing to give up in despair as something else just as we must resist the notion that we can that we can solve everything overnight. So we must reject the notion that we can solve anything leaders must help us see the failures and frustrations not as a reason to doubt ourselves, but there's a reason to strengthen our resolve never denying the difficulties in his keep hope alive and confidence unimpaired. The future is not shaped by people who don't believe in a future life takes strength and staying power stamina is an attribute rarely celebrated by the parts, but it has a great deal to do with a history of the species. Nothing is ever finally safe. Every important battle is fought and refund. We cannot dream of a Utopia in which all arrangements are ideal. And everyone is Flawless. It's a dream of death life is to mulch. What's an endless losing and regaining of balance a continuous struggle never an assured victory? That's why I speak of a new hard-bitten. Morale will enable us to face those truths and still strive with every ounce of our energy to prevail. not grimly, but with a kind of zest and indomitable hope We can I ask no guarantees of a secure our happy future. But if we want a future that will demand the best that's in us and lend meaning to our lives. We can have it. Thank you.