In the
commentary we posted on Sunday, we discussed the need of Americans to reassess their ideas about political leadership, and of what we really should be looking for in leaders. That is how we will avoid electing more people like Barack Obama who are shrewd politicians but have no idea how to govern.
But if we’re going to do a better job of identifying leaders, we need to have some idea of what real leadership looks like. It’s easy to say what it doesn’t look like – the Obama Administration – but how do we know it when we see it?
You can’t break down every principle of leadership into a couple of simple acronyms, but as a basic starting point, I suggest two frameworks. One is W.A.R., which stands for: Working on the right problems; Asking the right questions; and Removing barriers to success. The other is R.R.R, which stands for Restructure, Replace, Rebuild.
These are really principles for how you solve problems, and they are a good measure of a leader’s mettle because any serious leader should be talking in these terms. I’m not saying they need to use my exact language or these acronyms, but they need to communicate to the people that they understand what the real problems are, and that they have some understanding of how to address them.
And of course, serious leaders approach problems in a serious way, and not just in a kick-the-can-down-the-road sort of way, which is why they should be looking at real, tangible actions like restructuring, replacing and rebuilding.
Let’s apply this to some real situations that any incoming leaders will have to address. We can start with the problems in the VA hospital system:
- Working on the Right Problem: Bonuses based on "wait times"?
- Ask the Right Questions: Six years in charge and didn't know?
- Remove Barriers to Success: Culture of delays and deception
That is oversimplified, of course, but it’s designed to show you how leaders need to focus in on the right targets and choose the actions that will offer the most leverage to get to a solution.
You can apply the same thing to ObamaCare, which we might as well call the Unaffordable Care Act:
- Working on the Right Problem: It’s making health care unaffordable!
- Asking the Right Questions: Affordable? No! Cover everybody? No! Could we keep our doctors? No!
- Remove Barriers to Success: Fix it or Nix it? It’s obvious. Repeal and Replace!
Now how about the targeting of Obama’s political opponents by the IRS?
- Working on the Right Problem: Harassing conservatives and retro-fitting rules!
- Asking the Right Questions: Where is Lois Lerner? Why won't she talk? What else are they hiding?
- Removing Barriers to Success: REPLACE THE TAX CODE!
Now let’s look at how the other set of principles works. R.R.R. means you understand the approach that is necessary to deal with each situation that presents itself. Some things can be fixed. Some things require you to start from scratch. Some things can be rebuilt but it is a very involved process. I would categorize them as follows:
Restructure (Social Security, Medicare, Regulatory Environment, The VA)
Replace (Tax Code, ObamaCare, Harry Reid, Democrat control of Senate and WH!)
Rebuild (Economy, Military, Pride in USA!)
I love the quote I heard recently from Mark A. Smith II, who heads the College Republicans at Morehouse College. Mark said, “America is a place that defeats nightmares, and restores dreams . . . the American dream.”
America has some nightmares in its history. But we have achieved far more dreams. The last six years of America's history may well be described as a period of scandals and a crisis of leadership, including the IRS, EPA, DOJ, NSA, NLRB, ObamaCare, Benghazigate, the VA . . . and as a result, we're in a national nightmare, looking for leadership!
But we should believe we can win. Remember the words of Maya Angelou, who passed away just last week: "We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."
What Americans need to do is stay informed, stay involved and stay inspired. And in our search for real leadership, we need to understand what it looks like. These are some good ideas to start with.
As I said in New Orleans this past weekend, I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future. And He is the One I trust!
