Leadership

Going into last night's lecture, I wasn't sure what to expect. I've never been much of a theatre fan (I prefer the silver screen), but I do respect it as an art form. I was also unsure what was meant by "leadership". Usually, when thinking of leadership, most people would probably assume it has a professional or political meaning. This train of thought is even more applicable when thinking of a tyrant. I really enjoyed how Dean Woodruff took the definition in that context, but then broke it down into something more personal, asking us to "put the mirror up to these actors, and think about which one relates to you in your life". Although I had already reached that conclusion, it really drove it home to hear him say that.

The play that I enjoyed most was the scene from Antigone, where King Creon and his son are arguing, and the son pleads to the king to think of more than himself when governing his kingdom. The son makes his point by saying, "A place for one man alone is no city". By saying this, he is trying to get his father to confront his own hubris, which can be a very dangerous proposition when dealing with tyranny.

Dean Woodruff also went through the three symptoms of tyranny; hubris, lawlessness, and fear. Being a government major, I couldn't help but constantly place all three in political terms. Our elected officials are in office to represent the interest of the people. In other words, we vote for them so they can be leaders of our communities.

There is a saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This statement speaks to the creation of tyranny, yet it often seems that politicians heed this expression more as a motto than a warning. Their hubris causes them to treat their constituents as Creon treats his son, as if their way is the only way. Their penchant for lawlessness causes them to create campaign finance laws, then trample the very laws they created once backs are turned and cameras are shut off. They use fear to strip the public of their right to privacy, which was most apparent in the Patriot Act and unwarranted NSA internet surveillance. It seems that one of the most important factors in good leadership, trust, isn't just overlooked, but forgotten.

Covey says that "Without trust, the best we can do is compromise; without trust, we lack the credibility for open, mutual learning and communication and real creativity."(Covey, 221) This is especially true of our men and women in Congress. Partisanship in Washington has created a division in this country not seen since the Civil War, and trust is at the heart of the problem. As partisanship rears its ugly head more and more in American politics, trust is lost. It's now getting to the point that even compromise is becoming impossible, which can be seen in the current debate over healthcare. The conservative movement in this country is now subscribing to using one of the symptoms of tyranny, fear, to get their message across. Which brings us back to the lecture last night. Being able to spot a tyrant, and a true leader, is vital to a democratic society such as ours.