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The idea seems pretty prevalent these days among many people, including many of our elected representatives, that we are all overreacting on the health care issue. I think not. A new study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund and published in Health Affairs on November 1, 2007, asked patients (the ones who ought to know, right?) in the U.S., Australia, the U.K., Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand several questions about health care in their country. To the statement that their country's system needs to be completely rebuilt, 34% of Americans believe so, higher than in any other country. To the question of whether they have experienced medical mistakes in the past two years, 32% said they had, more than in any other country. To the question of whether they can get an appointment the same day or next day when sick, only 49% of Americans believed they could, lower than in any country except Canada.
More health care data. The Centers for Disease Control says Americans spend 16% of GDP on health care (nearly twice as much as any of those countries listed above), have a life expectancy of 77.9 years (lower than in any of those countries), and have an infant mortality rate of 6.89 (far higher than in any of those countries). To all those claiming we are crying wolf on health care, I say explain why the statistics say we are paying more for worse care than in most industrialized counties. Let's see a little leadership around this, Washington! You are quickly losing whatever credibility you have left after this Iraq debacle and your failure to address global warming. |
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| The Republicans certainly don't have a lock on lapses of integrity. In California, the Democratic Speaker of the House, Fabian Nunez, is refusing to disclose all the details of the eye-popping expenditures he made with campaign money. He said he would explain some of the expenses but not all because "it's not required by law." Where in the world did leaders ever get the idea that their credibility, or integrity as many people like to call it, is something that gets formed by obeying the law? Credibility is possessing competency and displaying consistency and congruency in words and behavior, such that others have a deep confidence in his abilities and character. When my state's Speaker of the House runs up outrageously high bills on lavish trips and shopping sprees, I'd like an explanation. And if he refuses to provide one, am I off base in assuming he has something to hide? Am I off base in losing my confidence in him? What the hell is wrong with these people? |
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A New York jury today found Isiah Thomas, coach of the New York Knicks, sexually harassed a former executive in the Knicks front office and the Knicks then fired her in retaliation for filing a claim against Thomas. The jury awarded $11.6 million in damages to the former executive.
So, again, we have the issue of credibility of a high profile leader. The Knicks and Thomas have proclaimed their innocence and vow to overturn the verdict on appeal. The leadership issue, though, is whether Thomas’ credibility (i.e., possessing competency and displaying consistency and congruency in words and behavior, such that others have a deep confidence in his abilities and character) has been harmed such that he cannot effectively lead. That question won’t await the lengthy appeal process. It may have already been answered, and only those close to the team know for certain. Sure, one can wonder if Thomas is really all that competent given the way the team has floundered in recent years, both with him as head of basketball operations and last season with him as head coach. But the question that arises with this verdict is whether he has in fact met the second test of credibility, that is, displayed consistency and congruency in words and behavior, such that others have a deep confidence in his abilities and character. By a preponderance of the evidence, a jury says no. Let's see what Thomas' constituents (i.e., players, employees, advertisers, and fans) say. |
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I’m a Sirius satellite subscriber and love the service! Far fewer commercial breaks (some channels have none), great programming, huge selection of content, excellent sound quality, and all at a very reasonable price. As you know, they are trying to merge with XM, the other satellite station. It is causing quite a debate in Washington. Those opposed claim the merger will create a monopoly in satellite radio and that will be bad for consumers. Those in favor claim the market to be considered for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a monopoly is not satellite radio but the much broader market of terrestrial radio and even the Internet. Thus, they argue, there is nothing approaching a monopoly. The combined company would be a tiny player in the overall market and the combination of the two would do nothing to stifle market competition. In fact, the combined, stronger entity would increase competition in the broader market. In the end, consumers would not suffer by the combination.
I completely agree with those favoring the merger. I believe those opposed to the merger are doing so because they are aligned with the corporate media interests that own and control terrestrial radio and are terrified that satellite’s superior product will increasingly eat into their market share over time. In short, those opposed are trying to stifle competition, the exact opposite of what anti-trust laws exist for.
Now, for the really shitty part. Senator Kohl of Wisconsin has been one of the most vocal opponents of the merger. Kohl, however, owns the Milwaukee Bucks. And the Milwaukee Bucks have worked out a deal with the terrestrial radio station that covers its games (WTMJ-AM) in which the Bucks sell their own advertising when their games air. Thus, Senator Kohl directly earns revenue from Bucks broadcasts on terrestrial radio, and is financially motivated to see that satellite radio does not take market share from terrestrial radio.
It gets even more interesting. Sirius has the exclusive satellite rights to broadcast NBA games. If the merger goes through, XM's eight million subscribers will be able to listen to Buck's games over satellite and don't have to listen to WTJM's broadcast. Senator Kohl's revenue is even more at risk.
Again, where the hell is our outrage? Kohl needs to recuse himself from the debate and shut the hell up. And Wisconsinites, you elected this dude. Call him on the carpet! He’s not worthy to lead you. He’s more interested in leading himself to even more personal riches. |
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Astonishing! A NY Times/CBS News poll released yesterday, the sixth anniversary of 9/11, showed that 33% of Americans still believe Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the terrorist assault. This depite the fact that neither the 9/11 commission nor any other intelligence has ever supported such a connection.
What we are seeing here is Bush continuing to sell a lie to the American people. To this day, he continues to try to link the insurgents in Iraq to al-Qaida. It is no conincidence, of course, that 67% of Americans have no confidence in Bush. |
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| Contrary to my earlier post, GOPs forcing Senator Craig's resignation but letting Senator Vitter slide has a lot more (actually, everything) to do with the fact that Idaho has a Republican governor who will appoint Craig's replacement and Louisiana has a Democrat governor who would replace Vitter if he were to resign. Not to say the Democrats wouldn't act in the same, self-serving way if confronted with the same situation, but it's frustrating. Neither has the credibility to serve. Both should be out. |
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The criticism of Senator Craig has come rapidly and with great force, and it has come from members of his own party with at least the force as it has come from Democrats. I expect he will resign from his post very soon, as well he should. Regardless of whether he is innocent, guilty, gay, or straight, his credibility (i.e., possessing competency and displaying consistency and congruency in words and behavior, such that others have a deep confidence in his or her abilities and character) is shot. He can no longer lead effectively.
But I am wondering why Senator Vitter of Louisiana, another member of the Senate’s religious right who admitted a few weeks ago that he had visited prostitutes in the past, seems to have avoided the consequences falling down upon Senator Craig. Each underlying act is illegal. Each underlying act seems to be as objectionable from a moral standpoint. Each underlying act directly contradicts the opinions and votes cast by the leader in his official position as U.S. Senator. Each leader’s credibility is in tatters. Each can no longer lead effectively.
I can’t help but wonder if the difference in treatment has something to do with the fact that the allegations against Craig deal with homosexuality and those against Vitter deal with a heterosexual vice. Is this another example of the right’s, indeed the media’s, homophobia? |
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Credibility: possessing competency and displaying consistency and wholeness in words and behavior such that others have a deep confidence in his or her abilities and character.
Robert Torricelli was a U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He raised a boatload of money for a re-election campaign in 2002, then dropped out of the race amid allegations of ethical misconduct. When he quit to become a lobbyist and real estate developer, he had $2.9 million remaining in his war chest. Federal law allows a candidate in that situation to donate remaining money to charities, candidates and political parties.
Well, according to the N.Y. Times, Torricelli has been giving some of the money to the campaigns of elected officials who have influence over his, or his clients’, business interests. Apparently, there is nothing in the federal rules prohibiting such acts, but it is another example of how even our most esteemed leaders will act when given the chance to do something self-serving. If the laws don’t expressly prohibit an act, they believe, then it’s okay. Whatever happened to just knowing something is not right in your heart and then not doing it? (I know...some will say he is no longer a leader, but I don’t agree. When one has been elected to one of the 100 most powerful legislative positions in the nation and collects money from people who want him re-elected, his leadership obligations remain, at least with respect to disposition of that money.)
Look again at my definition of credibility. Do acts like Torricelli’s display consistency and wholeness such that others have a deep confidence in his or her abilities or character? Hell no! If I had contributed any money to this jerk, I’d be hounding him for a full refund. Then I’d be hounding my Congressional representatives to tighten up these campaign laws. |
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Bush’s speech yesterday in which he tried to use Vietnam to stir up support for his war in Iraq was shocking. Shocking it its ignorance. Shocking in its deceptiveness. Shocking in how it insults the intelligence of every American. As Lee Iacocca asks, "Where is the outrage?"
A president with a high degree of credibility with his electorate might have been able to get away with what Bush tried to pull off yesterday. But Bush’ credibility is shot. This was one of the most laughable and, at the same time, sickening things I have ever seen uttered by a prominent leader.
Bush argued that if the U.S. pulls out now, Iraq’s fate will be similar to Southeast Asia’s bloodbath after our withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975. In essence, he argues we were premature in leaving Southeast Asia.
But wait a minute! This conveniently overlooks a couple things. First, the pullout from Vietnam was anything from abrupt. It was actually a seven-year process, from 1968 (after the Tet Offensive) to 1975. All I can draw from this is that if Bush really understands history (and I know this too much of a leap), he is trying to say that even a seven-year process of withdrawing from Iraq would result in a bloodbath and a much longer presence is necessary. But he’d rather not say that. He’d rather try to fool us.
Second, Khmer Rouge would never have come to power in Southeast Asia and had the ability to cause the slaughter it did if the U.S. had not become involved in Vietnam in the first place. Likewise, the extreme instability in Iraq, as well as the creation of a breeding ground for terrorism against the U.S., were caused by Bush’s bone-headed attack on Iraq. Kind of like, "Ignore my big mistake (attacking Iraq), and let’s all learn from the mistakes of others (Johnson and Nixon in pulling out of Vietnam) that were made in trying to mitigate the mistakes of another (Eisenhower and Kennedy in going into Vietnam in the first place)." Sorry, this is too much bullshit for me. |
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I think the 2008 presidential election is going to be about only two things: What is his or her position on Iraq? Who is the best leader? The two elements are, of course, not independent.
On Iraq, we have just over 2/3 of Americans opposing the war and wanting us out. If the election were today, we’d elect a president who agrees with us on this issue. That puts most of the Republicans out of the running…if the election were held today.
On leadership, way more than 2/3 of Americans have been watching…indeed feeling… a leadership vacuum develop over the past six years and want it filled with a leader who offers what we expect in a president.
Politicians must be or do the following to be effective as leaders: (1) produce results (positive outcomes or the effects desired by constituents); (2) self-defined (intimately know their values, beliefs, higher purpose, and vision of the future, and express them clearly); (3) forward-thinking (envision exciting, positive possibilities for the future); (4) credible (possess competency and displays consistency and congruency in words and behavior, such that others have a deep confidence in their abilities and character); (5) inspiring (listen deeply to constituents to discover a common purpose, then give life to their vision by communicating it so that constituents see themselves in it); (6) people oriented (openhearted, with a genuine love for people); (7) courageous (able to make the tough calls and perform the tough tasks, and willing to take risks) (8) energetic (possess a deep reservoir of positive energy and the ability to generate new energy throughout the ups and downs of political life); and (9) focused (able to concentrate energy and attention in the pursuit of their objectives).
The Bush vacuum? Certainly in producing results (there haven’t been any significant positive outcomes or effects desired by the majority of Americans), forward thinking (telling us each week how we are going to die at the hands of terrorists isn’t quite the forward thinking trait we want in our leaders), credibility (I don’t even have to comment here), inspiring (he doesn’t give a shit what we think), people oriented (“openhearted” just doesn’t fit with all the sponsorship of torture, spying, and killing), and energetic (the frat boy likes his sleep, even as Rome burns). While he is self-defined, Americans are puking on his definition. And while he is courageous and focused to some, he’s utterly stupid to what is becoming an overwhelming majority.
To come: How well do the candidates fill the vacuum? |
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Gavin Newsom, the San Francisco mayor, is now engaged in a big battle with a supervisor who alleges Newsom uses or has used cocaine. This after last October’s report that the 39-year-old Newsom was dating a 20-year-old woman who was seen drinking at public functions, and February’s revelation that Newsom had an affair with the wife of his campaign manager and good friend, and that he was seeking help for alcohol addiction.
What about a leader immersed in drama? Can he really be effective? I think not. I mean, how could he? Bring enough drama around yourself as a leader, and your credibility will erode to the point you can’t do your job as a leader. Credibility means “possessing competency and displaying consistency and congruency of word and behavior, such that others have a deep confidence in his or her abilities and behavior.” I don’t get the feeling a whole lot confidence is being engendered by Newsom’s words and behavior of late.
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That sucking sound is getting louder. It's the leadership vacuum and it just doesn't seem to be getting better. We got through Tyco, Adelphia, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, and all the others. And now we have already wealthy executives in many companies under fire for trying to get wealthier by back-dating stock options. Lord John Browne leaves BP in disgrace after his allegedly gay affair was exposed. The real disgrace, though, was in how poorly he managed the company and how differently he managed it from the way he sold it to the public. He bought hundreds of millions of dollars of ads selling BP as the values-based, employee-friendly, "green" oil company, but cut back so much on safety expenditures that BP has become a very unsafe place to work. And it appears he his feel-good ads were a higher priority than alternative energy projects.
Who else? It's all around us. Bob Nardelli at Home Depot, who finally got canned after contributing virtually nothing to shareholder value for five years and driving customer satisfaction rates to miserable levels. Carly Fiorina at HP. Phil Purcell at Morgan Stanley. Harry Stonecipher at Boeing. And Paul Wolfowitz is likely to be booted from the World Bank, despite the White House's opinion that bypassing corporate policies and procedures to enhance his employee-girlfriend's career and compensation are not grounds for termination. And look at the Justice Department. Locally, look as close as our families. We don't even lead them very well, as evidenced by the levels of gang activity, addiction, teen crime, and general apathy.
Leaders got us here, by their poor performance, and leaders are going to have to get us out of here, by good performance. It's just the way it works. But we just don’t have enough effective leaders. We are in a leadership crisis. The velocity and complexity of our world has exceeded the ability of our leaders to be effective in an increasing number of cases. Traditional approaches to leadership - learn by watching, read lists of character traits and functions of leaders and then go out and embody/perform them - are not enough. It's time to go deep inside, individually and collectively, to find the energies and drivers that will allow us to lead effectively in these challenging times.
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With Nancy Pelosi's visit to the Mid East, and the White House's cries of protest, I am reminded of the vacuum that exists amidst failed leadership. Nature, of course, abhors a vacuum and fills it immediately. In this case, frustrated with the complete lack of progress, indeed the deterioration, in the Mid East, Pelosi and her delegation decided to step in and see if they could provide some positive leadership to the situation. Sure, you can argue that the President is the commander-in-chief in times of war and there is never an excuse for interfering with his leadership in such times. But several important facts make this a specious position. First, the President misled us and Congress in instigating the Iraqi conflict in the first place. Second, war has never been declared; the President never sought, nor did he receive, a declaration of war from Congress. Thus, we are not technically at war and the President should not have the unfettered discretion of a commander-in-chief at war. Third, if he ever had any credibility (and he must have, given he was able to convince Congress to authorize the military action in 2003), it is long gone. His deception preceding the conflict has now become abundantly clear. He prematurely declared victory four years ago, and our position has diminished greatly since, notwithstanding his constant positive affirmations in the face of a worsening disaster.
The vacuum is operating in other areas as well. In the face of Bush’s incredible denial of global warming and its effects, Al Gore and a host of others have stepped in and taken leadership on environmental issues. Frustrated with inattention to the health care crisis, California Governor Schwarzenegger initiated his own plan for universal coverage for Californians.
Vacuums are a fact of life when something or someone that occupies a place or performs a function fails. Complain all you want about Pelosi, but if not her, it would be someone else filling the leadership void we are now experiencing.
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| Like many, I've been following the story about Alberto Gonzales and his involvement in the dismissal of the eight U.S. attorneys. I say the guy has to go. It simply boils down to one question: Does he display consistency and wholeness in words and behavior such that others have a deep confidence in his abilities and character? The answer is no. He said emphatically on live television he had no involvement in the firings and the documents produced in the past few days directly contradict his statements. He has lost his credibility. A leader without credibility is no longer a leader. |
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The Merriam-Webster dictionary says that "integrity" was the most frequently searched word at its online site in 2005. Does it trouble you that people don't seem to understand this word? Does it trouble you that a number of high-profile leaders are among the most challenged when it comes to understanding, or at least living within the spirit of, this word?
Over the past few years, I've done some research on this word. Over the past century, the dictionary definitions of integrity have insidiously drifted from their etymological roots in wholeness (reference first to the self) to codes of conduct and acceptability (reference first to outside the self). It wasn't the dictionaries' fault; they're just defining common usage. But the reality is that many leaders today don't do a lot of inward checking, or they have internal codes that are pretty messed up. They are governed more by what they think they can get away with, rather than what is right. Lawyers and accountants tell a chief executive they have a good legal argument in favor of back-dating stock options, so she does it even though she know it's not right. A politician's staff tells him they have enough arguable data to support a claim about a terrorist threat, so he uses it to create a scenario to sway voters even though he knows the scenario is a misrepresentation.
As a result of its bastardization and overuse, I rarely use the word "integrity" anymore. I like "credibility", which I define in the context of leadership as possessing competency and displaying consistency and wholeness in words and behavior such that others have a deep confidence in one's abilities and character. |
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| Congrats to Philip Knight and Mark Parker of Nike. You undoubtedly recall their troubles in recent years with sweatshop controversies. But in 2006, Business Ethics magazine named Nike one of its 100 Best Corporate Citizens, based on the strength of its community and environmental programs. Its sustainable design approach, dubbed "Nike Considered" and led by Lorrie Vogel, seeks to eliminate waste and toxic substances from production processes. Watch for the release any day of the Soaker sneaker, with 100% recycled laces, green rubber with 96% fewer toxins, and a design that lends itself to recycling at the end of its life. |
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