Americanism from Roosevelt to McCain to Us
I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic. A nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the progress. We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been. We are 325 million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. —John McCain, farewell message, August 2018
John McCain was a devotee of Theodore Roosevelt. Like TR, he strove to serve his nation throughout his life and work.
James Strock Interview Environmental Business Journal
The Environmental Business Journal provides valuable services as a strategic leader and partner for environmental-energy businesses and industries. In this interview, featured in Volume XXXI, No. 3/4, James Strock discusses environmental trends.
Anderson & Mathur-Helm | Nelson Mandela Leadership
credit | John Pannell | Creative Commons 2.0
This article is written by Professor Jamie Anderson, Antwerp Management School, and Dr Babita Mathur-Helm, University of Stellenbosch Business School.
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Given the recent change of leadership in South Africa, it is time to reflect upon the legacy of Africa’s first black president—Nelson Mandela.
At a time of so much social change, not just in South Africa but in so many countries around the world, there is a lot of talk about the leadership traits that will be required to drive positive outcomes for humanity in the 21st Century.
We believe that the focus on leadership at this time of volatility and uncertainty is somewhat misplaced—the real challenge will be to inspire humanity towards following a path to peace and prosperity for all. And Nelson Mandela’s story provides insight into how building and sustaining a follower-driven movement can be achieved.
In this post we reflect upon the legacy of Nelson Mandela. We demonstrate how Mandela was able to build and sustain a followership base as part of creating momentum towards achieving positive social transformation. He was able to evolve a remarkably consistent approach to delivering what we see as the three pillars of a followership, and each of these pillars will be discussed in turn. We will demonstrate how Mandela’s story provides a powerful lesson for global leaders who are looking to create momentum for positive change in today’s turbulent and complex times.
Disrupt Politics | Fighting Partisan Bigotry
credit | Martin Falbisoner CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Comm
Moviegoers fifty years ago were captivated and challenged by a provocative, topical film: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? The storyline was tailor-made for the moment. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn portrayed conventionally liberal white parents who found their principles put to the test when their daughter brought her betrothed home for the holidays. The prospective member of the family was every parent’s dream: a doctor, notably handsome, accomplished, and polished. The frisson arises because the ideal son-in-law also happens to be black, portrayed by the incomparable Sidney Poitier.
In the early twenty-first century we might well look back on that conceit as reflecting a benighted past. We also know that misplaced pride, intolerance and hypocrisy—superbugs among human flaws—have a protean capacity to evolve in new circumstances.
A comparable, contemporary remake of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner would not be based on racial differences. Nor would it be based on nationality or religious differences or sexual orientation.
Who in 1967 would have guessed that in the faraway future of 2017 partisan differences would occasion its own widespread, weaponized bigotry?
