The traits of a leader
Can Donald Trump show empathy, kindness, wisdom and integrity?
Donald J. Trump’s implausible, outrageous quest for the U.S. presidency has ended in a way few expected, many feared and others could only hope for. His is a victory that has landed hard among millions throughout our country and beyond — rattling financial markets, dumbfounding foreign allies and shocking sensibilities once again as only Mr. Trump can.
What has arguably been the most excruciating episode in our nation’s political life has divided families, ended friendships and pitted Americans against one another as no other election cycle in recent memory. For Hillary Clinton’s supporters, her improbable loss is harsh and painfully their own.
But for many others — millions of conscientious, hard-working, tax-paying Americans who likewise care deeply about their families, communities and country — it’s a victory long overdue and oh so sweet. Those who regarded themselves as neglected by establishment politicians, left behind by an economy shifting in favor of knowledge and technologies they don’t posses, and abandoned by cultural trends that offend their moral values, somehow managed to reassert an unforeseen strength and claim a decisive prerogative. Throughout this election, which could rightly be described as our other “long national nightmare,” they were willing and able to work out some internal justification to support Donald Trump and overlook his often absurd, incendiary comments. It was just “Trump being Trump,” they claimed, “telling it like it is” — telling it like they wanted to hear it.
Like many, I remain deeply troubled by the forces and factors that led us to this place, where the worst elements have been allowed to roam and rant freely, assailing the very premise of our diverse society and what has long been acknowledged as the reason America is and has always been great: “out of many, one.”
Acknowledging that our only choice is to either to find or construct common ground, I suggest we begin by agreeing to some basic traits that should be essential for any who seek to lead in the political arena, but regarded as non-negotiable for the one who will now occupy the office of the American presidency this coming January and for all others going forward:
Knowledge: Leaders in a 21st-century economy must actually know things, important things — the major political, cultural and societal influences that have shaped our present and why. They must also understand our relation to an increasingly interconnected, interdependent world, and know a thing or two about other nations, their leaders and prevailing geo-political realities.
Perspective: Leaders must be able to take the longer view and assess how what they offer relates to what came before and how it may have to adapt to new, unforeseen circumstances. This also refers to one’s ability to acknowledge his or her own finite role in the grander scheme of things. Leaders come and go, but the institutions, communities or the nations they lead typically (and fortunately) last much longer.
Curiosity: Effective leaders are those who have the capacity to admit what they don’t know and take into account new information and viewpoints they may have missed in developing their own. Inevitably, someone will tell them as much, but that’s not the same as the basic inclination to wonder, to ask questions, to seek greater understanding and learn from others.
Empathy: No leader can be credible or succeed without this one — or not for very long. The inclination and ability to feel for others, relate to their circumstances, and understand their conflicts and struggles is ultimately the measure of one who claims to offer solutions to real personal and collective problems.
Kindness: Closely related to the previous, this trait implies the ability to be gracious, humble and, importantly, wellmannered. You shouldn’t have to think very hard about why leaders need this one.
Integrity: This is an obvious but somewhat elusive trait in the political arena. It’s about having a working compass (preferably a moral one) and actually using it on a consistent basis. Adding to the challenge, the art of compromise (and yes, constructive deal-making) requires the willingness to bend personal positions to accommodate other approaches and viewpoints that fiercer opponents will inevitably cite as a “flip-flop.” It’s about being honest that most matters are not black and white, and being willing to admit that there’s seldom a single right answer or solution to complex problems.
Against these non-negotiable requirements of authentic and effective leadership, Donald Trump has a lot to prove. Remarkably, he has succeeded in disrupting the established order. Now he must govern it and somehow work with and represent those he has assailed, threatened and insulted.
In the days to come, President Trump will need to demonstrate an as-of-yet unverified capacity to acquire knowledge and perspective, be curious and empathetic, exhibit kindness and govern with integrity. If once again he is able to confound his many detractors, his success will also be our own.