[March 7, 2017] A recent video posted on the Facebook page of U.S. Senate Democrats includes “words of inspiration” and is a recent example of how leader words can have multiple meanings and multiple interpretations. I’d like to use this opportunity to restate that good leadership means being clear in what is said and every effort is made to ensure there is minimum latitude for misinterpretation. The former Attorney General Loretta Lynch did not do a good job of this in that video (51 seconds).1
Leaders must have absolute clarity and the best are those who are unequivocally clear. Anything short of this will result in disappointment at best and risking of lives at its extreme.2 I wrote about this on several occasions (see links here, here, and here); predicting that when senior leaders fail to be clear, they will be misinterpreted and wrongful acts will be justified by their words. Then, the original intent in the meaning of that leader becomes irrelevant.
“I know it’s a time of concern for people, who see our rights being assailed, being trampled on and even being rolled back. I know that this is difficult, but I remind you that this has never been easy. We have always had to work to move this country forward to achieve the great ideals of our Founding Fathers.”
The video is short; as any important message delivered should be. This sentence is okay but it also needs to include more than broad, sweeping words. Offering no specifics or examples is a mistake because it allows her words to be interpreted in multiple ways. People will interpret what they want from vague, colorful words and use those same words to justify their behavior; good or evil. That’s simply a fact of human nature.
“It has been people, individuals who have banded together, ordinary people who simply saw what needed to be done and came together and supported those ideals who have made the difference. They’ve marched, they’ve bled and yes, some of them died. This is hard. Every good thing is. We have done this before. We can do this again.”
Words matter within the context of the social setting; a congregation of church goers, a team of Infantry soldiers, a nation under siege would each receive those words differently. Her context apparently refers to the United States and the recent election of President Donald Trump. Some will claim that her words are a veiled political diatribe attempting to incite further violence; code words for “more marching, blood, death on streets.”3,4,5
This is a risk that good leaders plainly understand and one they take appropriate and reasonable steps to avoid. Former AG Lynch’s words are a disappointment for such a seasoned and respected leader. She should immediately clarify her meaning and do so forcefully, else her reputation will suffer; but more importantly since her words have been seen as inciting violence, good leadership on her part demands an immediate personal clarification.
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- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Olwn2r19Y
- https://www.theleadermaker.com/leaders-must-have-absolute-clarity/
- http://www.wnd.com/2017/03/loretta-lynch-need-more-marching-blood-death-on-streets/
- https://bluelivesmatter.blue/loretta-lynch-incite-violence-trump/
- https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2017/03/05/former-ag-loretta-lynch-calls-for-resisting-president-trump-with-marches-blood-and-death/