[May 3, 2018] I’ve begun reading more frequently these days, now that the weather has turned for the better. I get to sit on my sun porch, relax, pet my dog, and read. The book is about how tragic events in our past can have a positive effect on our psyche. My point here is that what happens in the past continues to echo into the future.
It is up to us as humans to make the best of it, learn the proper lessons, and have the fortitude to modify our behavior so the bad things are not repeated. Leaders are at the forefront of this effort and any one of them that fails to do so will forever be seen as a failed leader.
I wrote here at theLeaderMaker.com a couple of years ago that what we do echoes across history. And, yes, that is true enough but how we handle what we have done and others have done ultimately determines who we are and how effective we are as leaders … and it makes us better leaders.
Never have I known a real leader who was not aware of the past, learned from it, but didn’t let it get in the way of doing the right thing for their folks. That is the epitome of great leadership when we can learn and move on from past mistakes and tragedies.
For example, the U.S. Army leadership looks back to incidents like the My Lai Massacre (Vietnam) and Abu Graib (Iraq) to pull unpleasant lessons forward so that mistakes like them are forever avoided. Those incidents and others like them should be worn with shame on any member of that organization regardless of intent to do good things.1
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” – Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President
The past continues to echo … Leaders would be remiss if they were not aware of the past and its important lessons. Looking into the future, however, is the purview of leadership. That is why leaders must make clear their vision of the future and their missions for today.
Learning to be a good leader requires this understanding and appreciation. It matters not at all that any particular leader had their hands in past acts, yet they must see to it – actively see to it – that what they do now is morally, ethically, and legally acceptable.
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- Another example from the 20th Century. The nation of Germany has an evil past steeped in fascism and war. Yet, they learned from those times and take very specific steps to never go down that path again. Other nations, like Russia and China have failed to learn from the evil that stained their present-day governments. Of course, those two nations have leaders who don’t believe there are lessons to be learned.
Yes, if only were not so lazy that we could extract the proper lessons and then abide by them, we would all be better off. Why not? Two reasons: 1) lack of moral courage and 2) intellectual laziness.
Reading the comment section today was educational. Thank you everyone for adding more context to Mr. Satterfield’s leadership blog.
Leaders pay attention and that is part of what makes them a leader. There are too many that make mountains out of molehills and those that chose to turn a blind eye. Neither is acceptable in my book.
To parallel the Gen Satterfield article, I recommend reading Mark Twain. Here’s an interesting article that helps draw those parallels. https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2014/12/30/373834635/in-huckleberry-finn-a-history-in-echoes
Here is a classic example. Read the story about the “World’s Youngest Billionaires Are Shadowed by a WWII Weapons Fortune.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-03/world-s-youngest-billionaires-are-shadowed-by-ghosts-of-german-past
Good one. Interesting read. Thanks Jonathan.
Thank you Jon, great detective work.
Yes thanks, Jonathan.
Another good example of excellent comments here at theLeaderMaker.com
Another good blog post on relevant topics of leadership. Thank you and, oh, I enjoy the quotes from famous people.
Yep, I agree. 😉
Good article today Mr. Satterfield. We need more like this. I’m compiling these in a notebook so I can pull them out later to reread. Since they normally print to one page, that’s a great technique for later consumption and reference.
Dale, good idea and you certainly have my permission to do so.
I like the idea too.
“The past haunts us,” someone once said. I think that is what you’re saying here and also noting that we must learn from it important lessons. Any failure is a leadership failure. I will add that it’s a failure of maturity.
Slavery in the US and elsewhere is another example of history echoing to today. However, other than learning valuable lessons from it, many have hijacked the history for personal gain. As a black man, this is insulting and will backfire in the long run.
When we look at politics in the U.S. we should also take note. The history of our Democratic Party is not so good (e.g., supported and defended slavery). Unfortunately, they have not learned their lesson because they continue to enslave blacks by encouraging them to be dependent upon the welfare state and to never enjoy the freedom of being independent. Sad news for everyone.
You have a good point there.
I agree.
Abu Ghraib (Iraq) may be the last war’s best example of leadership failure where prisoners were humiliated (in violation of US law) and reportedly tortured (although that is subject to debate), it pales in comparison to our Communist neighbors who killed or starved their own people in the millions. Now, that is still no excuse and an example how the US and many of its allies like England and Australia go to great lengths to learn those lessons and apply that learning.
It was not that long ago that our young leaders were never taught the valuable lessons of the past. Today, we also reject them because of the sources: Bible, Military History, and other inappropriately labeled “bad” sources. When any lessons are rejected, we all lose value.
If you grew up in a small town; like the ones with no traffic lights, then this message rings strong. When I grew up everyone knew everyone. If you did something stupid and mean as a kid, you were reminded of it as a young person, if you still lived there in the small town. What your subject is about today Gen Satterfield is the same thing on a bigger scale. Good article today. Thank you.
While leaders must look to the future with a vision, the right thinking to focus on those things necessary to do good and take care of people, those same leaders can never not remember the past. I think this is why so many organizations insist that a mission statement be clear and concise. It gives us purpose today, while at the same time looking to the future.
Echoes from the past can be either good or bad, so it is not always bad. I think, however, your point is well taken that those things that were very bad will most be remembered (and not for what they really were) but we should take them to heart.
Always a pleasure to read your comments, Army Captain.
Thanks Eddie
This is why I always coach my boys to always do the right thing, even when no one is looking at them. What we do will be remembered and not just we will be judged but those who come after us too.
Good lesson my mom tells me about all the time. Cheers!
:-)) Agree!