[September 29, 2021] These past few weeks, like many, I’ve been listeing to our political leaders in Washington, D.C. and the vitriol is thrown about like sands on a beach. Unlike authentic leaders, they are doing the opposite and encouraging divisiveness.
Yesterday I was listening to a radio program by Dan Bongino. He was replaying comments from a U.S. Representative (purposefully unnamed). Our local political representative was, sadly and not surprisingly, being divisive1.
Senior leaders have an obligation to join people together for a common goal. Our politicians in D.C. are senior leaders. What they do may take debate and work to find possible solutions or to reach a compromise on disagreements but that is their job and should be their calling in life. But it is not.
Our political leaders should be helping join people not divide them. This is what professional leadership is about.
What are a few examples of divisiveness?
- Extreme rhetoric – name calling, association with radicals
- Insulting behavior
- Poor attitude
- Mocking of others
- Chip on the shoulder
- Refusing to communicate
What would be the purpose? I believe the answer is somewhat simple; to achieve “power” over others because they believe in their own moral superiority. This is true whether it is divisiveness in the family, church, company, social club, political capital, etc. Someone, or a group of people, wants to gain power and control of someone else.
Divisiveness in our political and social world is experiencing a comeback. It is doubly unfortunate that some of our political leaders are being divisive in their actions today. If we know it is for power, we understand. It doesn’t make it easier to tolerate but we can begin to work toward solutions once an understanding is reached.
Divisiveness also means no progress.
“The loudest voices we hear are those who advocate conflict, divisiveness.” – John C. Danforth, politician and priest
This is an important lesson for leaders. Divisiveness is not helpful to accomplish anything of value in the workplace. Divisive employees must be stopped or be removed.
It is incumbent on all of us to identify divisiveness and call it for what it is – a grab for power. Moral courage is needed to call it.
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I’m surprised but not shocked. This trend has been going on for decades.
Another spot-on article. I like your mini-series on leader trends, they give me something to think about. What we should be noticing also is that these trends are not always good. As Gen. Satterfield regularly reminds us. The lessons from the ‘old days’ will continue to haunt us.
Gen. Satterfield, I would take this argument to the next step and write about our current political situation. With the utter blatant corruption, anti-American ideological direction, and me me me philosophy of the most inept, most ineffective president in US history making one mess after another … and getting people killed and then supporting the killers, wow. Just wow. Maybe more on that topic.
I agree LM. Sometimes we just don’t know how to learn from history.
What is there for a normal person to do? We want to just have a good life, and we leave others alone to pursue their dreams, not to impose their socialism on us. That is why we are all having this conversation. Too many believe they are morally superior to us in “flyover country” where the liberals don’t want to live but want our tax money.
Good points Doug. This is, indeed, a great website for esp. junior leaders.
Sad isn’t it that so many young people have been sucked into the maw of the greatest destructive and evil power ever to hit the world, socialism.
Pow, you got that right.
All this sounds like Joe Biden.
Hey, just me thinking and observing.
Don’t agree? Change my mind.
Or, just move to California and deal with the fall out.
Thanks Gen. Satterfield for being on topic today with this particularly bad leader trend. Why would a “leader” be divisive? Gen. S answered the question but I think a better explanation is needed in greater detail.
Hey folks, if you want to hear some great commentary on this exact subject, then llsten to Dan Bongino. You can find him on Rumble.com. Just search under Dan Bongino and his radio shows are all there. I don’t recommend YouTube (altho he is there too) because “Screwtube” (as Dan calls them) demonitizes Dan and other conservative thinkers. YouTUbe is just full of tyrants who want to suppress free speech. Like Pres Biden and his ilk followers.
Great comment Eric and analysis. Yes, go listen to Dan, he’s a great guy. RUMBLE is the best platform to listen to him.
It’s amazing how far stupidity can take you as a politician.
We are all in this together. In the old days of city-states, they just pushed you out the entrance to the city. You would be attacked by roving criminals and death would follow. Today, we celebrate them in Hollywood (the evil center of the universe).
Gen. Satterfield did not call it evil, but it is evil.
Things will have to get worse before they get better. Too many lemmings following their suicidal leader (Joe Biden) off the cliff.
I like the analogy, Andrew. Well said.
Excellent article for my morning coffee retreat.
Got a great website here, Gen. Satterfield. Keep it going. If for no other reason, many of us need an occasion to read stories of leadership and we can pick up something, even something small to carry on with in times of trouble. Trouble, largely created by politicians who are only interested in themselves and a few of their friends. Power drives them, Evil keeps them going, we must recognize it for evil and stand against it.
I used to think that Joe Biden was just a politician with bad ideas. Dan Bongino says that good people believe the “other side of the political” isle is full of people with bad ideas. But they think we are bad people with ideas. The difference is not subtle but we need to know this because they are, indeed, evil.
Sad that our political leaders (yes, I recognize that even evil leaders are still leaders) are leading so many of our countrymen down this road of divisiveness.
This is all like beating a dead horse, the real question is when will we all stand up and say STOP to the insanity.
More have to die first and more cities have to burn by Black Lives Matter and Antifa.