[August 27, 2022] It has often been said– and I want to reinforce it here – that successful leadership means possessing a strong ability to bring people together to achieve a common goal. Implied here is that the leader helps shape consensus in others. We see leaders do this through their good words and deeds.
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Great leaders, both good and evil, have been known throughout recorded history for their exceptional ability to mold consensus to reach something that might have been considered unattainable or even unimaginable at the time. Leaders can move toward any goal regardless of impediments with focus, clarity of vision, calculated risk-taking, and determination.
Robert Oppenheimer, for example, led the World War II “Manhattan Project” to develop the first atomic bomb. Overcoming enormous theoretical, technical, ethical, and social obstacles, he successfully shaped the military and scientific community consensus and completed the project on time. There is an interview of Oppenheimer in 1965 where he discusses this very issue (see link here for both audio and transcription, 42:52 minutes).
The U.S. Apollo program is another example of doing the “impossible,” sending astronauts safely to the moon and back. Carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the goal was first conceived during U.S. President Eisenhower’s administration. Robert R. Gilruth and his Space Task Group would lead this effort and eventually fulfill the goal President John F. Kennedy proposed before Congress on May 25, 1961 (see link here for a retrospective analysis of Project Apollo).
As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, leaders are not on the lookout for consensus but are actively molders of it. It goes without saying that to do so requires a leader who is both knowledgeable of human psychology and can pull together those who can help make that leader’s vision feasible. This is not a small task, as we can see in Oppenheimer and Gilruth’s efforts.
The style of leadership (e.g., autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, etc.1) used to do this is not as relevant as the effort to build consensus. Leaders who can motivate networks of people to take responsibility for defining and achieving difficult tasks are rare and the epitome of greatness. That is why we refer to them as the best of the best.
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Please read my new book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).
Gen. Satterfield, thanks for this post. I do believe you are right and of course, that is NOT being done at the national level in America. We still have the US President disparaging a large segment of the population like he was running in a local election. The man is senile and downright stupid.
Yes, of course leaders shape consensus, and Gen. Satterfield makes the point again here for us. Pay attention to what Gen. S. has to say on this topic and go buy his book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq.” you won’t be disappointed when you read it. https://www.amazon.com/Our-Longest-Year-Iraq-Construction/dp/1737915510/
Well said. 😎
Exactly why I keep coming back to this website on leaderhsip.
Thank you again, Gen. Satterfield for such a relevant topic and for putting this out for us to think on. I see already that some of our group has posted about “teachers” who don’t really teach but are more interested in indoctrinating our kids with their neo-Marxism. This is a horrific trend and needs to be stopped now.
Of course, but but but…. teachers don’t think they shape consensus in a captured audience and need the “law” to force feed leftist ideology to them. Break this now. Teachers need to teach the ABCs, not CRT.
Rev Cain. Pray for us. The leftist ‘progressives’ are on the march to destroy the family and make govt the center of our world. How crazy can you get? More I suspect. Keep govt and politics out of the classroom.
Yes, pray, dear Lord but also give us the strength to overcome those who would do evil to our children without our knowledge and the foresight to find them in the act and bring the wrath of God to them all. There is nothing worse than those who would do harm to children. And, they now come from the teacher unions and their minions.
Yusaf, you are sooooo right!!!!!! !@#$%^& astards.
Max, once gain you nailed it. They are Marxists, altho a new type, and what they say is so attractive because it means you are “morally superior” to everyone else, and you don’t have to do anything difficult. ✔
Got that right, LM. ❤
Excellent post, Great points.
Yes, and purchase Gen. Satterfield’s book. I know you are all thinking, why is he hawking this book. Well, the answer is that it is a great read. It only takes a few hours to go thru it. A story on each page. Yes, I’m a long time fan of Gen. Satterfield and also of his book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq.” You won’t regret buying it.
Got my copy several months ago and loved the book.