Somewhat over three years ago, I completed and published my dissertation. Like nearly all dissertations, it was neither groundbreaking nor particularly riveting, but it did fulfill its purpose, namely to meet the requirements of degree conferral and marginally (ever, ever so marginally) expand the body of knowledge in my field. So what did I gain through this work? International acclaim, notoriety, or even a small bit of recognition in my home state for my scholarship? Hardly. Instead, I gained something far more valuable in the long term: the firm knowledge that I don’t know very much at all about most things. What I did gain an appreciation for is the importance of sober adherence to the principles of justice, mercy, and humility, especially in the face of our absolute uncertainty about most facets of life. In a time fraught with partisan division and un-sober certainty inspired by Twitter “clap backs” and TikTok hot takes, we as leaders owe it to our people to spend more time acknowledging our own uncertainty and, by example, inspiring adherence to sobriety of thought and consideration for others, both to our left and right.
This is not a call to inaction or navel-gazing. Leadership requires action (as well as thoughtful and selective delay of action). The leader who remains mired in thought will most often miss the proper opportunity to act and soon cease to be much of a leader. Likewise, the leader who always acts will achieve a measure of success, but more often than not will end up rudderless and, in the grand scheme, ineffective. Reflection coupled with action is the hallmark of good leaders.
This is also not a call to silence or spineless rejection of principle. Not all principles are equally valid or worthy of consideration. Certain ideas are worthy of rejection, especially those that serve to demean, dehumanize, or denigrate others on the basis of their inherent characteristics. Leaders owe it to society to be principled and to act on the basis of such principles. However, when these principles cause us to vilify our opponents, or their ideas, or their words, we also owe it to seriously stop and consider if we are actually upholding these principles, or if we are instead returning to atavistic preferences that will ultimately undermine our cause.
Commitment to justice means that we will have uncomfortable conversations. It means that those of us on the right will be willing to admit that our history is rife with injustice. Likewise, it means that those of us on the left will be willing to admit that our solutions for dealing with past injustices cannot impose new injustices or divisions. It means that we as leaders become uncomfortable with dealing in solutions that satisfy no one completely, but instead serve as reasonable compromise to the twin causes of justice and equity.
Commitment to mercy means that we will be willing to forego punishing the failures of immaturity and inexperience we so often see in our charges. It means that those of us on the left will not call for the social, economic, or political immolation of those who we believe hold to incorrect ideologies or unpopular positions. It means that those of us on the right will turn our backs on the easy echo chamber pugilism of our ideological opponents and that we will instead be willing to allow that perhaps our “foes” are instead just as generally well-meaning as we are.
Commitment to humility means that we will understand and accept that our human faculties are of extraordinarily limited capacity and that while we may be convinced of certain facts or assumptions, few of those are actually guaranteed to be precisely correct. It means that those of us on the right recognize that we do not have a mystical insight into the nature of human behaviors and that not everything can be solved by a laissez faire approach to governance. It means that those of us on the left must acknowledge that there is no amount of planning or technical expertise that can predict, control, or moderate the tempestuous nature of the human experience.
Adhering to these principles may sound to some to be an embrace of “weak” or “beta” values. I would counter that it takes more strength, courage, and character to champion mercy, justice, and humility than taking the low road to victory. It is far more of a challenge to navigate uncertainty with
humility than false bravado. Pursuing justice requires a willingness to admit that our own ideology may be insufficient to address all circumstances. Mercy is difficult to demonstrate when it feels like we are personally under attack. Act boldly, act decisively, but never in brashness or haste or to “own” our opponents. Acknowledge that our opponents are not our enemies, that they do not seek our demise, that we just disagree. If we lead in this way, our organizations will be postured for more than just the short-term wins.