The Dilemma of Being a Leader

This past weekend I watch a 2-hour documentary on President Truman. (I sometimes watch Nerd TV with my husband.) Truman's story was really interesting to me because he was a person of seemingly little talent that would make him stand out, yet he made it to the post of president. He didn't seem to want it that much, and his wife Bess seemed to totally detest the role of first lady.

He ran into some tough times, with having to make the decision about dropping the atomic bomb on Japan and running up against General MacArthur about the Korean War. At more than one point, he had his head in his hands and made a statement that a thousand other people would make a better leader than he was. Then, he would shore himself up and realize he was the leader, and he would make the best decision he could.

At the same time, I'm reading the book called JFK AND THE UNSPEAKABLE: WHY HE DIED AND WHY IT MATTERS by James Douglass. This book delves into JFK's relationship with his joint chiefs of staff and the military leaders and what kind of precarious situations he found himself in with them. The interesting part is that he looks at JFK through the perspectives of Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who was writing letters about the world situation at the time.

The book details JFK's state of mind and principles during the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is so scary to see the huge burden that rested on the president's shoulders at these two moments in history--moments that could have changed all of our lives forever. I admire the stands that he took, or at least that this book says he took. It takes great courage to be a good leader.

I think these two stories have been an encouragement to me about being a leader. I am a leader, yet I tend to shrink back from new opportunities for leadership because I am afraid I will not have what it takes in moments of crisis. Perhaps this is a lack of faith; perhaps it is that I know myself and stress. I hate to make decisions that will seriously impact the lives of others. In those moments, I think about working in a gas station, McDonald's, anything that does not seem so momentous.

Yet, I want my life to count for something, to be significant. I think what these two stories showed me was that these two guys WERE afraid and wished they were somewhere else also, when the going got really rough. What made them good leaders was that they did not quit at those times. They realized they had to go forward and make the best decisions they could. They often did so knowing that there would be consequences of some kind. They had to accept those too.

I hope I can take these learnings with me into my life--whether it be leadership at home, at work, in relationships.