I am very interested in the field of leadership, particularly the attributes of great leaders. My personal inquiry in this area has involved distant observation of leaders, as well as personal engagement with leaders in organizations I have been involved with; I particularly enjoy reading profiles of political and business leaders. Of course, my career has been focused on leadership, of Hartman, at USI, and in various other organizations, including the Centre County United Way, Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, Centre Region Estate Planning Council, and others. During my time at NYU, I earned concentrations in studies of both corporate finance and leadership. I believe that the most important attribute of great leaders is clarity of purpose; It is from a clear purpose that inspiration of others arises.
One of my favorite thinkers on this topic was Professor Clay Christensen. We lost Professor Christensen last year; He shared gifts of enduring lessons and ideas. One that I think about regularly:
This past year I was diagnosed with cancer and faced the possibility that my life would end sooner than I’d planned. Thankfully, it now looks as if I’ll be spared. But the experience has given me important insight into my life.
I have a pretty clear idea of how my ideas have generated enormous revenue for companies that have used my research; I know I’ve had a substantial impact. But as I’ve confronted this disease, it’s been interesting to see how unimportant that impact is to me now. I’ve concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life isn’t dollars but the individual people whose lives I’ve touched.
I think that’s the way it will work for us all. Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people. This is my final recommendation: Think about the metric by which your life will be judged, and make a resolution to live every day so that in the end, your life will be judged a success.
“How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clay Christensen in Harvard Business Review, July-August 2010
With continued ubiquitous coverage of economic recession, social protest, and covid-19 infection rates in media, I have found powerful energy and inspiration over the past week from the following areas. I am pleased to share them with you; Consider taking a look.
Josh Boger | A business profile on Vertex
I am just finishing this profile on Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX). I came across this book at the recommendation of Dan Gode. The story provides a case study on how startups might approach efforts to disrupt incumbent players through innovative methods, as well as vital roles in fund raising, culture building, talent acquisition, strategic partnerships, and, most importantly, competent leadership.
This book is a gem. The profile of Josh Boger and the story of his training, departure from Merck, vision for Vertex, and ability to, in parallel, create a team, fund raise, build partnerships, address threats, and advance science with a multitude of personalities, is incredibly fun, educational, and interesting. Boger viewed purpose in building a different and better type of pharmaceutical company and, in his words, to do well by doing good. Inspiring.
George Washington | An adaptation on his departure from politics from Hamilton
My greatest pleasure of recent weeks has been listening to my children continue to work to, on their own volition, memorize Lin Manuel-Miranda’s (LMM) Hamilton in its entirety. Camilla (10) and Holger (6) walk around challenging one another on the precise lyrics addressing topics of virtues and risks in forming the US Treasury, neutrality in war between France and England, and the roles of ambition and principles in politics and governance.
I read a few books about George Washington. I found his background, leadership style, and idiosyncrasies compelling. For me, no book elicited quite the sense of culmination of Washington’s decision to not seek reelection in 1797 as One Last Time. Take a listen. Also, take a look at his actual letter farewell letter to the American people here.
Washington believed his purpose was to build an enduring nation; He stepped away as one means to that end. Yea, inspiring. At least to me…
Aside: In One Last Time, there is a quote that Camilla asked me about last week: “…under their own vine and fig tree.” I was not certain about the nature of this quote, but at Friday services at Brit Shalom, Rabbi Ostrich read it. It originates in the Tanakh under Micah 4:4. It turns out there is a nice analysis of Washington’s use of this line here at Mount Vernon’s online library. The subtleties incorporated by LMM into his beautiful work cause it, and him, to be comparably inspiring.
Chadwick Boseman | A commencement address at his alma mater, Howard University
Chadwick Boseman died on August 28, 2020. According to CNN, Boseman battled colon cancer since 2016. Boseman was an accomplished actor, director, and writer. He was 43 years old.
I was familiar with Boseman’s work; I watched his performance as T’Challa in Black Panther, and watching his performance as Jackie Robinson in 42 has been on my mind. I did not know much about him otherwise.
Yesterday, I came across the following address he made to his alma mater, Howard University, during the 2018 commencement. The full transcript is available here.
I encourage you to watch his video or read his transcript. Grabbing a snippet, without the full context, fails to adequately capture his meaning.
Graduating class, hear me well on this day. This day, when you have reached the hill top and you are deciding on next jobs, next steps, careers, further education, you would rather find purpose than a job or career. Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Whatever you choose for a career path, remember, the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose. When I dared to challenge the system that would relegate us to victims and stereotypes with no clear historical backgrounds, no hopes or talents, when I questioned that method of portrayal, a different path opened up for me, the path to my destiny.
Chadwick Boseman at Howard’s 2018 commencement
Chadwick Boseman’s views of his purpose clearly arose from his Christian faith; I am confident his ethics and vision connect for people of different views and beliefs, as well. I imagine I am like many Americans this weekend. I have just discovered this great artist and leader as a result of his passing. Too late. I imagine this speech, like his work, will have enduring impact. I wish I met Hr. Boseman…
We all have agency; The tasks into which we invest time and energy; The people with whom we surround ourselves; The ideas and values into which we invest. In today’s world, a lack of discipline can lead to, as my colleague Bob effectively described on one call, “too many time-sucking vampires” which contribute nothing valuable and draw from our time and energy. I hope one or more of these topics, individuals, or ideas enrich some of you similarly to how I felt enriched by engaging with them.