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John Graham talks to a Summit delegate about leadership.
Photo by T.E. Lesle

by Timothy Lesle
Working Smart Session
John Graham, It's All About Leadership

John Graham found his calling more than 20 years ago after a State Department career marked by war zones, arms dealing, and international diplomacy. He began to talk to people about leadership and effecting positive social change. And he joined the Giraffe Heroes Project, an organization that works to inspire people to “stick their necks out” by telling the stories of local heroes and helping them to succeed.

“Leadership,” says Graham, “can’t be taken for granted.” It is needed at all levels—not just for the big issues, but also at the town and neighborhood level. “Everybody can lead at the level they have to lead.”

Graham outlined four basic aspects of leadership, fundamentals he believes are necessary. Chief among them is vision: “If you have a vision, the small stuff gets handled.” A concrete, positive vision comes from the heart, not the head, and will act as a source of inspiration, uniting those who share it. It provides a benchmark from which to work backwards in creating goals and objectives, a timeline, and a plan of action. Too often, people begin by dwelling on the obstacles, why they can’t do something; instead, they should keep their vision in mind, remember why they must reach it, and figure out how to get there.

Second is trust in many forms, including trust in a leader’s competence and a good faith attempt to build trust with your opponents. Graham says the “sharp stick in the eye strategies” that adversaries often use do not work. To build trust, he says you need to display competence, demonstrate accountability, care about and listen to people, and be willing to do small favors and honestly reach out. Although he repeatedly claimed he would not take time to criticize President Bush, he couldn’t help noting that Bush is a good example of someone who has failed to earn the trust of millions.

A third necessity for good leadership is motivation. “Anger and frustration will cause mistakes,” Graham counsels. When he asks Giraffe Heroes what inspired them to begin a project, they say that it was because no one else was doing it. But they continue to work at it because they realized their work is meaningful.

The fourth aspect is credibility. How do you come across as a leader? As you work, you should develop your own, natural leadership style. And you must have confidence, what Graham refers to as the “quiet personal acceptance of yourself as a capable leader.”

Graham told the audience to keep in mind the “pucker factor,” which he explained, to much laughter, is an army term for the “tightening of a certain part of the body” as the stakes grow. The idea boils down to this: leadership should be more authoritarian as a situation grows more serious or the workers are less competent. He pointed to the federal mismanagement of the Hurricane Katrina relief operations as an example of a situation that called for strong leadership at the top. But if the stakes are lower, the leadership style should be more relaxed. A beach walk, for example, shouldn’t need much leadership at all. But if someone breaks an ankle, the leader should step up, directing one person to go for help, others to assist carrying the injured.

Throughout his talk, Graham emphasized the importance of vision. “You have to give yourself the freedom to dream,” he said. He ended by asking a question posed by the poet Mary Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

-- 09/12/2005 Sun
12noon