Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
“Leadership Lessons of White House Fellows takes a close look at the young Americans who have participated in this program and at their interesting and absorbing stories and insights.” —The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, former United States Secretary of Labor, President and CEO of United Way of America, Director of the Peace Corps “The lessons I learned as a White House Fellow have informed my leadership principles and influenced me deeply throughout my career. In this powerful and insightful book, Garcia shows readers how to use these same lessons within their lives.” —Marshall Carter, Former Chairman and CEO, State Street Bank and Trust; Senior Fellow, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government “This is a reflective and compelling account of how a remarkable program shaped the lives of many of America’s best leaders – and continues to shape the leaders that we’ll need in our future.” —Clayton M. Christensen, Robert & Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; bestselling author of Innovator’s Prescription, Disrupting Class, and The Innovator’s Dilemma “This book is full of illuminating leadership lessons that teach and inspire.” —Roger B. Porter, IBM Professor of Business and Government, Harvard University “Garcia has done a tremendous service by writing this book. There is abso- lutely no better training ground for the next generation of leaders than the White House Fellows Program.” —Myron E. Ullman, III, Chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney and Chairman of the National Retail Federation “Charlie Garcia’s book recounts the stories of Americans who have given their lives to public service, and explains in their own words the “how” that made them effective servant leaders. Read, learn, enjoy and be inspired.” —Major General Bernard Loeffke (U.S. Army, ret.), former Commanding General Army South. “The White House Fellowship catapults the lives and careers of every person lucky enough to go through it. This book gives you a glimpse of how and why—and shares key leadership lessons for the future.” —Kinney Zalesne, coauthor, Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes “A must read for anyone interested in leadership development.” —Garrey Carruthers, Ph.D., Governor of New Mexico 1987–1990, Vice President and Dean, New Mexico State University “A great read, with fascinating White House Fellow stories about the power of leadership.” —Susan Stautberg, President of Partnercom, Cofounder Women Corporate Directors and The Belizean Grove “With this clear, focused and honest book, Charles Garcia shares the secrets of successful leaders, rooted in service to country and community. Now, all Americans can be inspired to serve and to lead.” —Jami Floyd, Anchor, Court TV “Inspiring, thoughtful, and engaging—a real winner! This ambitious work is an invaluable resource for all who want to understand what the call to leader- ship entails.” —Diane C. Yu, Chief of Staff and Deputy to the President, New York University; Immediate Past President, White House Fellows Foundation and Association “This is a great read about leaders, leadership, and making a difference.” —Vice Admiral Ann E. Rondeau, the highest-ranking woman in the United States Navy “My experience as a White House Fellow was unique and unforgettable in that it involved me in the affairs of yesterday, today, and tomorrow with the oppor- tunity to learn and contribute to each.” —Dr. George H. Heilmeier, Kyoto Prize Laureate (2005); Chairman Emeritus, Telecordia Technologies Inc., formerly Bellcore, serving as CEO from 1991 to 1996. “Garcia’s work underscores the White House Fellows program’s success in creating a dedicated cadre of national leadership for today and the future.” —Dana G. Mead, Former Chair & CEO, Tenneco; Former Chair, Business Roundtable; Chair of the MIT Corporation; and 25-year member of the WHF Presidential Commission LEADERSHIP LESSONS OF THE WHITE HOUSE FELLOWS ★★★★★★★★★ LEARN HOW TO INSPIRE OTHERS, ACHIEVE GREATNESS, AND FIND SUCCESS IN ANY ORGANIZATION ★★★★★★★★★ CHARLES P. GARCIA New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto Copyright © 2009 by Charles P. Garcia. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-07-164179-1 MHID: 0-07-164179-3 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 9780-0-71-59848-4, MHID: 0-07-159848-0. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such des- ignations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please visit the Contact Us page at www.mhprofessional.com. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. —From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior co sent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms. THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUAR- ANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMA- TION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHER- WISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUD- ING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninter- rupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. For Cristina This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS PREFACE vii Part I The Program . 1 Chapter 1 Opening the Door to the White House . 3 Chapter 2 A Foundation for Fellowship . 12 Chapter 3 Connections: A Lifetime of Fellowship. 30 Part II The Lessons . 41 Chapter 4 Leaders Know There’s More to Life than Work . 43 Chapter 5 Leaders Focus on the Mission. 54 Chapter 6 Leaders Have a Laserlike Focus on Their People. 60 Chapter 7 Leaders Root Out Prejudice in Themselves and Others . 69 Chapter 8 Leaders Act with Integrity . 75 Chapter 9 Leaders Create a Sense of Urgency. 91 Chapter 10 Leaders Have Passion . 97 Chapter 11 Leaders Are Persistent. 104 Chapter 12 Leaders Are Great Communicators. 109 Chapter 13 Leaders Ask the Tough Questions That Need to Be Asked . 118 Chapter 14 Leaders Take Risks. 129 Chapter 15 Leaders Understand That Not Every Battle Is the End of the War . 137 v CONTENTS Chapter 16 Leaders Energize Their People . 144 Chapter 17 Leaders Are Great Listeners . 155 Chapter 18 Leaders Are Persuasive . 166 Chapter 19 Leaders Know When to Compromise and When to Stand Firm. 177 Chapter 20 Leaders Are Problem Solvers . 188 Chapter 21 Leaders Lead by Walking Around . 197 Chapter 22 Leaders Are Transformational Change Agents. 203 Chapter 23 Leaders Lead through Experience and Competence, Not through Title or Position. 215 Part III Becoming a White House Fellow. 225 Chapter 24 Becoming a Fellow . 227 Chapter 25 Fellows at Work . 242 Chapter 26 The Education Program . 260 APPENDIX 271 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 275 INDEX 281 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 289 vi PREFACE Imagine an awestruck young African American man entering the Oval Office for the first time to meet the president of the United States. The year was 1965, and that young man was Ron Lee, one of 15 Americans selected for a groundbreaking yearlong leadership development program called the White House Fellowships. After shaking Lee’s hand and inviting him to take a seat, President Lyn- don Johnson asked him with whom he would like to work during his Fel- lowship year in Washington.