RSS
Archive: Making mistakes
Loyalty, Schmoyalty
Van Jones had to go. For the president to keep him would have been somewhere between gratuitous masochism and pandering to constituents who are already on the team.
By Marty Linsky | September 10, 2009; 01:30 PM ET | Comments (5)
Nation First
The president will suffer a hit over this episode, but the greater concern is that the national agenda is sidetracked
By Yash Gupta | September 9, 2009; 04:09 PM ET | Comments (0)
Obama's Failure
Loyalty creates loyalty and sacrificing Jones was a mistake that may prove costly.
By Michael Maccoby | September 9, 2009; 02:05 PM ET | Comments (4)
Taking One for the Team
In politics, there is only one person who is not expendable: in this case, the president. If a member of staff becomes a distraction, it is a time-honored tradition in politics for that person to take one for the team.
By Alan M. Webber | September 9, 2009; 05:20 AM ET | Comments (8)
Victory for Demagogues
If the president wasn't battling attacks against positive educational messages and a fact-based health-care debate, he should have fought for Van.
By Paul Schmitz | September 8, 2009; 04:58 PM ET | Comments (35)
Not Worth Fighting For
I imagine President Obama was not very sorry to see Van Jones leave.
By Mickey Edwards | September 8, 2009; 03:23 PM ET | Comments (5)
Waiting for Choppy Water
Values guide organizations -- and administrations -- so you can't wait for choppy waters to get serious about living those values.
By Beth A. Brooke | September 8, 2009; 12:36 PM ET | Comments (2)
Loss of Confidence
While Mr. Jones likely violated no rule or law, he lost the trust and confidence of the administration that he could serve without bias.
By Col. Michael E. Haith (Ret.) | September 8, 2009; 12:13 PM ET | Comments (3)
Opt for Effectiveness
It's not enough to be bright, or even right; you also have to be effective.
By John H. Cochran, MD | September 8, 2009; 11:44 AM ET | Comments (2)
A Slip of the Tongue
The fact that the president listened, heard, and acted to mitigate the damage of his unfortunate comment is a test of good leadership.
By Kathy Kretman | August 6, 2009; 11:41 AM ET | Comments (1)
Anti-Leadership
With the beer summit, Obama turned down the heat and calmed the situation, just what we want people in authority to do for us: Make things nice.
By Marty Linsky | August 5, 2009; 02:23 PM ET | Comments (15)
Loose Lips Sink Political Ships
For senior leaders, there is no such thing as a casual conversation, especially when you are in front of the camera.
By George Reed | August 5, 2009; 02:19 PM ET | Comments (0)
Phony Staging
A quieter meeting inside the White House without all the hoopla might have had a more profound impact on the American public.
By Pablo Eisenberg | August 5, 2009; 02:16 PM ET | Comments (1)
Health Care Summit
If President Obama can bring leaders together on both sides of the health care debate, I think all Americans would be happy to buy the first round.
By Robert Goodwin | August 5, 2009; 12:32 PM ET | Comments (1)
When the Shade Snaps Up
Politics is so scripted today that most Americans are especially attuned to those brief and usually unwanted glimpses of what a politician is really thinking.
By Bill Shore | August 4, 2009; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Sign for Obama's Mirror
I have a habit of putting a key reminder on my mirror to read each morning when I'm shaving. President Obama needs to have one that says 53/47, to remind him that nearly half of voters last year still went for his opponent.
By John R. Ryan | August 4, 2009; 11:46 AM ET | Comments (0)
How Very Human
Obama's recovery was good, but in some ways perhaps too measured, in contrast to his initially spontaneous reaction.
By Rick Rochelle | August 4, 2009; 11:42 AM ET | Comments (0)
Opportunity Still Ahead
President Obama has set the stage. We must determine that we will no longer accept that only 10 percent of African American and Hispanic students who enter 9th grade graduate from college and the many other racial disparities in our society today.
By Yash Gupta | August 4, 2009; 11:37 AM ET | Comments (0)
The Power of the Personal Story
Can the administration find a story as engagingly positive on health-care reform as the Gates-Crowley story was engagingly negative?
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | August 4, 2009; 10:59 AM ET | Comments (18)
Stupidity Begets Stupidity
The president instead blended confidence and humility by owning his mistake and seeking to fix it, despite the frustration he must feel knowing that from the arrest forward, it was all pretty stupid.
By Paul Schmitz | August 4, 2009; 10:47 AM ET | Comments (0)
Washington-Style Leadership
I often wonder how much "leadership" transpires in the White House. I picture every decision staffed and vetted with a multitude of advisers.
By Lt. Col. Todd Henshaw (Ret.) | August 4, 2009; 10:37 AM ET | Comments (2)
Self-Created Problems
Better to be silent and thought insensitive than to speak out and prove it.
By Slade Gorton | August 4, 2009; 10:28 AM ET | Comments (1)
Less Beer, More Honesty
Candidate Obama criticized then-President Bush for not admitting mistakes. I think President Obama missed an opportunity here to distinguish himself from "politics as usual."
By Bob Schoultz | August 4, 2009; 10:14 AM ET | Comments (3)
The Distorted Loudspeaker
Our president may have learned that he has to weigh his words carefully, most especially when uninformed or not carefully briefed on all the facts.
By Warren Bennis | August 4, 2009; 10:05 AM ET | Comments (1)
The Essential Assist
Pres. Obama did not want to revisit the Gates-Crowley affair after his "stupidly" remark at the press conference. It was Michelle Obama and, I would guess, Valerie Jarrett who said to him, in effect, "You made this worse, now make it better."
By Howard Gardner | August 3, 2009; 12:53 PM ET | Comments (11)
Don't Wait for It to 'Blow Over'
If you are trying to accomplish important goals, don't throw out a divisive, emotionally charged observation. If you do, however, act quickly and don't wait for it to "blow over."
By Michael Maccoby | August 3, 2009; 12:05 PM ET | Comments (1)
Worth a Thousand Words
Leadership is the ability to respond quickly to situations, including "correcting" mistakes or mis-speaks.
By Andy Stern | August 3, 2009; 12:01 PM ET | Comments (2)
A Bias for Action
The first report is always wrong. But once known, facts should be deliberately confronted.
By Gen. John Batiste (Ret.) | August 3, 2009; 11:57 AM ET | Comments (0)
'Four Seasons' Service
The Four Seasons Hotels are known for excellence, but not because they don't make mistakes. Rather, they have a deeply ingrained culture of recognizing their mistakes and making up for the mistake in ways that make the customer happy.
By Roger Martin | August 3, 2009; 11:44 AM ET | Comments (1)
A Stroke of Leadership Genius
Obama saw the potential to demonstrate qualities that people value just as much as toughness and steadfastness in a leader: Willingness to admit error is one.
By Steven Pearlstein | August 3, 2009; 11:32 AM ET | Comments (19)
When Leaders Act Like Human Beings
When a leader admits to mistakes and reaches out to others for reconciliation, he or she makes it easier for others to just be human.
By Marshall Goldsmith | August 3, 2009; 10:11 AM ET | Comments (0)
