On Leadership

Leadership is relatively easy to define, but describing the characteristics and the execution of leadership is far more difficult.  We have all seen leadership in practice, just as we have seen failed leadership.  We have also seen effective leadership at one level that fails at another.  Ulysses S. Grant was an extraordiarily effective Civil War general who was ineffective as President of the United States.

Some people lead by fear and intimidation---others by actually leading and developing the respect to be followed by others.  General Dwight Eisenhower would liken leadership to a string---push it across a table and it simply bunches up and becomes tangled, but hold it by one end as it is pulled across the table and the rest of the string follows.

Effective leadership instills confidence when positive results are accomplished, but sometimes that confidence builds on peoples fears or frustrations with the prior leadership.  Most political campaigns are built on this premise of “selling” the ability to make a change and therefore a difference in people’s lives.

Probably the most important quality of effective leadership is the visionary attribute to read and prepare for the future.  One of the most dramatic examples in recent history is that of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the years prior to World War II when the majority of the American people believed the United States should remain isolated from the wars in Europe and Asia and that the oceans protected us.  Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were among the relatively few leaders who recognized that we could not long survive in a world otherwise dominated by fascism.

Members of the American Academy of Dermatology have had the foresight to select leaders with remarkable ability to convince others of the importance of their tasks.  These individuals are effective because of their intelligence and their knowledge coupled with their willingness to work harder than anyone else. 

But leaders have other essential qualities.  They must never ask anyone to perform a task that they would not do themselves.  Only in this way will they garner the respect necessary to lead.  And they must have the courage to do what they believe is right even when it flies in the face of popular opinion.  And this often means putting the organization they represent ahead of their personal welfare.  In Britain, in the months leading up to World War II, the Chamberlain government put their political party and their own political welfare ahead of the best decisions for preservation of the United Kingdom and western society.  It took a new government, led by Winston Churchill, to turn this around.  But his personal sacrifice was enormous.

Effective, strong and respected leadership in the AAD has taken dermatology to heights unimagined 40 years ago and there is every indication that this trend will continue unabated.  But leaders need input and contributions by all the members of the AAD, not just those few who enjoy and thrive on the leadership role.  So, get involved and participate.