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The Leaders We Need, And What Makes Us Follow By Michael Maccoby
T
o protect our environment, gain energy independence, protect us from aggressors, ensure health care for all, improve education, and strengthen the economy, we need leaders working for the common good. But it’s not enough for would-be leaders to propose promising policies.They won’t be leaders unless they can mobilize followers. And the people they need to mobilize, especially the most competent knowledgeable workers, reject autocratic bosses.They don’t want to be told what to do; they want to be engaged as collaborators in achieving a purpose. They want to be persuaded not ordered. But people often reject the leaders they need and follow those they should reject. We can’t afford that now. In an age of manufactured identities, we must strengthen our ability to see through the mask, to understand those who aspire to lead us.
Author Michael Maccoby
Here’s some of the questions we should ask ourselves as we listen to candidates for president: • • • • •
Do they respond to the challenges and stress of the campaign without losing their sense of humor? Do they understand both the threats and opportunities we face, and do they have a vision of America that will mobilize people? Do they spark hope and not fear? Do they emphasize issues that will bring us together? Do they bring us into their own internal dialogue in a way that inspires confidence? Or do they just recite scripted policies? Do they show courage to stand up for the common good against narrow interests?
wl exclusive
“The Leaders We Need” Book Party Cosmos Club Photos by Tony Powell
The Event: A gathering to celebrate Michael Maccoby’s book “The Leaders We Need,” in which Maccoby, an expert in the field, revises the psychology of leading from the perspective of followers. The Scene: Hosted by Jane and Sidney Harman, Izette Folger, Max Maccoby, Nora Maccoby Hathaway, Rachel Pearson, and Beth and Ron Dozoretz along with the Harvard Business School Press, the event brought together an eclectic mix of public and private sector minds.
Dr. Ronald Dozoretz and Bitsy Folger
Carole Feld, Marianna Gray, and Janice Kim
Hadley Truettner, Dan Robison, and Izette Folger
Mel Estrin, Rachel Pearson, and Suellen Estrin
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| no v e m b e r
2006
| washingtonlife.com
Juleanna Glover and Dal LaMagna
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