RALEIGH – Leadership.
Everyone agrees that it is a critical element of the success of any organization – be it a club, a business, a church, or a government. In this presidential-campaign season, the first since 1952 in which neither of the major-party nominees will have been a president or vice president (no, Hillary Clinton doesn’t count), the leadership question is a particularly interesting one. Is leadership a matter of experience, toughness, and perseverance, as John McCain and Clinton both argue, albeit in different ways? Or is it about imagination, innovation, and inspiration, about articulating a new vision of the future and persuading others to share it, as Barack Obama argues?
The answer is, naturally, yes. Leadership comes in many forms, draws on a variety of personal talents and characteristics, and exhibits itself in the old and the young, within hierarchies and outside them, among the charismatic who inhabit center stage and among those who direct from the wings.
North Carolina faces some daunting challenges and tough choices. North Carolinians need a new generation of leaders – individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and understanding to meet these challenges and make the tough choices, or at least present them to the voters clearly and courageously. At the John Locke Foundation, we decided years ago that in order to share our vision and advance our mission, it is was important to go beyond the familiar policy research and communications programs common to think tanks across the United States. We needed to engage current and emerging leaders in direct conversation, consultation, and collaboration.
That’s why JLF devotes about one-third of its budget to its Event & Outreach Division. Fielding an experienced team of events planners, educators, and facilitators, Outreach operates a number of distinct programs and services designed to go beyond the printed or broadcast word. JLF hosts an event somewhere in North Carolina at least once a week, and often more frequently. These events range from small-group discussions and book clubs to training sessions, former lectures, campus symposia, and debates.
The Outreach team also uses specialized web sites, e-mail newsletters, and social-networking technology to help form online and in-person communities of activists, scholars, and leaders who share common ideas and interests. The North Carolina Education Alliance brings together innovative educators, school reformers, and policymakers. The Center for Local Innovation engages elected and appointed officials in counties and municipalities. The North Carolina History Project provides special events, articles, and a popular online encyclopedia. The Locke Faculty Affiliate Network links dozens of North Carolina professors together to share their research, plan collaborative projects, and host events.
The Outreach program with the most direct bearing on leadership is the E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders. Each year, we select 12-14 promising individuals from business, nonprofits, and the public sector. Through weekend retreats, other events, and special projects, the Morris Fellows acquire knowledge, hone their skills, and gain an understanding of group dynamics and how to organize teams that play to their strengths and manage around their weaknesses.
Our Outreach programs help to make the John Locke Foundation stand out from most other state-based think tanks in the United States. We’ll be celebrating our success at the JLF 18th Anniversary Banquet on Saturday in Cary. Care to join us?
Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation.