Back in 2006, I spent a week facilitating an orientation session for newly-promoted SES employees from the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC. Our session was held in the Millard Fillmore Room of the W hotel, not far from the White House.
I tried to remember what I learned in history class about President Fillmore, but drew a blank. I went home that night and did a little research. Turns out he was the 13th president, the last member of the Whig Party to serve, and came into office when he was serving as vice president after the death of President Taylor. He attempted re-election in 1852 but only gained the endorsement of the Know Nothing Party, finishing third in the election. Aside from his support of the Fugitive Slave Act and opening up trade with Japan, he was unremarkable.
Now it’s not his fault. Everything we read about Fillmore says he was a decent guy, save for his support of rounding up fugitive slaves, but maybe his biggest problem is that he served in un-ambiguous times.
Neville Chamberlain was British Prime Minister in the years leading up to WWII. A skilled politician by all accounts, he’s best known for capitulating to Adolf Hitler, agreeing to appeasement and allowing Germany to take a section of Czechoslovakia in 1938. I guess he thought Hitler was a stand-up guy. When pressed to be a world leader rather than a domestic politician, he was quickly overwhelmed and, serving in a time of high ambiguity, he is notorious for giving Hitler the confidence to keep gobbling up Europe. After the Liberal and Labour Parties refused to serve under his leadership, he lost the Prime Minister job to Winston Churchill.
Churchill on the other hand was unremarkable up to this point, both militarily and as a politician. In the 1930s however, he became concerned with Hitler’s rise in power and took the lead in trying to rearm Great Britain to counter it. In 1940, when he became Prime Minister, was ready for the job. With newly-rediscovered skill AND several years of ambiguity at hand, Churchill became a legendary WWII leader.
So what does this boring history lesson mean for you?
Well, as of this writing, we are ALL in one of the most ambiguous times in modern history. We’re faced with a virus we can’t see and still don’t fully understand. Most of us have had our work lives and businesses upended. We watch daily infection and death toll stats and walk around with masks on, avoiding close contact with other humans. The economy is in worse shape than any of us have ever experienced, and frankly, we have no idea how long all of this will last.
What would Millard Fillmore do? What would Neville Chamberlain do? What would Winston Churchill do? More importantly, what will YOU do?
It seems to me that events will always define leadership. Not a whole lot we can control there. We can however work hard to build our skills. I shudder to think what an unskilled leader might do in times of crisis. The 4-quadrant model above depicts how each condition shows up, is seen, and how they will be remembered. May I suggest you be remembered for being LEGENDARY? All other options are forgotten or remembered for the wrong reason. If you always wanted to be a leader, your time is now!
