John Adams’ Thoughts on Leadership

Nowadays it is commonplace to hear fellow plebeians’ melancholy cries for better, more astute leadership. This holds true when we are talking about of our families, our friends, or jobs and our government. All too often we are woefully choosing between the lesser of to evils (especially when it comes to presidential elections). At which point we all slump our shoulders and pine away with the phrase of the year – “it is what it is”. In a letter to an old friend, Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia, Adams offers a poignant yet candid response addressing the very issue of leadership and the root cause of its mediocrity.

If worthless men are sometimes at the head of affairs, it is, I believe, because worthless men are at the tail and the middle.

Perhaps President Adams is correct in his frankness. Is it possible that we, the society of instant gratification has grown fat in expectation and entitlement? Perhaps instead of just expecting all the time we should ourselves look in the mirror and mobilize to do something about it.