Lyndon B. Johnson
When you think of, "I have a dream" who comes to mind? It's probably Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but, there was another who had a plan and vision to bring Dr. King's dream to life. The same man said, "I guess we've got no choice, but it scares the death out of me…" (Coleman & Selverstone, 2014). These were President Lyndon Johnson's (LBJ) words to describe the ethical dilemma of the decision to send more troops to Vietnam. Johnson was a key figure in the civil rights movement, but his decision to escalate the Vietnam conflict left a mark on his legacy. Even though in one case, things didn't turn out how he hoped, LBJ was both a visionary and ethical leader.
Let's explore how LBJ's visionary leadership applied both Cognitive …show more content…
Because of the ever increasing amount of insurgent Vietcong incursions into south Vietnam from the communist north, he had to decide whether we should we pull out the U.S. military advisors that had been operating in Vietnam since the Eisenhower presidency. As Kent Germany wrote in his article, Lyndon Johnson, Foreign Affairs, this would test the "Containment Theory," which predicted that if Vietnam fell to Communists, other Southeast Asian nations would do the same. On the other hand, should he send in more troops to try and stabilize the deteriorating situation, risking a lengthy conflict that could cost many American lives? Neither outcome was known, and both decisions could cause catastrophic Potential Harm (Germany, 2017). The lesson on ethical leadership tells us that, for many leaders, Potential Harm can drive an ethical dilemma. Potential Harm is described simply as the intentional or unintentional consequence or outcomes, either good or bad, caused by your actions (BCEE, 2017b). Compounding this dilemma was the fact that LBJ was a relatively new president. David Coleman and Mark Selverstone of the University of Virginia's Miller Center described Johnson's uncertainty about his foreign policy credentials which contributed to his reliance on the late president Kennedy's national security council which asked to stay on after the assassination. "I need you more than he did," LBJ …show more content…
When the new EPR system was rolled out, I knew that the new forced distribution system would be unpopular. I applied some cognitive flexibility by understanding that the resistance was based on fear of falling back in to the pack and not being able to distinguish themselves from their peers, especially those who worked closer to the commander and superintendent, I developed a plan which provided all of my followers a clear road map to ensure they could outshine their competition. I laid out clear goals that Airmen and NCOs needed to accomplish in areas of education, base/private org involvement and technical expertise and leadership at their particular grade. I convinced them that if they follow my plan and executed my vision that they would have the same or better chance at promotion, because they would receive extra points for earning one of the two highest ratings. I utilized a contingent reward style and it paid off. Almost all of them executed their version of the plan and distinguished themselves from their peers. That next cycle, two of the four Airmen, and three of the four NCOs earned their next stipe. Had I not used these visionary behaviors, my airmen may have been stuck in their resistance to the new system and left to complain about a missed promotion
When you think of, "I have a dream" who comes to mind? It's probably Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but, there was another who had a plan and vision to bring Dr. King's dream to life. The same man said, "I guess we've got no choice, but it scares the death out of me…" (Coleman & Selverstone, 2014). These were President Lyndon Johnson's (LBJ) words to describe the ethical dilemma of the decision to send more troops to Vietnam. Johnson was a key figure in the civil rights movement, but his decision to escalate the Vietnam conflict left a mark on his legacy. Even though in one case, things didn't turn out how he hoped, LBJ was both a visionary and ethical leader.
Let's explore how LBJ's visionary leadership applied both Cognitive …show more content…
Because of the ever increasing amount of insurgent Vietcong incursions into south Vietnam from the communist north, he had to decide whether we should we pull out the U.S. military advisors that had been operating in Vietnam since the Eisenhower presidency. As Kent Germany wrote in his article, Lyndon Johnson, Foreign Affairs, this would test the "Containment Theory," which predicted that if Vietnam fell to Communists, other Southeast Asian nations would do the same. On the other hand, should he send in more troops to try and stabilize the deteriorating situation, risking a lengthy conflict that could cost many American lives? Neither outcome was known, and both decisions could cause catastrophic Potential Harm (Germany, 2017). The lesson on ethical leadership tells us that, for many leaders, Potential Harm can drive an ethical dilemma. Potential Harm is described simply as the intentional or unintentional consequence or outcomes, either good or bad, caused by your actions (BCEE, 2017b). Compounding this dilemma was the fact that LBJ was a relatively new president. David Coleman and Mark Selverstone of the University of Virginia's Miller Center described Johnson's uncertainty about his foreign policy credentials which contributed to his reliance on the late president Kennedy's national security council which asked to stay on after the assassination. "I need you more than he did," LBJ …show more content…
When the new EPR system was rolled out, I knew that the new forced distribution system would be unpopular. I applied some cognitive flexibility by understanding that the resistance was based on fear of falling back in to the pack and not being able to distinguish themselves from their peers, especially those who worked closer to the commander and superintendent, I developed a plan which provided all of my followers a clear road map to ensure they could outshine their competition. I laid out clear goals that Airmen and NCOs needed to accomplish in areas of education, base/private org involvement and technical expertise and leadership at their particular grade. I convinced them that if they follow my plan and executed my vision that they would have the same or better chance at promotion, because they would receive extra points for earning one of the two highest ratings. I utilized a contingent reward style and it paid off. Almost all of them executed their version of the plan and distinguished themselves from their peers. That next cycle, two of the four Airmen, and three of the four NCOs earned their next stipe. Had I not used these visionary behaviors, my airmen may have been stuck in their resistance to the new system and left to complain about a missed promotion