The Emotional Blueprint

Intuition and Leadership

I listened to pieces of Governor Pritzker’s New Hampshire speech last night. It’s all over the news, and my reaction to it was not unlike many other Democrats who listened: YES, FINALLY...!

Why, I wondered?

He is neither the first, nor the loudest, the most eloquent nor inspiring.

His words were simple and direct, articulate but not overblown.

His presentation was down to earth, not patrician or complicated.

His examples were not new, his criticisms not the deepest or most elaborate.

But I heard something I’ve been waiting to hear without knowing it.

I heard echoes of my personal blueprint for leadership.

We all have one, thought we can rarely articulate it. It might be as simple as “the guy I would like to have a beer with”, the one whose background is similar to mine; the one who portrays some core value that is close to my heart.

But it’s often unconscious and unknown, existing only as a feeling of being “drawn to” one person and not another, some internal compilation of mirror and shadow, experience and wishful thinking.

Three things resonated for me in his presentation.

A. Intellectual precision

B. Emotional Control

C. Self-assurance

The first affirms my deep internal bias toward intelligence. Show me you can think, reason, and understand complex issues better than most and you have my attention as a potential leader. Demonstrate that you may be smarter than I am if you want to lead me.

Second, I am drawn to emotions that do not need to scream, insult or swear to make their point. Emotions harnessed to intelligence, precise language and a verbal scalpel that cuts without losing control. I have had enough of outrage, an emotion filled with rage, disbelief, and often despair. Contempt sits on a higher plane, reserving its power, looking down with disgust at what it rejects. Contempt is exactly the right word for this moment.

Third, true self-confidence takes the mantle without apology. It doesn’t need to sell itself with promises, but will prove its worth with facts, accomplishments and skills. If you want me to follow, show me the proof that you can lead.

Looking back, these elements were present to some degree in all the candidates I’ve supported in my lifetime. But they are not the only ones that matter. My emotional blueprint for leadership may be very different from yours.

I do not know much about Governor Pritzker. His speech in New Hampshire was the first time I’ve heard his political voice in the mix. He may disappoint me in the months to come. But my intuitive reaction is important, none-the-less, because elections are rarely logical choices.

The truth about elections is that they are driven by feelings, by intuition, by fears and fantasies as much as anything else. Today’s Canadian results prove that point beyond question. New leaders rise into the moment, old leaders shine against a sudden shift of the challenges against which they stand. Voters feel the moment, and then they choose.

This truth argues for shorter campaigns, as most other countries prefer. It argues for less emphasis on seniority and paying your dues, for standing in line until the mantle is passed. The best choices are not always preserved by these traditions.

It is also the beginning of an answer to a question historians will be struggling with for decades to come. How did America get here?

What did voters feel and hear that pulled them toward chaos and hate?

I cannot begin to answer that one, but I suggest we look inward as we try to decide where our future lies, and who can lead us forward. That’s where each of us must find our own answers, and what will guide voters to come.

For the simple truth is this. We need to find Democracy’s blueprint.

Who and what will get voters to believe in America again?