Warm up

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What industry do you work in and what is your role?
What are your responses in your role / position?
Can you describe to the function of your workplace / company?
How many departments, how many offices. National or International?
What are the minimum requirements for employment ie Education or Experience?
How many opportunities are there to ‘move up the ladder’?
What is the process for changing job roles ie Interview? Test?

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General discussion about your workweek:

Current projects? Deadlines? Opportunities?
Anything of interest happening?

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Script

1. It’s not politics; it’s leadership

As Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. began delivering his first speech as president of the United States and as he looked out over the national mall, American history lay in front of him. In his peripheral vision were Jefferson, FDR, King, Vietnam, and Korea. Straight ahead were Washington, World War II, and, ultimately, Lincoln – 1.8 miles from the Capitol’s steps but as close as two pages in a history book.

2. In 1963, with Daniel Chester French’s colossal statue of Lincoln behind him, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had looked out over the same 1.8 miles to the Capitol steps. Lincoln’s second inaugural and Gettysburg addresses are carved into the walls of that eternal temple and King’s “I Have a Dream” echoes from that spot. Did we expect the same kind of soaring oratory and masterful wordsmithing from President Biden? No, we didn’t, nor did Biden attempt it.

3. “Blunt, simple statements of the greatest possible force”

But what we got, true to form, was straight stuff, simply and bluntly spoken. Of such “stuff” great leadership communication is made. Leonard Bernstein used to explain why Ludwig van Beethoven’s music was and still is so impactful. Beethoven, said Bernstein, wrote in “blunt, simple statements of the greatest possible force” and, in the first movement of the fifth symphony, repeated them over and over. Four syllables: Da-da-da-dum. The most famous four notes in music. We remember them. We recognize them. We repeat them.

4. Dr. King understood this. Beyond the literary sophistication of the beginning of his speech, we remember three blunt, simple four-syllable phrases – “I have a dream” and “Now is the time” and “Let freedom ring” – straight stuff repeated over and over.

5. And President Biden understood this. While we did get some admirably crafted phrases – “The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer” and “A cry for survival comes from the planet itself” and “We must end this uncivil war” – what we got was a sincere promise of the kind of leader President Biden intends to be.

6. Mr. Biden also used repetition to achieve gravitas, most notably, “Here we stand…” as he respectfully placed himself and us standing at the Capitol, being with King, honoring Suffrage, remembering those who died in our wars and who rest eternally at Arlington, and claiming survival of an insurrection. “Here we stand.” Humble, inclusive, dedicated, hopeful.

7. So, what is a leader?

Leader, n, A person who has – and articulates – a vision, creates change, inspires others to achieve mutual goals, and builds and maintains effective working relationships – all while setting the highest standards of ethical thought and behavior. Examine the six elements of this definition – vision, communication, change, goals, teams, ethics – in terms of the speech.

8. Vision

The president made his vision clear: Unity. He used the word many times, saying, “Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path.” That’s articulation.

9. Communication and the power of the positive word.

As well as any leader before him, Mr. Biden filled his speech with positive words: democracy (more than any other presidential inaugural), hope, renewal, resolve, triumph, will, precious, together, indivisible, peace, optimistic, heart, resilience, strength, sacred, possibility, and hundreds of others. No negativity anywhere.

10. Inspiration toward goals

“This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope.” There is no one whom that phrase excludes, no one at whom it is aimed. It’s pure inspiration. He left no doubt what this is all about. And of course, there’s the spiritual element: soul. “My whole soul is in this.” he said, both quoting Lincoln and imploring our joint commitment. Leaders do that sort of thing.

11. Teams

“My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us we’re going to need each other,” he said. “Together we will write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity not division, of light not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. “

12. Ethics

Ethics is humankind’s single greatest challenge of this century. Accordingly, President Biden promised, “Before God and all of you, I give you my word. I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll defend America. I will give my all in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal interest but of public good.”

The result

President Biden inarguably met the moment and, in doing so, gave a speech for the ages. Leaders do that sort of thing.