What does it mean to be Great?  Given the movement to “Make America Great Again,” I think it is worth considering what makes a country and a leader “great.”  Is America a great nation now?  Are we moving in the right direction?

When I think of great leaders, these are the characteristics that come to mind:

Integrity and Trust

Great leaders are honest and transparent in their actions and communications, building trust with others. They consistently follow through on their commitments, and hold others accountable to do the same.

Communication, Vision, and Inspiration

Great leaders communicate their vision and expectations clearly and effectively, ensuring everyone understands how they contribute to the larger goals. They have a clear vision for the future and are able to share it in a way that inspires and motivates people. Great leaders empower their team members to take ownership and responsibility for their actions. 

Emotional Intelligence and Relationship Building

Great leaders are excellent listeners, actively seeking feedback and understanding the perspectives of those they lead and serve.  They build strong relationships with others, creating a sense of purpose and camaraderie. They are able to effectively navigate and resolve conflicts, creating a positive and productive environment where team members feel valued and respected.

Courage to do what is Right

Great leaders are courageous in their decisions and willing to stand up for what they believe in, even when it’s unpopular. They are willing to take calculated risks, but also know when to avoid them. They view mistakes as learning opportunities and are not afraid to admit when they are wrong.

What Great Leaderhip is Not

These characteristics may be mistaken for strong leadership, but undermine the positive relationships and environment needed for people to thrive:

Selfishness and Appetite for Power

While a great leader empowers others, a negative leader seeks to gain power for themselves.  They focus on accumulating wealth and admiration.  They put their own needs and ambitions above those they lead.

Bullying and using strength to dominate others

Negative leaders build themselves up by tearing others down.  They often use fear as a tool to get people to fall in line. Instead of working with others to create mutually beneficial solutions, they have a zero sum approach and look to gain by taking things away from others.  As they accumulate power and strength, they leverage it to bend others to their will.

Blaming or Scapegoating Others to Build Support

Some leaders manipulate people to gain support by giving them a common enemy.  They blame problems on “others” such as foreigners or minorities.  Telling people their problems are not their own fault is a very appealing message, and these leaders present themselves as the solution, vowing to solve the problems by removing or weakening the scapegoat group.

Coercing and deceiving people to enact their vision

Some leaders blatantly lie to win the support of others.  They tell people what they want to hear, even if it isn’t true.  As they gain power, they use it to threaten and intimidate anyone that may expose their lies or act counter to their objectives.

Viewing themselves as infallible and persecuting critics

A leader that is blind to their own mistakes is dangerous.  They may confidently lead their group into trouble, and fail to benefit from external feedback.  When criticized, they look to attack those that point out their flaws, seeking revenge and retribution against anyone they feel has slighted them.

Why is America Great?

In my view, America is greatest when we use our power for the good of the world.  When the world was under threat from the Nazis, we used our might to defend the world from tyranny.  We were instrumental in establishing the United Nations to address world problems without armed conflict and to further peace in the world.  We helped found the World Health Organization to fight against disease.  When the Soviet Union fell and we were the only remaining superpower, we did not try to dominate the world.  We have generously helped others and supported democracy throughout the world in the decades since. 

America is also great because of the innovation and technical advancements we have made.  By drawing the best and brightest from all over the world, we have invented airplanes, computers, microchips, lasers, cell phones, digital cameras, the internet, robots, artificial intelligence, manufacturing processes, polio vaccine, penicillin, MRIs, CT scans, immunotherapy, the mapping of the human genome, the steam engine, and the telephone.  We put a man on the moon using 1960’s technology.  Our great universities, government funded laboratories, and innovative companies have increased the standard of living for our own country and people around the world. 

We are great when our power is truly derived from the people, used for the people, and we uphold the standards of our founders.  When we enable freedom and justice through the rule of law.  When we help those in need among us, such as the elderly, the sick and the poor.  When we demonstrate integrity and the courage to do what is right. 

How can we make America greater?

We are now cutting back our aid for the hungry, sick, and poor around the world to focus on our own needs.  We are also slashing funding of science and research and making politically motivated cuts to  our best universities and government agencies, causing researchers to flee the country.  We are revoking visas and forcing out students that have come here to study and research, detaining some based on their political views.  Immigrants are being flown to foreign prisons without being convicted of crimes in violation of court orders and the US Constitution.  We are backing out of trade agreements we made with our neighbors, and insulting them.   We are threatening to take land from other countries by force. We are threatening the entire world with gigantic tariffs, confusing business owners with a plan that is not clear and could change at any moment.  Are these actions making us great?   

Severely cutting the National Science Foundation (0.1% of our budget) and National Institute of Health funding (0.7% of our budget) could stall the innovation that drives our economic growth and technological progress.  Instead, we should be focusing our world class researchers on tackling the problems that face us.  Identifying more cost effective ways to deploy healthcare could reduce the $4.9 Trillion Americans spend on healthcare each year.  Breakthroughs in batteries, solar power, and nuclear fusion could drastically reduce the $2 Trillion Americans spend on energy each year.   We should leverage science and innovation to generate abundance and further raise our standard of living.

We can make America greater by putting polarized politics behind us and working together.  Instead of allowing politicians to divide us for their political benefit, we must focus on the areas where we have agreement.  We should double down on the things that have always made America great.   Adhering to the US Constitution, standing for liberty and justice, bringing the best and brightest from all over the world to innovate and find solutions.  We helped to create the United Nations framework, and instead of abdicating our leadership in the world and alienating our allies, we should step up to lead, bringing countries together to strengthen an international coalition for peace, justice, and prosperity.  The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have shown that as strong as our military is, we can’t address all of the world’s problems on our own.  True greatness means providing positive leadership in the world, and inspiring countries to work with us to solve our common problems.