My fundamental philosophy is that if we are not willing to open our minds, listen with our hearts and seek understanding of some of the most crucial problems of our time, then we have failed as leaders.

Over the last few years, I have thought a lot about how leaders in government have been operating and why there has been such instability in economic growth, low citizenship morale and diminishing trust in government. I would like to touch on a couple of key issues; leadership and government.

Leadership is defined as the ability of an individual or individuals to make sound decisions and inspire others to perform at their best. Effective leaders are able to set and achieve benchmarks and goals, to take swift and decisive action even in the midst of adverse situations, to take calculated risks and to persevere in the face of failure.

Leaders usually have strong communication skills, self-confidence, the capacity to manage others and a willingness to embrace change. These are the characteristics of good leadership.

Synonyms for leadership would include: guidance, direction, control, management, superintendence, supervision.

There are a number of opinions about what government is in the eyes of everyday people and leaders. I have come to understand that a government is a group of people that governs, oversees the rules, regulations, and interactions of the people who live within a society. Government sets and administers public policy and exercises legislative, judicial, executive, political and or sovereign power through customs, institutions, regulations, ordinances and laws.

A government can be classified into many types–democracy, republic, monarchy, aristocracy, and dictatorship are just a few.

In our systems of government, whether local, state or federal, they will attract some of the most bright and charismatic personalities. This is not necessarily an indication that it is getting the best leadership. Leadership in government is something totally different and takes a special kind of person, a person who understands that the role of leadership in government is simply a role of servitude and that their allegiance and service is to the public.

As I mentioned above, leadership careers in government bring in some of the best minds from around the country, but in order to be a good and true leader, one must understand how leadership will affect people’s daily lives and therefore do what is necessary to make those lives better.

The role of a public servant is to serve the people. The risk we run when electing, appointing or hiring people to serve in leadership capacities is that, once they are in their positions, it can be that the person we chose is not of the mindset to be servants and therefore fail to do the actual job. It’s sad to say that a great deal of them are blindly pursuing personal ambitions and could really care less about the lives of working men and woman. It then, becomes evident in their policies or lack thereof.

I oftentimes see corporate leaders use their business savviness as a means of justification to an affective career in government, but unlike anything else, the very nature of government is structured in a way that it’s really tailored for social engineers and economist working together even more so than business leaders and politicians.

In business, people create companies for the express purpose of making a profit and a sum of said profits customarily inures to the benefit of its owners.

Unlike for profit corporations, non-profit organizations are responsible to its mission. The term not-for-profit doesn’t mean that the organization can not make a profit. It simply means that its profits should further the purpose and mission of the organization. This also holds made concrete under the internal revenue code 501c, which explains that administration should not dominate the revenues of a non-profit.

Non-profits organizations are the closest type of corporation in comparison to how Government is structured. So when you hear politicians who come from the for profit corporate world or who have done extremely well in for profit business and for themselves delivering speeches claiming that their business acumen gives them a clear advantage over their opponent, that may not be accurate.

You see, being that government is designed very much like a non-profit in the sense that it must be carrying out its purpose above all else, leaders from the business world, who transitions in to the government arena, usually bring with them a profit making mentally and fail to realize the primary focus and responsibility is take care of the people it’s representing even at the expense of profit. The idea of making a profit is fine however, it’s a small piece of the equation and doesn’t automatically translate into the success of a government.

The American Government’s primary role is to protect and serve its citizens. It’s the very essence of what the government was created for in the first place which is where the phrase “by the people, for the people” comes from. Leaders should remember this and start thinking about the best way to serve the people and not look to be self-serving.