Speak to Lead involves not just the words we speak. It’s not just the style with which we deliver those words. It’s not even the message our actions speak. It is also the perception and reaction created by the combination of those three elements. On her most recent exam, soon-to-be Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, failed in four of the five catagories.
Last week Pelosi announced, “The Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.”
Pelosi was poised and professional. She's got the style techniques down. Grade for delivery – A
What about her choice of words? Two mistakes. First, sweeping, absolute predictions on complex problems of long standing—congressional ethics clearly qualifies—aren’t believable, especially by a citizenry tired of being over promised and under delivered. Second is conjuring up the ghost
of Democrats past. Substitute “administration” for “Congress” and her statement is almost identical to Bill Clinton’s promise when he was elected president in 1992. What is gained by overlaying the next Congress with the Clinton scandals? Grade for word choice – F.
Now let’s look at actions. Over the weekend, Pelosi released a letter supporting Congressman John Murtha in his bid to become the House Majority Leader. The problem? Murtha is damaged goods in the ethics department. Although he was not indicted in the 1980’s Abscam investigation, and did not take the bribe money offered, Murtha is seen on video saying he might be open to taking the cash at a later time. He did not report the incident to either the FBI or the House Ethics Committee.
Yes, it happened nearly a quarter of a century ago, and yes, Pelosi’s office says Murtha explained all of this years ago. But in the current environment, the tarnished--rightly or wrongly--tend to stay tarnished. YouTube is happy to present John Murtha starring in the sting caught on hidden camera. Whitewash won’t stick. Grade for Actions – F
What about perception? Pelosi wants to project the highest ethical standards. Supporting someone tainted by scandal creates guilt by association. Leader Pelosi is experienced enough to know that this is a situation to "abstain from all appearance of evil." Is that fair? Is that just? Probably not. But it is reality, and leaders know to deal with reality. Grade for Perception – F
And what has been the result? Wide spread criticism from Democrats in the Congress, the media, and watchdog groups such as Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), whose executive director commented, “How can Americans believe that the Democrats will return integrity to the House when future Speaker Pelosi has endorsed an ethically challenged member for a leadership position? Grade for Reaction – F.
Perhaps Leader Pelosi and her communications team should pay more attention to all five elements of Speak to Lead before making any further predictions.
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