Organizational leadership is perhaps more important now than ever before. That's why I've been spending part of the summer reading a book called Saving Face: How to Preserve Dignity and Build Trust by Maya Hu-Chan. It outlines several ways to increase self esteem, reputation, and status in others, all while reducing shame, fear, vulnerability, and other negative emotions. Being empathetic comes across as one of the most important traits of a good leader. As Hu-Chan says in the book, "Humanity is key, ego is the enemy."

While reading the book, I also came across an article (paywall access may be required) in the Friday, June 19, 2020 edition of the Wall Street Journal written by Jared Diamond. Jared's article is about how the Kansas City Royals were the only Major League Baseball team during the pandemic not to let go of any minor league players, and showcases one of the strongest, best quotes on leadership I've ever seen. Royals General Manager Dayton Moore is quote as saying, “We shouldn’t be applauded for that. That’s just what you’re supposed to do. If you accept the responsibility of a leadership position, it begins with putting others first, and if you can’t do that, you don’t deserve the privilege to lead.”

Now that's empathetic. That's putting humanity above ego. We need a whole lot more of that these days.

The Media Blame Game

An opinion piece by Len Niehoff in the Detroit News articulates much of what I've been thinking the last several years as it relates to blaming journalists for the ills of society. While he uses the arrests and physical harm of journalists in the Black Lives Matter movement to highlight recent events, Len also points out that the United States has slowly become a more hostile place for journalists. In fact, he points out that the organization "Reporters Without Borders" now ranks the United States as 45th out of 180 countries for press freedoms.  This is astonishing, considering the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects several basic freedoms, including freedom of the press. The framers of the amendment understood that the public's right to know what is going on in their world is part of what sustains a democracy. Without it, authoritarian governments or ways of thinking prosper. I encourage you to read Len's piece and dive into the Reporters Without Borders press freedom study. These are also issues we discuss in both Introduction to Mass Communication and Beginning Newswriting, courses I teach at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.