Loud voices wear out over time

Question: As the Senate’s “Gang of Six” struggle to come to agreement on a bipartisan budget plan, they are under intense social pressure from their caucus colleagues to abandon the effort and stick with the party line. In a clubby place like the Senate, social ostracism can be a real concern. From your experience, what role does social pressure on leaders play in their decision-making and how should leaders deal with it?

If a leader is ever tempted to cave in to outside pressures, he or she would do well to remember that loud voices tend to wear out over time. The most important thing to bear in mind is the overall, long-term good of the organization. In the case of this week’s question, that means the common well-being of our nation. Sadly, most of our elected officials in Washington seem more interested in scoring points through partisan bickering. The public, cynical as it is these days, still expects much more from its leaders. People actually want to see their elected representatives working together and finding solutions for the general benefit of the country.

Consider the lame-duck session from last winter, when a number of significant bills were quickly passed: a tax deal, a major bill on food safety, the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the New START measure and others. Congress’s popularity rose. The public was happy to see the partisanship and the gang mentality set aside for the sake of real progress.

American history is filled with stories of men and women who have withstood great external pressures in order to do what they saw as right. It’s always easy to cite the example of Lincoln, and particularly so as we mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Even before he took office, Lincoln faced pressures to issue a statement on the crisis. Some voices urged compromise with the South, others called for a strong abolitionist position. Later, the timing and substance of his Emancipation Proclamation was attacked by friends and enemies alike. But Lincoln led throughout the conflict with an unshakeable sense of rightness. He knew which route he had to take for the good of the country; and as a result, America was changed dramatically for the better. We’re still reaping the benefits of Lincoln’s foresight, courage and determination.

The so-called Gang of Six in the Senate has the opportunity to do something heroic for the United States–not of the same magnitude as Lincoln’s actions 150 years ago, but nonetheless requiring a similar resolve to shun the shouts of the interest groups and do what’s best for the long-term good of the whole nation.

View all panel responses to the discussion Under pressure?

Yash Gupta  | Apr 26, 2011 1:21 PM