Someone to tell the truth
On wit, Reagan-era politics, and the essential advice any leader ought to heed about welcoming honest feedback
Tip O’Neill, who was first elected to Congress when Harry Truman was President and served ten years as Speaker of the House (from 1977 to 1987), was more gifted at quips and witticisms than most Speakers (including his modern successors). He was a memorable figure of the 1980s because he was both a frequent policy opponent and a personal friend to Ronald Reagan.
■ Their interaction often played out in front of the national media, and despite their many points of contention in domestic politics, they shared some important goals surrounding America’s place in the world. It left a model for behavior that gets ignored quite a lot today: Knowing that they didn’t agree, they bargained instead.
■ O’Neill wrote a fair amount in his retirement, including a short book on his general view of politics -- not of policies, but of the act of serving in office. One of his lasting recommendations was, “[A]sk your staff periodically, ‘Am I the same person you went to work for?’”
■ That’s good advice not only for public office-holders, but for private-sector leaders as well. Nothing could be more important than remaining grounded and aware of one’s own shortcomings. Lots of people drift from their original principles (even when only in charge of small projects or minor offices). The risk of this happening grows exponentially with power, as does the harm that comes from it.
■ Calvin Coolidge anticipated O’Neill’s advice in somewhat more high-minded language: “It is a great advantage to a President, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man. When a man begins to feel that he is the only one who can lead in this republic, he is guilty of treason to the spirit of our institutions.” But both men had it right: Anyone with great power (not just Presidents) needs great humility, too. Nobody is indispensable, and everyone is at risk of coming untethered without the help of truth-tellers. Real greatness is conditioned on having the modesty to be willingly pushed back into line.