Gergen Stresses Individual Character at IOP

Value strength of character over brainpower in public leadership, former presidential advisor David Gergen urged a 550-member audience at the Institute of Politics (IOP) ARCO Forum last night.

Described by IOP Director David Pryor as "a man with an incomparable life experience," Gergen, currently a professor of public service and co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Kennedy School of Government, has served as advisor to four presidents.

Gergen is also the author of the recent New York Times bestseller Eyewitness to Power. The models of leadership in his book were the focus of last night's speech, entitled "The Essence of Power: From Nixon to Clinton."

"I wrote this book in the conviction that we could very well be at the dawn of a new golden age, with the power to bring enormous good into the world," Gergen told his audience.

Ultimately, the country's success or failure depends on the leadership of individuals, he said.

He also stressed that even the most talented leaders can be unsuccessful due to character flaws.

Gergen drew a parallel between Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, who he described as two of the "smartest men" he had known in public life, and who were both destroyed by "demons within their own character."

He cautioned students not to forget that potential and capability are useless to a public leader without honesty and integrity.

"You must also develop the habits of heart here in this school," Gergen said.

The presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan provide a lesson on how to be an effective leader, according to Gergen

While Carter "almost qualified for sainthood, he turned out to be rather ineffectual," Gergen said.

Reagan, on the other hand, managed to be a far more effective leader even after a lifetime making "B-class movies" and a late start in politics, Gergen continued.

The key to Reagan's success was "emotional intelligence," an ability to connect to and inspire others, Gergen said.

He told students that this quality was also evident in the leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Class of 1904, the architect of the New Deal and a former Crimson president.

"What distinguished Roosevelt was not his mind. In fact, for the first part of his life he was seen as quite a dandy," Gergen said.

It was Roosevelt's battle with polio in his 30s that gave him insight and empathy, he continued.

"He finally came to appreciate life as seen through the eyes of others," Gergen said, "and it gave him a confidence in what we could become as a people."

Gergen compared the country's situation today to that of 100 years ago.

"It's important to remember that at the start of the 20th century, we began with the same hopes but then plunged into the bloodiest wars in history," he said.

This was the fault of a few leaders "who led us astray," Gergen explained. "The quality of individuals does matter."