in the Jesuit Tradition - Rockhurst University

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Photo courtesy of Harry S. Truman Library & Museum.and what they’ll put up with. Television haswoven itself into the fabric of American life. Ithas affected, and, in some cases, fouled almostall aspects of American life. Across academicdisciplines, the study of presidential leadershipis one of those issues that television has altereddramatically. How has television forcedpresidents to lead in the era of the Fourth Estate?What is Leadership?The study of leadership has undergoneconsiderable transformation in the past 50 years.Early theories suggested thatleaders were born, not made.Researchers conducted studiesto indicate that leadershipcharacteristics came naturally tosome, but not to others. Leaderswho were fit, had symmetricalfacial features, had strong voicesand who were attractive wereoften thought to make the bestleaders. Indeed, charisma, a traitlater acknowledged as perhapsthe key attribute of leaders,became a fully developed theoryof leadership.Subsequent theories ofleadership offered some hope tothose who may not have had strongphysical features or easily identifiableleadership traits. Style and situationalapproaches proposed that if one had ameans for getting a job done andcould influence people in positiveways, then one could lead. Stillother theories proclaimed leadersmust have a vision and the skill andmeans to articulate that vision toothers. Regardless of the theoreticalperspective, few considered television,or other media, a variable ofleadership. Now, television hasintroduced enough static to distortleadership on a fundamental level.Creating the ImagePresidents and their communication staffs(that is, speechwriters and image-producers)have grown more television savvy over the years.In the years prior to the television explosion,Roosevelt and Truman advisers scoffed at theidea that they had a role in shaping the image ofpresidential leadership. Clark Clifford, a closeTruman adviser and speechwriter, said that beingPhoto by Burton Berinsky, courtesy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library.ROCKHURST 18
identified publicly with the title of speechwriterwould be inappropriate — Truman’s own styleand his policies should speak for themselves.Clifford was Truman’s “Legal Counsel.” In thosedays, since speeches were scarcely televised, closeadvisers grappled with issues such as whether aState of the Union Address should be presentedorally or written and hand-delivered toCongress, an option still available to thepresident. In the current era of television, sucha choice is a laughable issue.In the middle 20th century, few presidentsdealt in any way with television media. Truman’s1949 inaugural was the first televised and themedium, arguably, didn’t really reveal itself as amajor force until 1960. Some scholars argue thatthe famous Kennedy/Nixon debate of 1960 wasthe beginning of a more complete understandingof the power of television. Nixon, who wasrecovering from an illness, appeared somewhatpale and unshaven. He apparently could notcompete well in a debate with Kennedy, wholooked sharp and is reported to have usedmakeup. Radio listeners, however, consideredthe outcome of the debate a draw at a minimumand probably favoring Nixon if either. Thedebate does indicate that viewers indeed weredrawn to physical traits of leaders highlightedby television.In some cases, experts go beyondhighlighting traits to actually creating them. In1988, 5-foot-8 inch Michael Dukakis strolledout for one of his presidential debates withGeorge Bush and stepped up to a lectern thatwas some seven inches shorter than the muchtaller Bush’s. Also, to create an image of leadershipequal to Bush’s, Dukakis’ communicationteam arranged for him to stand on a platformthat raised him even higher. Surely, his advisersmust have thought, we cannot afford toallow television to punish us for a diminutivecandidate.Ironically, the necessity of leaders to dealwith the media, often resulting in simpleunwillingness or failure for lack of skill, onlyfeeds the media’s desire to identify leaders aslacking leadership. That is, presidents may behandicapped by the same medium they reject assuperfluous to leadership. Jimmy Carter oncesaid, after leaving office, that there was nogreater “pain in the neck” for him than havingto deal with his speechwriters and, implicitly,other communication staff. His interest incrafting a message that television favored wasalways secondary to its content. Unfortunately,his television performances and his messagesrarely were received positively — Carter hadvirtually the lowest public approval ratings ofany president in the last 70 years.Good Times, Bad TimesGood leadership usually demands clarity ofvision — both in theory and as it is expressed tofollowers. Visionary leadership is corrupted bytelevision, however, as it encourages vaguenessby reducing position statements to sound bites.Some sound bites are constructed strategicallyto allow a president to take several positionsat once to, thus, appeal to many audiences.Consider the phrases “take to a new level,”“move in a new direction” or “enact legislationthat benefits all Americans” to endorse a policy.Or the ubiquitous “paradigm shift” that we allmust make. Other more specific bites, pennedby speechwriters, reduce vision to memorablequips, such as Reagan’s Panama Canal summary“we built it, we paid for it, it’s ours,” GeorgeBush’s “no new taxes,” Clinton’s “bridge to the21st century,” while candidates spontaneouslyPhoto courtesy of George Bush Presidential Library.19 FALL 2001
Page 1 and 2: in the Jesuit Tradition
Page 3 and 4: Contents…ROCKHURSTT HE M AGAZINE
Page 5: School of Management Renamed in Hon
Page 8 and 9: RockhurstreportRecovery Is Campuswi
Page 10 and 11: RockhurstreportFaculty, Staff Witne
Page 12 and 13: HawktalkFreshmen Add Depth to Hawks
Page 14 and 15: LEADERSHIPINTHEIgnatius of Loyola,
Page 16 and 17: Photo courtesyof James Biever.repre
Page 18 and 19: By Peter Bicak, Ph.D.Assistant Prof
Page 22 and 23: Photo courtesy of Smith-Lamar & Ass
Page 24 and 25: same way over the millennia, they w
Page 26 and 27: ForalumniYear as Volunteer Brings M
Page 28 and 29: Advancementdigest$50 Million Campai
Page 30 and 31: AdvancementdigestEndowed Chair Prom
Page 32 and 33: ClassnotesAlumni Notes’58Frank Ja
Page 34 and 35: ClassnotesBirths’92’93’94’9
Page 36: December115Ceremony ofLessons & Car

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