Leaders should be held to intellectual standards

I’ve recently become very aware of how we give politicians and leaders a pass that we simply don’t tolerate when it comes to those with intellectual, psychological, or physical challenges. As I reflect on this disparity I don’t find myself thinking we should lower standards in the treatment of those with challenges. We’d all be better off if we expected those who present themselves as leaders to demonstrate their mastery of a topic and their ability to respond in the context of the questions presented to them.

 

I first recognized this disparity while listening to Leonard Blair, a Catholic bishop, being interviewed about an internal controversy within his church. As I listen to Blair I realized he didn’t seem to be following the conversation too well. His answers didn’t match the questions being asked of him and he seemed to have a rather unique perception of some situations. The interview had a disjointed tone to it as the interviewer tried to both be respectful and stay focused on the topic of the interview.

 

My immediate thought was that Blair was either not well informed on the subject at hand or he had comprehension issues and didn’t really understand the questions being asked of him. On further thought I recognized Blair was representing the position of the leadership of his church and it didn’t serve his purposes to answer the questions directly. It was simply an awkward situation where the interviewer had to be creative in order to go beyond the rhetorical statements previously released by his church.

 

This gap between rhetoric and reality was also apparent while listening to the speeches given at the recent Republican National Convention and I’m sure it will be in effect during the upcoming Democratic national Convention. Just as was the case with the Republican speeches the Democratic speeches will be fact checked and evaluated for their impact on committed and undecided voters. This process provides a convenient separation from the speaker and their words.

 

As we move into the final stages of this election cycle there will be many more political speeches and debates between the candidates. It would be both revealing and informative to monitor the candidate’s in light of their ability to comprehend the questions they are asked and the relevance of their responses in the context of the topic at hand.

 

It seems a fairly common thing to evaluate a person with intellectual, psychological, or physical challenges regarding their ability to follow a conversation and their grasp of relevant facts. We openly comment on the fact that an individual might be very passionate and have some great ideas but just doesn’t seem to be able to stay on topic. If we apply these same standards to people in (or aspiring to be in) leadership positions we may very likely conclude many politicians and institutional leaders are well meaning people who just don’t really have what it takes to be in roles of responsibility. They would probably be better off, and happier, in some sort of sheltered workshop.

 

To access the interview with Leonard Blair go to:

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/25/157356092/bishop-explains-vaticans-criticism-of-u-s-nuns

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http://www.mainstreamingonmainstreet.com/

 

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