American author Cal Thomas said, "In a free society, government reflects the soul of the people."
In the early 20th century, Napoleon Hill studied hundreds of the most effective leaders in the world of business. He noted that among other qualities, they pass on credit for any successes to those working under them, while placing blame for any mistakes squarely upon their own shoulders. They also have a keen sense of justice, knowing that this earns them the respect of their followers.
Higher level sports can be a merciless test of leadership. John Wooden, one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time, reiterated Hill's philosophy stating, "You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes."
In a sense, we are all leaders, and those of us who embrace these principles find that though we may experience the occasional setback, we are continually moving forward in our professional and personal lives.
Those who do not embrace these principles may find temporary success, but it tends to be fleeting.
Perhaps the most striking example of a fall from grace in politics was that of American president Richard Nixon, who declared to the world in 1973, "I am not a crook."
Less than a year after his infamous statement, it became clearly obvious that Nixon was indeed involved in criminal activity, and he was forced to resign from office.
Watching the 2017 British Columbia leadership debate, I was saddened to see that to this day our political leaders continue to demonstrate very little of the character that true leadership requires.
When the issue of education was brought up for example, Premier Christy Clark pointed out that B.C. has one of the finest educational systems in the world. Clark did not even hint, however, that this is due to the hard work and professionalism of the people who are employed by her government.
Ministry of Education staff members have done an amazing job collaborating with educators throughout the province in bringing about a curriculum that is vibrant and vital to our youth.
School administrators, teachers and support staff have continued to put our children first, despite funding that has continually failed to keep up with the growing demands of the system and wages that have fallen far behind those in other Canadian provinces.
In November of 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada actually ruled that Clark and her government had broken the law since 2002 in their negotiations with B.C. teachers. The violations were so blatant that the highest court in the land took only 20 minutes to deliberate on this decision.
The B.C. leadership debate actually became mournful to watch when Clark was asked point blank by the leader of another political party to apologize to the teachers and children of her province and she refused to do so.
Does this government really reflect the soul of its people? Do we really think that it is OK to take the credit for the work of others and to refuse responsibility for our own mistakes?
If it does, then I need to do a much better job as a person, as a teacher and as a leader in every capacity of my own life.
I also need to be politically active, to challenge elected leaders to be true to their responsibility and to support citizens movements which are consistent with my own beliefs. And when the time comes to vote, I need to remember the words of John Quincy Adams, a man who was pivotal in ending slavery in the United States:
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."
For more of Gerry's columns, go to www.gerrychidiac.com.
