Our founding fathers were everyday leaders
Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and, therefore, must be earned and renewed daily; otherwise, like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower
It’s Fourth of July weekend and I’m thinking of the leaders who led us to celebrate this holiday 235 years later. When we think of those men and women, we think of them as great leaders…Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Abigail Adams…and they were. But they were also ordinary people. They worked hard as farmers, were entrepreneurs, and tapped into their individual creativity. They had family problems, got tangled up in small-town politics, and got “button pressed” just like the rest of us.
In 1990 I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Page Smith, the historian and one of the (many) biographers of John Adams. He began his early career at Camp William James, a student youth leadership program in Tunbridge, Vermont, in 1940. He cherished the memory of hearing him speak at the Camp William James 50th anniversary celebration. As a college professor who used to give lectures that would keep students interested in him, he spoke in a lively and humorous way about how profound the Camp William James experience was for him. He was a big man with a boisterous laugh and the whole time he spoke, tears were running down his cheeks. Talking about the experience was emotional for him, but that didn’t actually cause the tears, he had some disorder that caused the tears to flow. No matter what caused it, listening to him felt like we had a window into his soul. One of his students said at his funeral that he was “a scholar with a heart.” We saw it that day.
I think of Page today, because from that early start he never stopped being a 24/7 leader.
Page was the founding president of Cowell College, UC Santa Cruz’s first college. In this role, he brought together faculty and students and developed a unique and innovative educational institution. He founded the William James Association, based on the philosophy that community service is the moral equivalent of war. He was an advocate for the homeless in the community; he was instrumental in establishing the Santa Cruz Homeless Shelter and Homeless Garden Project. He is the author of more than twenty books. Page loved raising chickens, enjoyed sporting events, played tennis, was an avid fly fisherman, and at age 60, turned to printmaking. “Page was well known and loved for his generosity, fierce integrity, high ideals and gentle spirit.”
All of that is true, but what I remember so vividly about Page is how she loved and lived so well. Every day. She had tremendous gratitude for life and appreciation for what she loved. This appreciation even extended to her chickens, about which she wrote a book, the chicken book.
I remember in his talk over 20 years ago that he shared the story of how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, July 4, 1826. Page loved writing the two-volume book on John Adams because there were so many wonderful letters . between Adams and his wife Abigail to take advantage. He dedicated his books to his own wife and said, “To my wife, through whom I know what Abigail meant to John.” Years later, Page’s life ended two days after his wife, Eloise, died of kidney cancer. He had leukemia, but what was very clear was that he couldn’t go on living without his beloved Eloise.
As we celebrate our founding fathers, take a moment to reflect on their legacy and how you, too, can contribute to continuing that legacy—not just by watching fireworks, but by developing as a leader 24/7. I’ve developed a list of 5 ways (plus one additional way) you can develop your daily leadership skills so you can also be a 24/7 leader. On my list are Drive for Learning, Appreciative Practices, and Commitment to Values, all lessons I learned from Page Smith’s example.
