President Gerald R. Ford was buried recently. The U.S. remembers him as a President of character and integrity. The "accidental President" (the only President never elected President or Vice President) widely viewed as an ordinary man ("I'm a Ford, not a Lincoln," he himself quipped) turned out to be the right President for his moment in history. He restored decency, honesty, and integrity to a Presidency wracked by scandal. What was in his soul expressed itself in service to his country.
    
Appointed Vice President when Spiro Agnew was forced to resign after a bribery scandal, Ford was chosen for his integrity. Eight months later, he became President when Richard Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal.
    
As Tom Brokaw pointed out in his eulogy at Gerald Ford's funeral, the "hosannas to his decency, his honesty, his modesty and steady-as-she-goes qualities" are hymns we expect to hear when a famous person dies. But in Ford's case, said Brokaw, "these lyrics have the added virtue of being true." Ford was the same person in public as he was in private. He was a person whose soul was whole.

When Ford became President, the nation desperately needed a leader with his qualities. Ford was a healer of the breach, a leader respected by Democrats and Republicans alike. Ford believed that politicians could disagree without being disagreeable, and counted among his friends his political adversary in the House of Representatives, former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill. Ford treated his colleagues with respect and believed that it was possible to work across political boundaries for the common good.
    
Ford wasn't perfect (who is?), and he made his share of mistakes in the Presidency. But he brought to the Oval Office a restoration of trust in a time of mistrust and despair. He called Americans to work together for the common good after a time of partisanship and disillusionment. He brought modesty and humility in a time of arrogance.
    
Gerald Ford taught us that what is in a leader's soul matters. The soul of the leader manifests itself in how the leader leads. May Gerald Ford's example wake us up and help us raise our expectations of our political leaders today.
    
Dr. Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations" (from which part of this column is drawn) works with healthcare leaders, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com.

Comments

Ford Rose Above the Chaos as a Leader of Integrity
written by a guest on January 9, 2007,8:19 am

Your article brings attention to, and exalts something we rarely see demonstrated in our leaders - the idea that a leader has a soul. President Ford chose unity over personal ambition. Even with Nixon's imperial presidency shot to hell, Ford followed his gut opting for recovery, instead of revenge for a nation.

As a leader, he put his own interests aside. Ford jumped into the fire by quelling his own ego. He paid a political price for his decision, but he felt that "clearing the deck," was the best way to move the nation forward.

Ford's act consumed the chaos of a country, at least for a short time. It's a valuable lesson of courage for us all. The courage to tap our intuition and deeper core-soul beliefs when taking action, the strength to stand by our convictions, and the wisdom to understand that our actions might have long term, deep implications for others.

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