What Fueled the Ambition of Lyndon Johnson?

1. What Fueled the Ambition of Lyndon Johnson?

The fourth and final president who Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Doris Kearns Goodwin examines in her book, Leadership: In Turbulent Times, is our 36th president, Lyndon Baines Johnson. I am tempted to go off script in this section of “Three Things” and write something like “it is ironic that President Joe Biden is the 10th president who has served since Lyndon Johnson, yet both Biden and Johnson were born in 1908,” but I am not going to do it. 

Wrote Lyndon Johnson during his college days at Southwest Texas State Teachers College: “Ambition is an uncomfortable companion. He creates discontent with present surroundings and achievements. He is never satisfied but always pushing forward.” Johnson maniacally pushed forward on every job, vote, or cause throughout the rest of his life, always “discontent with the present surroundings.”

Goodwin’s describes young Lyndon Johnson as a boy who learned politics at the knee of his father Sam, a Texas state legislator who was an immensely popular figure in the Texas State House. Sam Johnson was a progressive Democrat, who championed the underdog, using his office to help poor farmers, army veterans, and soldiers’ widows. “We got to look after these people,” Sam told a friend, “That's what we're here for.”

This concern for the poor and empathy for others is something that we have seen in Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and FDR. With Lyndon Johnson, this empathy was first seen when he took opposition during a job in college as the principal of a Mexican-American elementary school in Cotulla, Texas, on the Texas-Mexico border. His students lived in dirt hovels, their families struggling to eke out an existence. Goodwin writes that in this first leadership role, Lyndon Johnson employed every leadership attribute he had developed up until that point - “indefatigable energy, ability to persuade, a willingness to fight for what he wanted, intuition, enterprise, and initiative” - so that he could enlarge the opportunities for his students and improve their lives. Johnson was able to link his ambition to a larger purpose - that of a desire to positively transform the lives of his students. “I was determined to spark something inside them, to fill their soul with ambition and interest and belief in the future. I was determined to give them what they needed to make it in this world, to help them finish their education. Then the rest would take care of itself.”

2. Where are the Opportunities for Board Service?

My Caldwell Partners colleague Kelly Blair and I have been discussing “The Who What, Where, When, Why, and How of Board Service” over the past several weeks, in preparation for a presentation with Canada's “Top 40 under 40” business leaders.

As Kelly and I looked at the question of “where are there board opportunities?” we concluded that the answer depends on how one defines “governance.” The reality is that board service can comes in a variety of formats and governance structures. Public company boards… private company boards… advisory boards… private-equity-backed company boards… not-for-profit boards… a board of trustees for a college or university… boards of mutuals, cooperatives, or credit unions… the opportunities to serve are plentiful.

All of these structures have one thing in common – they provide the framework through which the board serves as a steward for the interests of the key stakeholders of a given institution. 

At the end of the day, board service is all about governance, and governance is all about leadership and service to others. One of these structures is not more important than the other. That some of these roles are compensated is not a reflection of the relative importance of the entity or its board.

So, the answer to the question of “where are there board opportunities?” is simple…

Everywhere.

3. Welcome February 2023!

I am pleased to announce that all of you who are reading this edition of “Three Things” have made it through the vast majority of the month of January 2023. January can be a very tough month, thus your perseverance is rewarded with the gift of yet another month – February 2023!

February is a very efficient, compact month – last year, February was only 28 days long, and I am expecting February of 2023 to be the same duration this year. 

Nevertheless, the world packs a lot into this month that in Old English was known as “Kalemonath,” or, as it is known today, Cabbage.

In February, people around the world celebrate the Super Bowl, where humanity celebrates its love of snack foods, served in bowls. During the Super Bowl, we are animated by the thrill of watching the biggest men on the planet dress in numbered costumes and run into each other as fast as they possibly can. Fun!

Next, we celebrate St. Valentine's Day, the celebration of love and romance. I had thought that Valentine's Day was invented by Mr. J.C. Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, but no, there really was a St. Valentine, who was martyred for thinking that a new can opener constituted a birthday present for Mrs. Valentine.

And, finally, we come to Presidents’ Day, when Americans celebrate our love of the 46 United States Presidents. Yo, Millard Fillmore, this one's for you! Let's raise a toast to Warren G. Harding, the 29th U.S. President, who didn't want to come out of the closet in the West Wing of the White House, as this is where he carried on an affair with Nan Britton, who gave birth to Harding's love child. Go, Warren, Go! We celebrate you!

And then, there is William Henry Harrison, “Old Tippecanoe,” whose lasting contribution as President was that he taught us all the consequences of talking too much. It is thought that Harrison's stem-winder of an inaugural address (the longest in U.S. history at 8,445 words) led to his “death of cold,” as he spoke for two hours in the middle of a driving rainstorm. Yes, let us celebrate William Henry Harrison, and each of the 31 days that he was President, even though the vast majority of his presidency was spent in bed.

February 2023 will be momentous! So get your rest, wear comfortable shoes, eat lots of fiber, and have a great month!