PSU Magazine Spring 1999

:ea ersh1p is having the self- on ence believe that you can make a difference, having the passion to believe that it matters, and the courage to risk everything because you believe it matters. If the only way you're willing to take a leadership position is if you know you're going to win, then you're not a leader. You have to be willing to take the risk of losing or winning. ou were elected in 1990 you came into o ice at a time of real turmoil in Oregon. Measure 5 had just passed, creating major concerns in schools and local governments, there was a timber crisis and the spot– ted owl debate, and there was a lot of anti-government feeling. How did that affect your role as the state's elected leader? ca e t the conclusion that here 1 " afe" way to lead in times of ideological upheaval. As a candi– date, you can make a choice about whether to run, but you cannot choose the background against which you have to lead. A backdrop is more than a set of facts. It also can be an attitude or a perception. For example, if people believe their government is not honest, if that's their reality, then that is your backdrop. H the reason for the apparent distrust of ent? o rn ent does have to take m some things, like ineffi- ciency, inadequate long-term decision making, or not informing the public well. But, a lot of the public's anger (at government) really relates back to a whole lot of other things going on in people's lives over which they have no control. They're worried about their kids and drugs, about crime, about their jobs, and there are a lot of people who have a high level of discomfort about how diverse we are becoming in our communities. It may not be credi– ble that they feel that way, but they do. And, there are people who are building on their fears, telling them they should be afraid and that it must be the government's fault. le de in public service not only akes o esponsibility for the government or agency they've been elected or appointed to lead, but they also are responsible for the tax dollars, the outcome of programs, and the public's view of government. They carry a much heavier load and they are much more closely examined in the process than a leader in private busi– ness. And, they have more "bosses": the citizenry, other governments or agencies, the news media, and poten– tial opponents who may choose to run against them. This public scrutiny makes leadership difficult. For example, if you saw the mistakes a small business may make on its way to success, you might be highly critical of some of their choices. But you don't see them. You see that, after a couple of years, the business has survived and is grow– ing, but you don't see the failures. For public leadership, the failures are very evident and public leaders sometimes are evaluated even before they've had a chance to succeed or fail. Before you get out on the limb, be sure you know who has the net and who has the saw. olicy and attitudes gener– ally are,,m:Qv.eCi incrementally. So, even in losing a battle, you may have caused people to listen to ideas they've never heard before. You've planted a seed and it may grow. Look at the fight over the Equal Rights Amendment. It was a huge battle that women all over this country fought and, even though the ERA was not ratified, look at the situ– ation now. Women are increasingly taking their place in business, govern– ment, and the professions. Yes, we lost the battle, but we changed the conver– sation. We changed people's aware– ness. So, we did change the outcome but just not on that day and in that place in time. (She points to a framed motto on the office wall: "There are some defeats more triumphant than victo– ries.") A leader has to have the courage to stand up, to take the risk. You may get knocked down, but it's important that you stood up. e an our students to come a'?lay fr.om the program with more tools for decision making. We want them to better understand the choices that are before them and who the stakeholders are in those choices. We want them to understand about communicating within a government and with the public as you move to make change and, yes, to understand what risk taking is all about. 0 (Clarence Hein '65 is manager of Community Programs at Portland State.) SPRING 1999 PSU MAGAZINE 13