Self-Action Leadership for Civic Leaders and Other High Profile Role Models

Civility and Good Ideas Rooted in True Principles

Last week, Congressman Paul Ryan—the current Speaker of the House of Representatives and third in line to the Presidency were something to happen to President Obama and Vice President Biden—gave a groundbreaking speech on the state of American politics.

Without naming any names or peddling in partisan politicking, Ryan put forth a vision of civility in American political discourse and leadership.  In doing so, he exemplified a demeanor of hope and optimism that he himself has come to personify as a rising star on Capitol Hill.  

Click HERE to watch Speaker Ryan's Speech

Click HERE to read a transcript of Speaker Ryan's Speech

U.S. Capitol Building where Congressman Paul Ryan serves
as Speaker of the House of Representatives

In his speech, Ryan reminded us that we can disagree with each other's ideas without impugning each other's motives.  According to Ryan, the key to long-term political success lies in "Good Ideas" that are "passionately promoted and put to the test."

In his own words:

"America is the only nation founded on an idea—not an identity. That idea is the notion that the condition of your birth does not determine the outcome of your life. Our rights are natural. They come from God, not government. 

"While it was a beautiful idea, it had never been tried before. Early on, as our founders struggled to establish a suitable order, they decided that we would not maintain this idea by force. In the first Federalist paper, Alexander Hamilton wrote that 'in politics,' it is 'absurd to aim at making' converts 'by fire and sword.' Instead, we would govern ourselves, with the people’s consent. ... There was no manual for how to do this. That’s why they call it the American experiment."

The Supreme Court of the United States

A concern of Ryan's that led him to deliver this groundbreaking speech is the loss of faith and trust that many Americans have in institutions, and especially in government—and for good reason.  Said Ryan:

"Our political discourse—both the kind we see on TV and the kind we experience among each other—did not use to be this bad and it does not have to be this way. Now, a little skepticism is healthy. But when people distrust politics, they come to distrust institutions. They lose faith in their government, and the future too. We can acknowledge this. But we don’t have to accept it. And we cannot enable it either.

"My dad used to say, if you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem. So I have made it a mission of my Speakership to raise our gaze and aim for a brighter horizon. Instead of talking about what politics is today, I want to talk about what politics can be. I want to talk about what our country can be…about what our Founders envisioned it to be."

Freedom Focused does not endorse political figures or candidates.  It does, however, endorse the United State of America as the greatest nation in the world—a nation that, as Abraham Lincoln once put it, is "The last best hope of Earth."  As such, we enthusiastically endorse Speaker Ryan's non-partisan speech on political civility given last week in the chambers of the House Ways and Means Committee in the National Capitol in Washington D.C.

We endorse this speech because the principles set forth therein harmonize with our own comprehensive EDUCATIONAL vision of what America can be when INDIVIDUALS reign in their behavior with the bridle of self-discipline, self-restraint, and self-regulation rooted in the Universal Laws and True Principles that govern all human behavioral pursuits.  These laws and principles are outlined in the Self-Action Leadership Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn about the SAL Theory & Model. 

President Theodore Roosevelt served our Country as Commander-in-Chief for seven years, from 1901-1910.  At 42, he was the youngest president in our nation's history.  He ascended the office unexpectedly when President William McKinley was shot dead by an assassins bullet just six months into his second term.  Despite his youth and relative inexperience, President Roosevelt is almost universally recognized as one of our nation's greatest Presidents.  In fact, he is the only President who lived past the year 1865 to have his image engraved upon Mount Rushmore.  

In 1910, Roosevelt traveled to Paris, France, where he addressed students and faculty at a world famous University—The Sorbonne.  What would later become known as his "Citizenship in a Republic" speech, Roosevelt proclaimed that in a republic,"The quality of the Individual Citizen is Supreme."  He went on to say:

"Under other forms of government, under the rule of one man or very few men, the quality of the leaders is all-important. ... But with ... us the case is different.  With ... us ... in the long run, success or failure will be conditioned upon the way in which the average man, the average woman, does his or her duty, first in the ordinary, every-day affairs of life, and next in those great occasional cries which call for heroic virtues.  The average citizen must be a good citizen if our republics are to succeed.  The stream will not permanently rise higher than the main source; and the main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation.  Therefore it behooves us to do our best to see that the standard of the average citizen is kept high; and the average cannot be kept high unless the standard of the leaders is very much higher." 

"The upward course of a nation's history is due in the long run to the soundness of heart of its average men and women."

~ Queen Elizabeth II 

One of the reasons we at Freedom Focused believe America is the greatest nation on Earth is because we have been blessed with a high concentration of the highest quality citizens and leaders throughout our 229 year history.

If the twenty-first century is to become a new American Century, leaders and citizens alike are going to have to elevate their game intellectually, morally, and practically speaking.

In order to focus firmly on the future, we must hearken back to the leadership examples of men and women like George Washington, Abigail Adams, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Barbara Bush, and Paul Ryan.  Likewise, we must more firmly follow in the footsteps of citizens like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Tubman, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Clara Barton, George Washington Carver, Amelia Earhart, and Rosa Parks.    

Leaders and other high-profile role models have a duty to use the
"Bully-Pulpit" to speak up and out about the importance of leadership &
character development.  More importantly, they have a responsibility to
exemplify sterling character and honest leadership themselves. 

Self-Action Leadership is a message that serves as a concrete tool for the development of QUALITY citizens and leaders.  It is also aimed at urging leaders in business, politics, education, religion, the media, and pop culture to think more seriously about the impact their words and actions (and lack thereof) are having on those whom they lead and influence.  Lastly, it is designed to serve as an invitation to these same leaders and high profile role models to creatively and strategically utilize their various bully pulpits to promote thoughts, speech, actions, and policies that contribute to the development of quality citizens and leaders.  

Too often leaders and other high profile role models behave in ways that encourage their followers to speak and act in ways that prove detrimental—and even dangerous—to themselves and others.  No amount of money, stardom, fame, or even charity or philanthropy can compensate for the damage caused by leaders, role models, or so-called "Stars" who influence bad behavior in others by their own narcissistic or hedonistic speech, actions, or so-called art.  Theodore Roosevelt, in his speech at the Sorbonne, put it this way:

"It is a sign of marked political weakness in any commonwealth if the people tend to be carried away by mere oratory, if they tend to value words in and for themselves, as divorced from the deeds for which they are supposed to stand. The phrase-maker, the phrase-monger, the ready talker, however great his power, whose speech does not make for courage, sobriety, and right understanding, is simply a noxious element in the body politic, and it speaks ill for the public if he [or she] has power over them."

Eliciting a resurgence of American greatness can only occur as individual citizens—and the leaders that govern them—commit to self-purification.  Our nation's outer image and standard can only be purified as individual citizens rise to the challenge of becoming quality people in what we each think about, say, do, and contribute.

Speaker Ryan's father was right, each individual citizen—by virtue of his or her thoughts, speech, and actions—is either part of the problem or part of the solution to any given challenge or dilemma.  It is time for us to individually commit to leading ourselves in such a way that ensures we will be part of solutions rather than problems.

At Freedom Focused, we believe that America is a special country—a nation among nations.  This belief does not spring from an arrogant notion that we are existentially superior to citizens of others nations.  We are not!  Our belief in merely an outgrowth of our recognition of the vital role we play as the current World Superpower endowed with the privileges of a singular geography, access to abundant natural resources, and a populace that ranks among the most diverse and educated on the planet.  It has been said that where much is given, much is expected and required.  In the United States, we have been given much!  Our superior blessings necessitate we attend to our duty to lead morally and serve diligently.

In the history of the world, there has never been another superpower as benevolent and generous as the United States has been since our ascension to superpower status following World War II.  Nor has any erstwhile superpower shown more imperial restraint than the U.S.A. has since defeating the Axis power with her allies in 1945.

We are not perfect—no nation is—but the future peace, opportunity, and prosperity of the rest of the world rests largely on the shoulders of the leaders and citizens of the United States.  As we go, so goes the rest of the world.  It therefore behooves us ALL to square our shoulders to the duties and responsibilities we have to rise to the stature of our calling as examples and leaders to the rest of the world.

At Freedom Focused, we believe the founding of America, including the irrevocable truths contained in our founding documents—The Declaration of Independence & Constitution—are divinely inspired.  Moreover, we believe that individuals who construct their own lives according to similar principles of liberty, self-governance, and the rule of [natural] law, will be much more successful in the long-run than those who do not.

For this reason, we have established the SAL Theory & Model, which elucidate the comprehensive principles of personal leadership that every individual can study, internalize, and then apply in their lives to obtain predictably positive results in their lives, homes, careers, neighborhoods, and beyond.  We also teach the value of drafting one's own Self-Declaration of Independence and Constitution to serve as guiding blueprints to the life construction you can intentionally engage—if only you will.

Click HERE and scroll toward the bottom of article to read more about writing your own Self-Declaration of Independence & Constitution.

Click HERE to watch a video of Dr. Jordan Jensen explaining the principle of writing a Self-Declaration of Independence & Constitution.

Click HERE to buy Dr. Jordan Jensen's book — SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP — to learn more about these exciting principles that made a great nation, and can, in-turn, make a great YOU.

Note: This article is one of SIX articles in a special series dedicated to different AUDIENCES that Freedom Focused specifically targets with Self-Action Leadership training. We invite leaders and managers of these different audiences to click on links below to read the articles pertaining to your field or constituency.

Click HERE to access article for  BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS (Leaders, Managers, & Workers)

Click HERE to access article for  EDUCATORS  (Administrators, Teachers, & Staff)

Click HERE to access article for  STUDENTS & INDIVIDUALS

Click HERE to access article for PARENTS & FAMILIES

Click HERE to access article for ELECTED OFFICIALS, LEADERS, & ROLE MODELS

Click HERE to access article for PERSONS dealing with MENTAL ILLNESS

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SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is the key catalyst for initiating transformational leadership that lasts in any organization. The truth of the matter really is that simple; and the transformation of organizations through the holistic development of individuals really is that difficult—yet altogether possible for anyone willing to invest the time, effort, and sacrifice required to achieve authentic, transformational results.

Unlike any training program that has ever preceded it, Self-Action Leadership provides a single vehicle wherewith individual self-leaders can discover—and then act—upon the great truth that HOLISTIC personal development and growth spanning the mental, moral, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social elements of our individual natures is within the grasp of each one of us.

Note: Freedom Focused is a non-partisan, for-profit, educational corporation. As such, we do not endorse or embrace political figures. We do, however, comment from time-to-time on historical or political events that provide pedagogical backdrops to illuminating principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.

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Click HERE to buy a copy of Dr. Jordan Jensen's new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership, and to review what experts in the leadership field are saying about this groundbreaking new personal development handbook.

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan R. Jensen. Click HERE to visit the Freedom Focused website.