5 Lessons In Leadership From The Ford-Kavanaugh Hearing
There was much to learn.
Like many Americans, I watched the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing with testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford.
While I certainly possess opinions—both personal and legal (I earned my JD from Georgetown Law)—about the proceedings and outcomes, it’s the leadership lessons that stand out from what I witnessed. The hearing was replete with teaching moments that any lead could benefit, whether at a large enterprise, a non-profit organization, a start-up or a family.
Here are the five leadership points that hit me the hardest:
1. You don’t have to be an expert on everything.
Throughout the hearing, subjects ran the gamut from U.S. Federal Rules of Evidence to neuroscience to drinking games. Regardless of your political opinions, let’s agree that all participants in the proceedings were highly educated and likely more informed than your average person. Still, when Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford was questioned by Arizona prosecutor Rachel Mitchell who mentioned the use of “exculpatory evidence,” at the risk of sounding ignorant, Dr. Ford said: “I don’t know what exculpatory evidence is.”
In front of millions, on live television, an individual with four advanced degrees admitted she did not know something. She made the right call because when we pretend to know more than we do, we risk undermining our own credibility. I wonder what else we risk by assuming we understand. More importantly, what could we gain by admitting what we don’t know?
It’s in these moments of vulnerability that true dialogue begins. You allow others to share what they know—to share their own experiences. It’s in these moments that leaders build trust and credibility about their experience. And it’s in these moments leaders can display vulnerability. Dr. Brené Brown, who has researched vulnerability across a variety of environments puts it this way: “Vulnerability is the absolute heartbeat of innovation and creativity. There can be zero innovation without vulnerability.” So I have to ask, are we sacrificing everything that really matters by choosing to be know-it-alls?
2. Good manners go a long way.
Two people were subjected to hours of questioning in the same environment, yet the demeanor and energies of these hearings could not have been more different. Let’s put aside that one person accused the other. And let’s also put aside what we think we know about the political leanings of the participants. Instead, let’s focus on the basics of the manners observed, meaning their outward behavior and their way of behaving towards others.
Here’s my takeaway: interrupting makes you look like an asshole. At its core, interrupting says, “My voice means more than your voice.” Again, set aside interruptions made as are part of rules outlined for hearings of this type (e.g. timing, who has the floor, etc.). There was no shortage of interruptions from all sides during the hours and hours of the hearing.
Everyone believes they had a very good reason for interjecting while another is speaking, but the result is always the same: the interrupter’s influence is reduced. Interrupting while another is speaking impacts how people see you, tarnishes your personal brand and leads to ineffective interpersonal interactions. Leaders should hold themselves to a higher standard. Leaders embrace a beginnings mindset to prioritize listening over speaking above others. By harnessing the power of the pause, leaders can give themselves more time to process and, perhaps, spark more meaningful discussion more often.
3. Ask for what you need
While few of us will participate in congressional hearings, most of us, at some point in our lives, will attend long meetings or events where our brains, emotions, and stamina will be tested. The Kavanaugh hearing was on the extreme end of all of the above, yet both Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford asked for what they needed; whether a break, a moment to read/review, or a Coke. Sometimes as leaders, we take the approach of “leaders eat last” or even believe we must be martyrs. While there may be times that adage holds true, I’d argue if you aren’t taking care of yourself, you’re likely not doing a good job taking care of your team and your business.
4. Saying less is usually more
During the hearing, Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh were permitted to give opening statements without time limit. Dr. Ford’s took about 17 minutes, while Judge Kavanaugh took about 44 minutes. Joseph McCormack’s research reveals that not being brief can lead an audience to doubt a speaker’s message. According to McCormack, human beings can absorb 750 words a minute audibly, while the average person speaks at 150 words a minute, “the elusive 600” words available leaves listeners open to feeling bored or engaging in ways that lead to productive dialogue.
The issue is this: the longer you speak, the more you run the risk of losing listeners. Mark Twain said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Being brief takes preparation because “you have to make a lot of decisions about what’s essential [...] for that [audience] in that moment in time.” Taking the time for this exercise means what you do say will be impactful. Leaders want to have impact. Saying less usually leads to more impact.
This brings me to my final observation.
5. Prepare and edit
Judge Kavanaugh began his remarks by stating that he wrote his opening statement the day before and that only one person had seen it. For the sake of argument, let’s assume this is true. He seemed to say it as a point of pride, but this explains the statement’s lack of impact (to my ear, anyway...I expected more organization as a legal scholar). Consider any other stage equal to the one Kavanaugh experienced—in corporate, it’s comparable to earnings meetings and product launches or seeking a round of funding and pitching to new clients. I cannot imagine waiting until the day before to prepare materials for these critical events. Nor could I imagine any professional soliciting feedback from only one individual and expecting the next day’s events to be the best it could be.Additional feedback enables us to craft clear, impactful messages. Previewing the message aloud helps us manage potential emotions or connect with an audience more effectively. Practice and feedback from others allows us to uncover the weight, credibility, and impact of our message.
Certainly, both sides of the aisle are feeling the negative impacts of this tumultuous moment in American political life. These five lessons of leadership are a few ways to challenge ourselves to look beyond the obvious, learn from others’ experiences, and interact with each other in meaningful ways.
