More Hesselbein on Leadership

An Antidote to Cynicism

When a university student and a cadet at West Point ask me the same question, months apart, I have to think about why. Different times, different places, different circumstances, yet the same question: “What makes you so positive?” “Why are you so positive, all the time?”

My reply begins with a somewhat flippant, “Well, you see, even my blood type is B-positive!” Then I go on to explain the “why” I am “so positive.” I tell them, “In my whole lifetime, in my own country I see the lowest level of trust, the highest level of cynicism, yet I am filled with hope for the future of our people, of our country.” Then I go on to tell them why. I talk about this generation now on campuses, at our military academies. This is a different ...