Julian Bond's Deathgrip on the NAACP

When Julian Bond announced his intention to give up the leadership of the NAACP as its board chair, I was certainly all for the idea, but completely skeptical that it would result in a change that would make the organization more relevant into the future.

So imagine my total lack of surprise when Bond announced that based on an outpouring of support and encouragement (I suspect its more fear and cronyism at play) that he would once again seek the chairmanship.

Despite eloquent pleas to pass the baton to new, capable leadership from NAACP members themselves, I doubt that other board members of the NAACP will have the courage to say no to Bond's wish to take yet another turn at the helm and look to the future. Out of fear of change or antipathy to the hard work of organizational development, they will likely take the path of least resistance and re-elect Bond. When they do, it will simply be a further example of their loss of relevance and balance.

NAACP Leadership Change Insufficient to Reverse Continuing Decline in Relevance

Julian Bond has announced his intention not to stand for re-election as board chair of the NAACP when his current term expires. Bond said "I'm ready to let a new generation of leaders lead".

Generational change in leadership at the NAACP board level and in local communities is a long overdue and necessary step, but not sufficient. It must be accompanied by a significant increase in the quality of strategic leadership at national and local levels. At both levels, the simple organizational capability to run effective meetings, analyze problems, then develop and carry out a strategic, relevant response over time has been either lost or surrendered in pursuit of narrow political agendas or the retention of most favored gate keeper status. The Urban League is similarly afflicted. I have scant confidence that the change in leadership at the top will result in a complete rethinking of the NAACP's role, assets, strategy and goals. Visionary and paradigm shaking leadership is what is required. I will be utterly surprised if anything resembling that emerges from the NAACP's long overdue leadership change.

Bond seems to site Obama's election as the catalyst for his decision to make room for new leadership. Far from stirring a paradigm shift though, I suspect Obama's election may only serve to mask the organization's continuing strategic leadership drift.

Obama: The New Gold Standard for Black Leadership

While Obama is no savior and certainly does not want for critics on the right or the left, both black and white, I believe there is no denying that his nomination run has and is setting the new standard by which the success of current and future black leadership will be measured. That is a desirable and satisfactory result.

Future black political leaders, indeed political leaders from other communities of color, can be expected to model on Obama, who is poised to potentially become the first African American to hold the office of the president. I would submit that its not a bad model at all. Lets tick off what works: A first rate education, outstanding fundraising and money management skills, a powerful communicator, a culturally congruent life partner, clear ability to lead a team with integrity, transparency and effectiveness. Obama's continued success is raising the bar for what black America will consider acceptable, successful and effective leadership. This is perhaps his single greatest contribution to Black America

The Trouble with Rudy

Giuliani Meets High Expectations - Yahoo! News

Ross Kaminsky, a writer for Yahoo News opines on Rudy Giuliani:

"Seeing Rudy in the room of supporters of which half were women reinforced my opinion that Giuliani has the best prospects among suburban women, soccer moms, and single women because of his focus on security and his ability to couch deep political principle in language that relates well to just getting things done in every day life. The women were at least as interactive with him and as engaged by his answers as the men. Rudy simply does not come across as the same generic power-seeking white-collar male as the other candidates do."

Uhhh, I don't think so. Here's the trouble with Rudy. I'll grant that right now, Rudy looks good. I like him. I like that his thinking appears to be very pragmatic. But we are still quite early. And while Ross seems to think Rudy's got a good shot with women, I think its an achille's heel issue. The conventional logic says that women will vote for the alpha male protector Giuliani as exemplified by his 9/11 image because they want security and to be protected. I'm starting to think this is a lot of wishful male analysis. Because over and over the women I know or talk with (an unrepresentative sample to be sure) count him out with contempt. However favorable their opinion of his 9/11 leadership may be, I've yet to see it outweigh their judgment of a man who moved his mistress into the Mayor's mansion and who's children have nothing to do with him. That says volumes to woman on a score of issue points they care about as well.