A
Director’s Notebook
Cathy Gorn
Leadership & Legacy in History–Not as Easy as You Might Think!
t first glance, the 2015 NHD theme, Leadership & Legacy in History, seems fairly easy and straightforward. However, it is
not as easy as one would think. We chose the wording of this theme very carefully. The first word is “leadership.” It is not
“leader” or “lead” or “leading.” Although all these words share the same root, each means something slightly different.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online defines these words as follows:
Lead: To guide on a way especially by going in advance; to
direct on a course or in a direction; to serve as a channel for (a
pipe leads water to the house); to go through : (lead a quiet life).
Leader: To direct the operations, activity, or performance
of (lead an orchestra); to have charge of (lead a campaign);
to go at the head of (lead a parade) to be first in or among
(lead the league); to have a margin over (led his opponent);
a person who directs a military force or unit; a person who
has commanding authority or influence.
Leadership: Position as a leader of a group, organization,
etc.; the time when a person holds the position of leader;
the power or ability to lead other people.
The second word in the theme is “legacy.” The dictionary defines
legacy as:
Legacy: Something that happened in the past or that
comes from someone in the past; something transmitted
by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the
past (the legacy of the ancient philosophers).
Watch out!
Looking at the definitions above, we see how the word
“leadership” differs from “lead” and “leader.” For “leadership,” the
key here is the last phrase of the definition: “the power or ability
to lead other people.” For “leader,” the key phrase is “A person
who has commanding authority or influence.” An individual who
demonstrates leadership is someone who has influence, who
can make things happen, who can inspire others to follow. Can
someone “lead the way” without displaying leadership? Of course.
Take note!
The theme is not “Leadership in History.” It is Leadership & Legacy
in History. So if an individual has the ability to inspire others to
follow, legacy is the impact that results. What was the historical
significance of George Washington’s leadership on the course of
events? What was the significance of his leadership in history? Can
someone be a leader without providing a legacy? Certainly. But
does that, then, constitute leadership? Probably not; thus, it would
not fit the theme of Leadership and Legacy in History.
Look out!
2
Because someone does something extraordinary, do they display
leadership? Not necessarily. Is a scientist a leader? Does a
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015
scientist display leadership because he or she invents something
that is historically significant? Not necessarily. But if that scientist
inspires others to follow him or her, in searching for a cure to
cancer for example, is that leadership? Seems more likely.
American paratroopers were among the first of the Allies to
begin the Normandy Invasion on D-Day. Does that mean that
they displayed leadership? No, they were brave and heroic, but
going first is not leadership.
Uh oh!
Can an organization provide leadership? Perhaps. Did the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference provide leadership
for the Civil Rights Movement? Usually, an individual at the
head of the organization provides the leadership that moves
an organization in a certain direction, at least in the beginning.
What was its legacy?
Follow my lead!
If someone provides leadership and inspires others to follow,
what about those followers? Some tend to think of “follower” as
something negative or less than important, but its meaning is
quite straightforward:
Follower: Someone who supports and is guided by
another person or by a group, religion, etc.
That definition is not negative, and neither is being a follower.
How can an individual provide leadership without having
followers? Followers are critical to helping a leader reach his
or her goal. When the Allies invaded Normandy, were they
displaying leadership? No, they were following orders. It was
an extraordinary feat that they accomplished, and they did it
because General Dwight D. Eisenhower inspired them with his
leadership. Leadership does not have to come from the very top,
however. Sometimes it is a commander of a unit who inspires his
men to follow, or an individual soldier who takes charge when
others could not and inspires his fellow s