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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2009)
Page 4 The INDEPENDENT, December 3, 2009 There are significant differences between “leadership” and “power” King George III asked Ben- jamin West, his American painter, what George Washing- ton would do if he prevailed in the Revolutionary War. West replied, “He will return to his farm.” The British monarch in- credulously said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” On Decem- ber 23, 1783, Washington did just that and retired to Mount Vernon – despite the encour- agement of many to stay in power. Despite the willingness of Americans to crown him king. Thirteen years later, he would do it once again. In 1787, Washington was coaxed back to Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional Con- vention. While there he provid- ed the leadership necessary to get the fractious delegates to settle down and complete the work of designing a new consti- tution. Afterwards, in 1789, he was elected the first President of the United States. He reluc- tantly ran for a second term in 1792. He refused to run for a third term, setting a precedent that lasted 150 years, and re- tired once again to his farm. Abraham Lincoln said, “If you want to test a man’s char- acter – give him power.” George Washington passed that test. Twice in his life he walked away from power and proved that he was indeed the greatest man in the world. He demonstrated that leadership is something that you give – not take – and that power should be used responsibly. Washington died in 1799, the year that Napoleon Bona- parte became the ruler of France. In contrast to Washing- ton, Napoleon could not ac- quire enough power. His leg- endary lust for command drove him to take over much of Eu- rope. “Power is my mistress,” he once claimed, “I have worked too hard at her con- quest to allow anyone to take her away from me.” Years later, having lost all power and living in exile, he lamented “They wanted me to be another Washington.” History is rife with stories of people who abused their pow- er. Abuse of power, however, is not just reserved for politicians and tyrants. It can be abused by managers, spouses, par- ents, peers and the list goes on. It is the lure of dominance over others, when it motivates people toward leadership roles, that is revealing. It reveals un- certainty, lack of confidence and fear. It is said that power corrupts, but more often than not, it is a corrupted individual who is at- tracted to power. It is a feeling of inferiority, sometimes called a Napoleon Complex, that drives someone to control other people and to micro-manage their surroundings. Today we call such a person a Control Freak. Science fiction author, Robert Heinlein noted, “Anyone who wants to be a politician shouldn’t be allowed to be one.” When we look at Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of Human Motivation (Survival, Safety, Social, Esteem, Fulfillment), we see that someone who hungers for power is stuck in the second to bottom level which is Safety. A true leader has self-esteem and self-confidence and does not seek power to bolster his or her feeling of self worth. Thomas Jefferson observed that, “An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.” A true leader is motivated by a goal. A goal common to his group whether that group is a company or a country. If you find yourself attracted to lead- ership, stop and check your motivation. Are you driven to share your gift of understand- ing in the endeavor of achiev- ing a goal, or are you motivated by perquisites of position and the power you have over oth- ers? As John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Jobless numbers show little change Columbia County’s season- ally adjusted unemployment rate was 13.4 percent in Octo- ber, essentially unchanged from the previous month (13.8%) and higher than the year before (7.9%). The rate was above the statewide rate (11.3%) and the national rate (10.2%). Total employment climbed by 65 to 21,518 but the number of unemployed people rose by 39 to 3,070. Total em- ployment this October was 1,247 fewer than one year be- fore and there were 1,252 more people unemployed this year. Community Calendar VERNONIA Alcoholics Anonymous Mondays 6:30 p.m., 410 North Street Alcoholics Anonymous Thursdays (Big Book Study) 7:00 p.m., 410 North Street American Legion Post #119 2nd Thursday 7:00 p.m., 627 Adams Avenue Booster Club 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., VHS Library Boy Scout Troop 201 Tuesdays 7:00 p.m., Scout Cabin Boy Scout Troop 860 Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., LDS Church Cemetery Beautification Comm. 2nd Thursday 6:30 p.m., City Hall CERT 4th Wednesday For Info Call 503-429-3018 Chamber of Commerce 2nd Wednesday For Info Call 503-429-6081 Community Coalition 2nd Monday 12:30 p.m. School District Ofc. Cub Scout Pack 201 Scout Cabin For Info Call 503-429-4250 Friends of the Library 1st Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Vernonia Library Girl Scouts, Neighborhood 4-2 For Info Call 503-819-0143 Hands On Art Committee 1st & 3rd Thursdays 4:00 p.m., City Hall Izaak Walton League 3rd Thursday For location call 503-429-7193 Lions Club 1st & 3rd Tuesdays 6:30 p.m., Buckhorn Restaurant Municipal Airport Committee 4th Thursday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Pioneer Museum For Info Call 503-429-3713 Public Works Committee 4th Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Cares Directors For Info call 503-429-1414 Vernonia City Council 1st & 3rd Mondays 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Community PTA 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., WGS Library Vernonia Grange 3rd Monday 7:00 p.m., Grange Hall Vernonia Health Center 2nd Monday 6:00 p.m., 510 Bridge St. Vernonia Learning Center 1st Wednesday 6:00 p.m., VLC Vernonia Parks Committee 3rd Wednesday 6:30 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Planning Comm. 1st & 3rd Thursdays 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Pride 2nd Thursday 1:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Ridge Riders Last Thursday 7:00 p.m., Senior Center Vernonia RFPD Board 2nd Tuesday 6:00 p.m., Fire Station Vernonia School Board 2nd Thursday 6:00 p.m., District Office Vernonia Sr. Center Board 2nd Friday 1:00 p.m., Senior Center Vernonia Transfer Station 2nd & 4th Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Behind VHS Vern. Volunteer Ambulance Assoc. 1st, 3rd & 4th Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Fire Station Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters 2nd Monday 7:00 p.m., Fire Station WOEC Directors 3rd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., WOEC MIST-BIRKENFELD M-BRFPD Board Business Mtg. 2nd Tuesday M-BRFPD Board Workshop 4th Tuesday M-B Ambulance Drill 1st & 2nd Thursdays M-B Fire Drill 1st & 2nd Wednesdays M-B Helping Circle 2nd Monday M-B SAR Drill 3rd Wednesday M-B Volunteer Assoc. 1st Tuesday Natal Grange 2nd Wednesday T.O.P.S. Mondays Upr Nehalem Watershed Council For date call 429-0869 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:30 p.m., Natal Grange Hall 9:00 a.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station BANKS Alcoholics Anonymous Fridays 7:30 p.m., Methodist Church Alcoholics Anonymous Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Methodist Church American Legion Post #90 2nd Tuesdays 7:30 p.m., Main Street Post Banks City Council 2nd Tuesday 7:30 p.m., City Hall Banks Fire District #13 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., Station 13 Banks Library Commission 3rd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Library Banks Planning Commission Last Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Banks School Board 2nd Monday 7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library Banks Youth Group Sundays, Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg. Chamber of Commerce 1st Thursday 12:30 p.m., Fire District Office CPO 14 3rd Monday 7:00 p.m., City Library Friends of the Library 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Library Lions Club 1st & 3rd Mondays 7:00 p.m., Brown Derby Sunset Park Assoc. 3rd Wednesday 8:00 p.m., Gun Club T.O.P.S. Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., Administration Bldg. COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.) Board of Commissioners Wednesdays 1:00 p.m., Courthouse Citizens for Senior Justice 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Sunset Park Church Columbia Soil & Water District 3rd Wednesday 7:30 p.m., NRCS , 2514 Sykes County Fair Board 2nd Monday 6:00 p.m., Fairgrounds 4-H Bldg. County Parks Commission 3rd Tuesday Times vary, 1054 Oregon St. Mental Health Advisory Comm. Quarterly For Info call 503-397-7211 Comm. on Children & Families 3rd Thursday 5:30 p.m. OSU Ext., 505 N. Hwy. 30 Quarterly For Info call 503-397-7211 Local Alcohol & Drug Plann. Comm. Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410 or by mail to The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.
