[Vision2020] Ineffective Leadership Principles of Robert E. Lee

[Melynda Huskey]

Sean's question appears to be:  are the qualities attributed to Lee by H.W. 
Crocker and borrowed by Paul Kimmell admirable in and of themselves?  He 
implies a follow up--if they are admirable, why not admire them as embodied 
by Lee, without reference to other, less admirable traits or positions?

While I myself admire generosity, gentleness, and nobility in the abstract, 
I don't believe they occur in human beings without a context.  The 
deeply-held religious principles of Hammas or the Inquisition are not in 
themselves a good, since their context is one of destruction and human 
suffering.  The generosity of Robert E. Lee to other white men is not in 
itself a good, since he was incapable of fully extending that generosity to 
men and women who were not white.  We could multiply examples of notorious 
figures in history who had some good qualities counterbalanced by evil ones. 
  Osama bin Laden is a hell of a fundraiser, very organized, and 
self-disciplined--fine qualities in a business leader--but don't get out the 
Powerpoint just yet.

Context-bound as we are, when Lee is held up as a moral example, we are 
likely to divide into two camps:  those for whom the evil of racism 
outweighs any personal good in Lee's character, and those for whom Lee's 
personal virtues outweigh his commitment to racism.

So the question is not, "Did Robert E. Lee have any leadership qualities 
worthy of emulation?" but "Is Robert E. Lee the best possible example of a 
leader for local business people to learn about and emulate?"

Melynda Huskey