Letter to the Editor: The personal is the political

To the editor:

Last week I was invited to present evidence based material at a mental health conference held in Northeast Pennsylvania. My topic: The roots of dysfunctional leadership in families, work settings, on boards, and in elected and appointed office. The number of Trump-Vance signs dotting this trip seemed more abundant than those noting Harris-Walz. My surprise was not the signs, but the tight body of Trump supporters in my field who were present at the conference.  

To briefly summarize three of several essentials noted during the session I led: In a functional setting, anxiety flows upward. There is always someone to hear your concerns, thoughts, opinions respectfully and respond to them. In a dysfunctional setting anxiety from the leader is imposed from the top accompanied by threat, ridicule, and demeaning, humiliating verbiage. The goal to control and induce fear of a thought or opinion the leader disagrees with, causing either withdrawal or discord within a group. My second point: the state of dignity, a combination of pride and humility, is the sign of both a healthy citizen and leader. In other words, one experiences self-worth, but also knows that all others are just as worthy. Thirdly, the state of dignity begins to take root because someone — it does not have to be the parent! — loves the child. 

Two walked out of my presentation, one politely, and one throwing up her hands in disgust, loudly stating, “I’m otta here,” slamming the door behind her. The next day, she found me alone at a table during a session break, approaching with an attack: “This conference is not political, and you were political.” My response: “In today’s dangerous time personal development and politics cannot be separated. My session did not cover political issues. It covered the character development necessary for trustworthy leadership.” I asked her why she did not remain in the session to discuss her views, explaining that doing so would have added depth and quality to our time together. Adding “Civil discourse is so needed today. You had much to contribute.” She responded that the majority would not have been interested. I assured her she was wrong about this. 

A few hours later someone who sat through my session quietly approached me, with these words: “A different perspective was offered in our time together. I had been caught up believing that my family no longer mattered to present leadership. I understand now what is at stake if I vote for who I came to this conference supporting.” My eyes misted as we said one word in unison, “Everything.”

SaraKay Smullens
Philadelphia

Submitted to The Philadelphia Inquirer November 1, 2024