Profiles in Values-based Leadership: Phil Andrew

I usually post on Monday or Tuesday, but with the Illinois primary next week, I wanted to send this post today.

I have three requests:

Please take two minutes to watch the following video that a good friend sent me yesterday. I think it will help you reflect and maybe ask yourself what role should each of us play as American citizens regarding our ability to preserve our democracy (as I ask participants in almost all of my talks, “Are you watching the movie or are you in the movie?”

Please take the time to vote. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, I would encourage you to take the time to vote. It amazes me the number of people, regardless of party, that complain that they are dissatisfied with their current representatives. However, when I ask whether they actually took the time to vote, most say they did not. I find it interesting why people complain about the current situation when they don’t do anything about it. So once again, I repeat one of my favorite questions, “Are you watching the movie or are you in the movie?” If you don’t like the current situation, I would encourage you to find people you think could do a better job representing you and vote for them (I realize this sounds like common sense, but as we all know, common sense is not common 😂).
I am often asked for examples of someone running for office who is a values-based leader. The first example that always comes to my mind is Phil Andrew, who is currently running in the ninth district of Illinois. I have known Phil as a neighbor and a fellow parent. When he told me he was running for office, it was the first time I decided I wanted to personally get involved and help a candidate in any way possible. Why? you may ask. For me, Phil is a strong leader who achieves all four of my values based principles:
- He is very self reflective and self-aware. Having survived a tragic shooting and served more than 20 years as an FBI agent and hostage negotiator, this is a guy who has clearly “been in the movie” rather than just talking about it.
- He has a very balanced perspective. Rather than operating at one of the two political extremes, he is a moderate who is capable of taking the time to understand multiple perspectives, regardless of party affiliation. He operates consistently with my favorite St. Francis quote, “I seek to understand before being understood.”
- He has “true self-confidence.” In my discussions with Phil, he is very aware of what he knows and what he doesn’t know, and he is very open to seeking advice from others and – gasp! – even willing to change his mind when there’s a better answer. We need more of that in our government.
- Finally, he exhibits “genuine humility.” When I give him credit for something, Phil’s first response is to let me know all of the people who really made it happen. Phil truly understands the importance of respecting and caring for every fellow human being.

Even if you are not voting in the ninth district of Illinois, I thought it would be helpful for you to examine Phil Andrew’s background if you’re looking for examples of the type of individual we need in Washington.

Here is background on Phil Andrew. Watch the one minute video from Coach Steve Kerr. Steve summarizes why a vote for Phil is a vote for a true values-based leader!👍👍