Mission and Leadership: Staying the Course in Difficult Times
April 3, 2003, The Seattle Center

Closing

Nonprofits.

Public Associations.

The space between government and the market.

The third leg of the stool that supports our society and our way of life.

Our own particular mission.

The purpose of our organization.

The way we define who we are.

There is much passion in the work you do, the work we do.

The Greeks warned us of passion driven lives.  They spoke of the need to temper our lives, and the passion in our lives with some classical virtues.

Thomas Michaud, Higher Education Exchange 1999 writes about these virtues.[1]

Virtues for public work, for those of us who fill public spaces:

• Temperance --- balanced self-examination

• Fortitude --- strength of mind and character to take on noble risk

• Prudence -- practical wisdom  make the right choices in personal and social situations

• Hope

Hope is not the same as optimism. Optimism is personal and ego driven (the world will be what I will it to be; my agenda will triumph; I can overcome any obstacle and win; I am sure I am right).

Hope is not ego driven.

• Whatever is best should happen.

• Humble confidence that good will prevail.

• Defererence to basic principles of community, truth, honesty, democracy, deliberation, justice.

• Trust in process and commitment to support process.

I wish you...

And I wish myself...

Less optimism...

And

Much more hope.

Eugene Edgar, Chair
The Evergreen State Society
ebedgar@u.washington.edu