The Dr. John Bedker Leadership Podcast

Michael Lewis’s new book Who is Government, The Untold Story of Public Service, is highlighted in this episode. One essay from Casey Cep called The Sentinel is focused on and read from. The essay highlights the good of public survival and public servants. Ronald E. Walters, the leader of the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is highlighted. Ron Walters is an exemplary public servant. Ron Walters is an exemplary leader.

The first impression of the Trump administration’s effort to negotiate a peace between Ukraine and Russia was an abysmal failure. This makes getting the next steps, even more important. The Finnish President, Alexander Stubb, in an interview with the Atlantic Council’s Frederick Kempe at the Munich Security Conference, details three key points to advancing peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. This episode discusses each of these three key points.

You never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is key in negotiations. This week President Trump began negotiations with senior representatives from the United States and Russia in Saudi Arabia. Absent were representatives from Ukraine. Also absent were representatives from Europe and the NATO alliance. This first impression and what President Trump has said has caused alarm around the world. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. Trump’s first impression was a resounding leadership failure.

This first two weeks of the Trump Presidency 2.0 has been appalling. The words fealty and autocrat are commonly used to describe President Trump's actions and conduct during his first two weeks. Real estate transactions as American policy is anything but leadership. The many and varied attempts to remove people, services, offices, and entire agencies from the federal government are not what voters expected when they voted Trump into office. They expected him to help them. He has not.

A call to action is an important and effective leadership tool, a tool essential for us all to engage as we enter 2025. Misinformation, disinformation, and lying must be challenged. Leaders from any and all political persuasions must speak the truth, be grounded in facts, and call out that which is simply not true. Leaders are not perfect, but seeking to do the right thing is their halcyon call. 2025 is a Call to Action time for leaders.

The 39th President of the United States will be laid to rest this week in Plains, Georgia. Jimmy Carter was a man of faith and resilience. Steadfast in his core values, his respect for others, and his lifelong quest to do the right thing are cornerstones for Jimmy Carter, the leader. He has been attributed to living a life of the beatitudes. It seems an appropriate and accurate description.  Jimmy Carter’s post-presidency, without the backdrop of the political stage, shows Jimmy Carter as a true leader.

Happy Holidays! As we close out 2024 I encourage everyone to think about this past year - where we’ve been, when we are, and to think about charting the course for the coming new year. This episode focuses on a Thought Leader, Paul Krugman, who has done just that. For the past 25 years, Paul Krugman has written opinion pieces for the New York Times. He is retiring. Today, we read his last column.

Innovation is the foundation of America’s success. From our very beginnings to today we have ridden innovation wave to innovation wave. We are now entering our sixth wave of innovation, the move from fossil fuels to green and sustainable technologies. Highlighted in this episode are two companies, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. Each seeks to bring electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL) to public transportation - piloted vehicles carrying up to four passengers, and payloads up to 1,000 pounds. 

Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States of America. He has won the Electoral College, the popular vote, The US Senate, and the US House of Representatives. He has literal control of the Supreme Court and is immune from prosecution in his presidential acts. He is in control.  Leadership could not be more important in these troubling times. This episode offers a brief response to what leaders can and should do when our elected leader is not a leader.

With one week to go until the Presidential election in the United States, I thought it important to pause, and exhale from the barrage of media to seek votes and final campaign contributions. This episode celebrates an unknown, but truly exemplary leader, Thelma Mothershed Wair. She passed away this past week. She was a member of the Little Rock Nine, and the first black girl to integrate a previous white-only high school.