The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham

John Paul Jones, of course, did go on to become a great cap-
tain, perhaps by heeding Franklin’s advice. With Billy, there’s no
perhaps. Benjamin Franklin’s counsel to John Paul Jones
describes Billy’s practice of leadership perfectly. If anything, he
would praise people a bit more than they might deserve. He
would claim more of the fault for prob-
lems as his own. But this was not manip-
ulation. His colleagues knew he really felt
that way about their contributions, as
well as their importance as persons, and
that he saw his own role in a humble
light.
Billy’s friend, the highly successful
businesswoman and entrepreneur Mary
Kay Ash, said, “Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from his
neck saying, ‘Make Me Feel Important!’ Never forget this mes-
sage when working with people.”
She understood the emotional dynamics of leadership and the
necessity of praise as a regular ingredient. An English proverb
observes, “Old praise dies, unless you feed it.” People need reas-
surance and a regular flow of encouragement.
That’s especially true during the rough times, and when some-
one has messed up. Mary Kay has advice for handling that:
“Never giving criticism without praise is a strict rule for me. No
matter what you are criticizing, you must find something good to
say—both beforeand after... criticize the act, not the person.”

Set the Pace!
The leader raises the bar and knows that he or she must be
first to meet its demands. The leader must set the pace and com-
municate enthusiasm for running the race.
Fred Smith illustrates this with the spirit of a music director:
“One of the toughest bandmasters I ever knew was Willy Fenten,
a German who produced a championship high school band year
after year. I can still hear him hollering at the trumpet player, ‘You
can’t play like that and play in this band! This is a championship

The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham

You may be able to compel

people to maintain certain

minimum standards by

stressing duty, but the

highest moral and spiritual

achievements depend not

upon a push but a pull.

REINHOLD NIEBUHR