How to Become a Leader

I heard Bay Buchanan speak at the Women's Law School of Whittier College. She was Reagan's Secretary of the Treasury and supposedly the youngest of all that have ever served. She tells a funny story about how she really needed to find out if that was true, so she asks the permanent assistant, who had been there for years, to find out if this is true so that she wouldn't be accused of misleading the press. The assistant says,"We have all the information right here, I'll get back to you right away." He reports back, saying, "Yes, you are the youngest. You're the youngest because all the others are dead." She thought, ah, the problem with bureaucratic systems of employment.
Her speech today was about becoming a leader. So it didn't matter what her politics are in this matter. It is about leadership and confidence. She admitted becoming Secretary of the Treasury was way over her head. But, she had been Reagan's National Treasury Secretary for his campaign and that's what she wanted when he became President. Although, she also admitted, she hadn't thought of it at first because she was working 7 days a week with the campaign. Her brother Pat told her she has to pick now because if she waited until Reagan was in office, it would be too late, and someone else would have moved in on the job. So she got what she wanted, and then felt overwhelmed. At first, she said she kept her mouth closed and let the powers that be talk and talk. She did not want to reveal her ignorance. But she knew the time would come that she had to speak up and know what she was talking about. Her brother again advised her. "Read the back of the Wall Street Journal until you understand exactly what it is saying." She studied it, did her homework, and became a leader in her position.
She also knew she had to be strong and not afraid to state her positions. She said, "If you feel afraid to say what is in your heart, you are not ready to be a leader."
She expressed the fact that being strong in debate is a process. Once you have centered on your opinion and where you stand, when someone else's argument throws you a curve, learn from it. Gather together people who agree with you, and find out their arguments. Learn many different points of view that will strengthen you stance. And always speak from you heart. This is how you become a leader.