Leadership Lessons: The following example is an illustration of how collaborative leaders resolve conflict, communicate effectively at higher levels and make decisions that resolve problems through critical thinking and teamwork. As the other examples on this site, it provides a valuable teaching tool to develop future collaborative leaders.

 
                                                                         Collaborative Leadership and Critical Communication

                                                                                                                                       The Cuban Missile Crisis

      Those of us who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 know how close we came to nuclear holocaust and possibly a third world war. However, few people really understand the collaborative skill that was successfully used by President Kennedy as he contemplated his options during those critical thirteen days in October. How he facilitated collaborative leadership during his high level meetings during this period was essential to his success in communicating effectively, creating critical discourse and ultimately in making the right decision that showed strong leadership while preventing conflict.

     It was early in the Fall of 1962 when Soviet nuclear missiles were discovered in Cuba by U.S. air reconnaissance. As President John F. Kennedy discussed this serious threat to American security with his advisors, the world was poised for a major confrontation. Soon, at the President’s direction, U.S. vessels formed a blockade of all Soviet ships entering Cuban waters. In October of 1962 there was considerable collaborative discussion among Kennedy and his advisors and several communications were sent between the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and President Kennedy. Kennedy left little room for compromise or negotiation with his ultimatum for the removal of the Soviet missiles.

       However, he realized the importance of giving Khrushchev room for saving face without compromising his demands for the removal of the Cuban missiles. When the Soviet Premier sent a letter to Kennedy stating that he would not respond to threats and ultimatums, Kennedy did not answer or react even with some advisors recommending an invasion of Cuba. He also received another communication stating that if Khrushchev would remove the Soviet missiles in Cuba, Kennedy must remove the American missiles in Turkey. Kennedy’s response was still uncompromising, insofar as he made it clear that the Soviet missiles must be removed without any qualification. However, he left enough room for Khrushchev to save face by stating that he would consider the Soviet Premier’s request only after the Cuban missiles were removed.

       It is well documented that Khrushchev was an experienced dictator and advocate of the Soviet policy of world domination. His words, “We will crush you” still ring loudly with memories of the Cold War and aggressive Soviet politics. Also, Khrushchev believed that Kennedy would back down because of his youth and inexperience as a leader. It is important to note that Kennedy did not fair well in their first meeting in Moscow early in his administration. Nevertheless, when his leadership abilities were put to the test, Kennedy chose the uncompromising approach based upon strong collaborative leadership principles and the future well-being of the planet. He knew that America’s safety could not be compromised, but he left room for future discussions on the limitations of nuclear weapons, which helped Khrushchev to save face. History has documented this “Cuban Missile Crisis” as a great victory for Kennedy. However, it was actually a celebration of collaborative leadership and world peace as there were no direct trade-offs or compromises and the world was a safer place as a result. If Kennedy had started to back down and make trade-offs, Khrushchev would have seen this as a clear sign of weakness, and he would have capitalized on it with greater and greater demands. Instead, Kennedy reaffirmed the resolve and principles of true collaborative leadership by working through this crisis for the greater benefit of the world. Adaptive but strong leadership facilitates a safer and a better world for everyone as it responds to crisis in a collaborative and flexible, yet uncompromising way.

     This great collaborative decision that ended the Cuban Missile Crisis was not reached easily. There was considerable pressure by the Joint Chiefs to attack Cuba and remove the missiles by force since they were a direct threat to the United States. Even Robert Kennedy at first supported the idea of using force to remove the missiles even with the great risk of retaliation by the Soviets. However, President Kennedy encouraged his advisors to consider all options and to work through the problem instead of just reacting to it. Soon, the more moderate elements of his staff including Robert Kennedy began to consider and gain support for the blockade of Soviet Ships as a better plan that showed strength while possibly eliminating the need for conflict. After considerable collaborative discussion and critical discourse Kennedy and his staff were able to work through the crisis and make the best decision. As a direct result, the Soviets backed down preventing further confrontation, removed the missiles from Cuba and the rest is history.

 

Note: The above example is excerpted from the book, Collaborative Leadership and Global Transformation by Timothy Stagich, Ph.D.

 

                                                                                       DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. What are the key elements of collaborative leadership demonstrated in the decision making process of The Cuban Missile Crisis?
  2. How did President Kennedy use Critical Communication and Discourse to problem solve and work through the issues confronting him during the crisis?
  3. How was Kennedy “flexible yet uncompromising” in his approach to the crisis and what are the flexible elements and uncompromising principles of his decision making process?
  4. Why do you think President Kennedy was successful in his use of Collaborative Leadership skills during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Compare to other leadership styles and identify the benefits and limitations of each.
  5. Would other leadership approaches have been as successful to the peaceful resolution of this crisis? Identify some other similar successes and compare with some examples of failed leadership in similar situations.
  6. Discuss the differences between the decision making process used by Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the decision making process that led up to the War in Iraq.
  7. What are the critical differences between Collaborative Leadership and "Group Think?"

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