Leadership Lessons From The Life Of Henry A. Kissinger

For anyone over the age of 65, Henry Kissinger is likely to be an uncertain historical figure; i.e., the bespectacled old sage with the German accent, to whom aspiring political leaders would beat a path to receive the blessing of strategic wisdom. For those over 65, Kissinger will be recalled as the controversial – yet ever present – vicar of America foreign policy during an age of great global strife and conflict.

His passing at age 100 allows for the convergence of these two views, and the opportunity for a meaningful public debate during an election year on the importance of a coherent strategic foreign policy for the country, and the leadership skills necessary to implement it.

Kissinger himself was not the quintessential leader. He was, at given times of his career, a prominent educator, a political consultant, a national security advisor, a Secretary of State, and ultimately a foreign policy Yoda, for whom global doors would always open.

To achieve those platforms, he became a shrewd political operator. He had an unusual capacity to identify where power resided, and an ability to affix himself to that power. And he absorbed the elements of the exercise of power. First it was with Nelson Rockefeller; then with Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey for a brief time; famously with Richard Nixon and then finally with Gerald Ford. Indeed, Kissinger’s greatest exercise of leadership may have been his ability to influence these politicians in the pursuit of their own foreign policy.

Through his career incarnations he became highly facile in the art of pragmatism to achieve his idealistic goals for the global order. This, for what he viewed as in the best interests of the United States. Sometimes that pragmatism worked for the benefit of world peace and stability, as in rapprochement with longstanding enemies. Other times however, it extended to the dark, the callous, the duplicitous and, in the case of Richard Nixon, the ability to leverage a leader’s personal vulnerabilities for perceived greater national gain. And that didn’t always work out all so well.

The Kissinger strategy has come to be known as “pragmatic idealism”; i.e., the concept of interacting on some limited basis of common ground with both opponents and enemies, as much as with supporters and confidants. Such a strategy was intended to build trust and avoid fundamentally problematic issues through quiet engagement and substantial tolerance. And it worked historically well in Kissinger’s breakthrough success in the Paris Peace Talks, in the seismic opening to China, and the unprecedented detente with Russia. That was quite the triple play.

Through the end of his life, Kissinger was not shy in commenting on the attributes of effective leadership, especially as they applied to foreign affairs. Not surprisingly, those attributes reflected his belief in pragmatic idealism. In his experience, the great leaders where those who took advantage of the circumstances with which they were presented, who tempered vision with skepticism, who were willing to play parties against one another, and who were prepared to walk away from accepted practices regardless of the risk.

Most important to Kissinger, effective leaders were people who had faith in the future of their respective societies and the elevated purposes they sought to achieve. They were national figures who had a motivating vision, and “the character, intellect and hardiness required to meet the challenges facing world order”. To Kissinger, they were generational figures such as Thatcher, Adenauer, De Gaulle, Sadat and (of course) Nixon.

There are places where the Kissinger leadership theme of pragmatic idealism has a direct connection to business leadership. This is most notably in the theme’s emphasis on engaging with diverse stakeholders, seeking the common ground, avoiding contention over limited points of principle, and rejecting bellicosity and belligerence. It extends to the virtues of “pitiless” self-evaluation, and the value of defining objectives that can enlist people.

And there are other places where there’s no possible connection to business, where the attributes of tolerance and a predisposition towards opaqueness carry significant moral consequences. Think the secret bombing of Cambodia, which was intended to stop enemy infiltration, but which ultimately unleashed the furies of the Khmer Rouge. Think the Christmas Bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong, which helped drive the North Vietnamese back to the bargaining table but at a horrendous cost in human life. Think the pandering to Pakistan’s ruler Yahya Khan and his repressive means, in order to preserve backchannel communications for the breakthrough trip to China.

The principles of engagement and outreach at the core of Kissinger’s pragmatic idealism have continued relevance, both in foreign policy and in business practice. His passing at age 100 is likely to rekindle interest in foreign policy, in an important contribution to the 2024 presidential campaign.

Lover of limelight as he was, Kissinger would no doubt be pleased to remain in the arena, in whatever condition.