Priorities Define Leadership

Presidents are remembered for many things. The crises they navigate, the policies they enact, and the legacy they leave behind. Increasingly, however, President Donald Trump has drawn attention for another aspect of his presidency – his personal involvement in projects such as a White House ballroom, renovations to the East Wing, landscaping changes, an elaborate new reflecting pool, a monumental arch inspired by France’s Arc de Triomphe, and a proposed overhaul of Washington Dulles International Airport.

Besides the question of why these projects should even exist, the larger question is whether they reflect the nation’s most pressing priorities.

At any given moment, a president must balance domestic and international crises, economic uncertainty, national security, healthcare, immigration, natural disasters, and the day-to-day responsibilities of governing. Time, political capital, and public resources are finite. Every hour devoted to one issue is an hour not devoted to another.

Leadership is ultimately demonstrated not by how many projects are completed, but by which problems receive attention first.

Reasonable people will disagree about the value of any individual project. Some Americans may applaud the proposed improvements. Others may view them as unnecessary or symbolic. Those differences of opinion are part of a healthy democracy.

What deserves broader discussion is how leaders establish priorities. The presidency is unlike any other office in the country because no one else can perform its unique responsibilities. Americans rightly expect presidents to make difficult decisions about where their attention is most needed and to distinguish between what is important and what is urgent.

History often judges leaders less by the monuments they build than by the challenges they chose to confront or ignore.

Iowa Values Perspective

Primary Value: Stewardship

Stewardship is the responsibility for management of resources entrusted to us, including public money, time, attention, and authority. Effective leaders recognize that these resources are limited and must be directed toward the nation’s greatest needs before its greatest ambitions. Good stewardship asks a simple question of whether we addressing the problems that matter most?

Related Values

Responsibility

The presidency carries responsibilities that no other office can fulfill. Meeting those responsibilities requires sustained attention to the issues that most directly affect the nation’s security, prosperity, and well-being.

Truth and Ethical Leadership

Every public project represents a choice about how taxpayer resources are allocated. Citizens should expect government investments to reflect thoughtful priorities and careful consideration of competing needs.

Humility

Public service is fundamentally about serving others, not building personal legacies. Great leadership is measured by lasting benefits to the nation rather than the visibility of individual accomplishments.

A Question Worth Asking

Political debates often focus on whether a project is good or bad. The more enduring question is whether it belongs at the top of the nation’s priority list.

Regardless of who occupies the White House, Americans should expect their leaders to demonstrate good stewardship by focusing first on the challenges that most affect the lives of the people they serve.