Posted on 05/17/2009 9:35:36 AM PDT by GonzoII
Commentary
The Notre Dame Brand
BY Patrick Lencioni
May 17-23, 2009 Issue | Posted 5/8/09 at 10:57 AM
Lest anyone think that the current graduation speaker controversy at the University of Notre Dame is merely a matter of partisan politics and media hype, it is worth a closer look. What is happening right now in South Bend, Ind., is not simply a critical moment of truth for a vaunted institution; it is also one of the greatest case studies ever about organizational identity and core principles.
When Jerry Porras and Jim Collins published their classic book Built to Last almost 20 years ago, they made the case that enduring institutions succeed by adhering to a core ideology, a combination of core values and core purpose. And one of the best ways to tell whether an organization is serious about those principles — and not merely using them as marketing fodder on posters and in brochures — is to see whether the organization will stand by them even in the face of punishment and criticism.
One company known for its adherence to core values is Southwest Airlines. There is a legendary story about an unhappy customer who sent a letter to Herb Kelleher, the founder and then CEO, complaining about the jokes that a flight attendant was mixing into his pre-flight safety announcements. Keep in mind that humor is and has always been a core value at Southwest.
Most CEOs in Kelleher’s situation would have sent the customer a note thanking her for her input, reminding her that she was a valued frequent flyer, and assuring her that safety was indeed important to the airline.
They might also call the local gate agents at the offending airport to remind them to keep the announcements appropriate. But Kelleher took a different approach, sending the woman a letter with just three words in it: “We’ll miss you.” There was no way he was going to violate one of his company’s core principles simply to please a constituency that didn’t appreciate the organization’s culture. To do so would be to sell its soul.
This brings us to Notre Dame and the unenviable situation facing Father Jenkins, the school’s current leader.
The first question that Father Jenkins must answer is this: What is at the core of your institution, and what are you willing to be punished and criticized for defending?
There are two clear choices.
One choice is the central teachings of the Catholic Church and the school’s reputation of faithfulness to those teachings. The other is the school’s reputation among academia and the media as an elite educational institution open to all points of view.
As much as some people would like to believe that Father Jenkins can have his cake and eat it too, there is no avoiding the dilemma that one principle will have to take priority over the other. And regardless of which way he goes, he will be criticized; he’ll just need to decide whose criticism matters more.
A second question that Father Jenkins needs to answer is this: Are there any issues that, if a president or politician were to support, would justify rescinding his invitation? Or does prestige and intellectual tolerance trump all other values? A hypothetical might help Father Jenkins here.
Suppose that a U.S. president held views that were clearly racist. Would Notre Dame still invite him to speak? And would it defend that decision by touting his other good qualities and his presidential stature? I would guess not. Why? Because one of the central teachings of Christ and the Church is that all people deserve love and dignity, something that racism always violates. Or would it be because it was politically incorrect and would provoke an outcry — and rightly so — from the media and academia?
What about a president who had made it clear through his words and actions that he was completely indifferent to the plight of the poor and to those with AIDS? Would he be awarded an honorary doctorate in the humanities? I don’t think so. Why? Because those views would fly in the face of the teachings of Christ and the Church. Or, again, would it be because of the criticism it would provoke from the world?
All of this begs the question: Are racism and indifference to the poor worse than abortion? In the eyes of much of the mainstream media and many people in the secular world, probably. But in the eyes of those who are faithful to the teachings of Christ and the Church he founded, one could never make that case. Father Jenkins would certainly agree with this.
So why would he even consider having President Obama speak, let alone honor him with a degree, even after so many have expressed their horror?
For one, there is the pain of the criticism he would have to endure, something none of us should underestimate. Rescinding Obama’s invitation would provoke a backlash from the media and members of academia, some of whom are on his own faculty who would say it was inconsistent, even racist. After all, Presidents Carter and Clinton were both pro-choice/pro-abortion, and they were allowed to speak. Is Obama different because he is African-American?
Regardless of whether the other pro-choice presidents should have been invited, it is undeniable that Obama goes far beyond them when it comes to his views on life. He has vowed, as one of the primary goals of his administration, to destroy every restriction on abortion put in place over the past 30 years, including the ban on the barbaric and grotesque procedure of partial-birth abortion. He has cast the deciding vote on two occasions to block the providing of care to babies who were born alive after failed abortion attempts. He is threatening to force doctors, nurses and Catholic hospitals to perform abortions and to do away with their conscience rights.
He has dismissed the life of an unborn child by referring to it as a “punishment” that someone who makes a “mistake” shouldn’t have to endure.
Now, regardless of one’s personal views on the issue of abortion, it is an objective fact that when it comes to matters of protecting the lives of the unborn, partially born, and “mistakenly born,” Barack Obama is more radical than any president or mainstream politician in American history. This is why Father Jenkins’ decision is so momentous and will have such a profound and irreversible impact on the school.
He will either bow to the pressures of the secular and academic world and honor his invitation to the president, choosing to disenfranchise those who see Notre Dame as Catholic first and academic second, or he should even now politely and humbly rescind his invitation to the president and make it clear to the world that more than the need to please academia and the media, it is the adherence to the teachings of Christ and the Catholic Church that is really at the core of the university. That would speak louder than any poster, brochure or half-time television commercial ever could.
Patrick Lencioni is the author of seven best-selling business books, including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and a Harvard Business Review contributor.
Copyright © 2007 Circle Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
That since James, half-brother to Yah'shua My instructions are to preach the Word of Elohim to all.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
ruled as head of the Council of Jerusalem to include Act 15:21 "For Moses from ancient generations
I am not responsible for anyone's salvation but my own.
has in every city those who preach him( the Torah),
since he(Torah) is read in the synagogues every Shabbat."
I am just to preach the Holy Word to all. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things
to work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are called according to {His} purpose.
And $14 million of it has already been cut off in prote
Someone needs to witness Yah'shua's Word to Jenkins. Or perhaps de-frock him. So he does not lead others astray. Thank you for your kindness.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
Inviting obama to speak at Commencement is not the issue. One can object to that as being offensive due to his stance on abortion or think it's a great idea to have the first mixed race President speak to the graduating class. His speaking there doesn't violate flagrantly violate Catholic teachings and by itself wouldn't cause such an outcry.
The issue is giving obama an honorary degree, with a side issue of making the ceremony more about him than about celebrating the students' accomplishments. The honorary degree is the violation. Either Church doctrine means something or it doesn't. Clearly, ND, thanks to Fr. Jenkins, has said it doesn't.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach"
So very true. There's something for us to pray for!
Notre Dame University.
**Do 52% of catholics favor Infanticide ? **
No, the ratio is now 60 - 30 something pro-life.
Sad, but so true. I will pop a bottle of champagne the day that Jenkins is removed, and finish the bottle if they name a replacement who upholds the Catholic faith in its fullness of Truth.
Likewise, only Catholics in Name Only voted for Obama. Not REAL Catholics!
BTW the percentage you quote is wrong. It was 46 percent — still far too many in my opinion.
How did the Jewish Population vote? Are there JINOs too?
A lot of folks have been saying that, and if it were just a speaking engagement I might (emphasis on might) agree. But for commencement speakers should challenge the students to higher ideals. There is no way this turd of a president could fill that function. I say the jerk should not be there in any capacity...dripping his sleaze on that stage.
Hasn’t it occurred to you yet that the very fact that the university invited the wicked bastard means the blood of innocent slaughtered alive unborn children dripping on that stage is not out of place? I would bet that some of the females in the audience have availed themselves of the slaughter to avoid responsibility for their behavior, and still more will do so int the future while pretending they are just as good catholics as any other democrat voting catholic ... and they will be right, sadly, for the Catholic Church has allowed this to get this far from grace.
instead of ‘self-described Catholics,’ the descriptor should be ‘practicing’ ... at which point it would be minimal, indeed.
The university has proudly pointed out that the majority of their students were in favor of BO Plenty being honored while the majority of alumni didn’t favor him.
Fine for them. It will be interesting to see how much money they get from these new and nearly complete graduates as opposed to their pool of now PO’d and well off alumni.
How do you characterize the Catholic Worker ?
It's become just another McUniversity, like everywhere else. Sad.
Notre Dame's Kabuki Dance with Obama and the Culture of Death
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