Point of Friction
The entire time I was in the Army, we talked about leaders being at the Point of Friction.
Quick explanation: A point of friction is not necessarily where an operation will find success, but it can damn sure find failure. Leaders, through deliberate planning, analysis, experience, and even instinct, determine where these points of friction are during any operation. Why? So, they can be there to influence the outcome of the operation to ensure it doesn’t fail. They place themselves there to maximize their authority, experience, and decision-making ability. Often, just their presence can positively impact the outcome.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Patton, there is a scene where George C. Scott, playing George S. Patton, is standing in the middle of a muddy field directing tank, truck, and jeep traffic. There he is, a three star general with his riding crop and his pistols, directing traffic. Why? Because he felt he was the one to fix this massive problem that put the entire operation at risk.
Did that really happen? Maybe. It is an overdramatic representation? Definitely. But it illustrates the point.
On September 14th, 2001 President Bush went to Ground Zero. Was he out there cleaning up? No. Was he there to make any major decisions? No. He was simply there to survey what was going on, giving the workers there some motivation, showing he cared and he was involved. That was three days after the towers fell. The dust was literally still settling.
Our current administration wouldn’t know how to identify a point of friction, or even know to position themselves there, if it was drawn for them in crayon.
There has been so much concern about the war in Ukraine. It took President Biden almost a year to visit even after committing billions of American dollars to support the effort.
It has been three weeks since the Ohio train derailment. It took the Secretary of Transportation almost three weeks to visit. The area is covered with toxic fumes and residue. He is the highest-ranking official in the administration to visit to date.
It took Vice President Harris five months to visit the southern border. It took President Biden almost TWO YEARS to make a visit.
And please, do NOT talk to me about personal risk. Leaders don’t ask people to take risks they cannot or are not willing to take themselves.
Everyone should have seen this coming. When Democrat Nominee Biden spent a large portion of the campaign indoors and not out interacting with people, we should have known. We should have known that he was never the man to be an active leader. To be the person to lead by example. To be the leader we need during these troubled times, out and about.
He is not the man to be standing at a point of friction, in the middle of the action, making sure things go the way they need to in order to prevent failure.
Come to think of it…maybe HE is the Point of Friction.