Who Has Executive Energy? Trump or Clinton

By John Yoest Published on October 20, 2016

“… being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.”(Colossians 1:11)

Hillary did not crumple on stage at last night’s debate. Suspenseful viewers got a policy performance but not the spectacle of a collapsing Clinton. Trump provided more theater, but nobody got hurt.

The scene was anti-climactic as the spectators exited. There was no blood in the Coliseum.

Why were we expecting Hillary to take a punch, so to say, and not get up off the canvas?

Since September 11th when Hillary’s legs gave-way from pneumonia or de-hydration or something, the voting public has had questions about her health. Trump says that Hillary lacks “stamina.”

The health theme launched after a series of bad optics for Hillary. She went some 275 days without undergoing the stress-test of a press conference. One video that made the rounds appeared to show her having had some sort of seizure answering questions. Then, an unsteady Hillary was pictured being helped up stairs by two handlers.

Trump began attacking her for being “low energy.”

What Trump might call endurance, Montesquieu, Jack Welch and Alexander Hamilton might call “energy.” The charge resonates because we all can sympathize.

Your Business Professor has reached the status of “a senior gentleman of a certain age” which is diplomatic code for “old guy.”  I wanted to continue consulting and remain active in academia. So I had to do what no young person would need to do.  I had to run around more …

… no, not on my wife, Charmaine. But on a track.

A few decades ago, I started to run marathons; 26.2 miles. As one wag noted, “A long way to run? — Goodness, that’s a long way to drive. …” I had to demonstrate that my energy matched experience. As miles accumulated on my life’s odometer competing with other senior (there’s that word again) managers, I had to rack up the miles — and not just on an airplane — if I was to influence clients or students.

This is still another conundrum for a manager to manage. He has to be old enough to have experience and still young enough To Get Things Done. Jack Welch, as the former CEO of GE reminds us in “The 4-E’s of GE Leadership,” that the manager must have “the personal Energy to welcome and deal with the speed of change … the ability to create an atmosphere that Energizes others … the Edge to make difficult decisions … and the ability to consistently Execute.”

This is the “energy in the executive” that Alexander Hamilton outlined in the Federalist Papers Number 70.  Hamilton, who can be seen on the US ten dollar bill, wrote that energy or activity in the presidency “is the leading character in the definition of good government. It is essential to the protection of the community against foreign attacks … to the steady administration of the laws, to the protection of property… to justice; [and] to the security of liberty. …”

French philosopher Montesquieu (1689-1755), who is known for the “separation of powers,” referred to this as “vigor” in the executive and government. Energy in the executive might be a metaphor for power in the executive branch of governance.

Trump will surely continue to prosecute the energy argument. Tonight, Hillary stood this test of time for 90 minutes. It may not be enough.

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