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McNamara’s Vietnam, Work Life Legacy Conundrum
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Vietnam is often refered to as ‘McNamara’s War” by political hacks in the know. Former U-S Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara is credited with being the “chief architect of the Vietnam war” as stated in this Los Angeles Times blog. That title is clearly not recogized as an honorable work life distinction, but in his death it dominates the headlines. The blog goes on to chronicle the books that have sealed McNamara’s place in history, despite his work to divest the world of nuclear arms and his work with poor nations. Although he subseqently denounced the war in his 1995 memoir, The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, it was too little - way too late for the public and pundits to digest. The word “legacy” as defined in Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary: anything handed down from the past as from an ancestor or predecessor. It wasn’t meant to have a negative connotation judging by its true roots, but it’s meaning had been kidnapped long before the dictates of our time (ie. the legacy of ancient Rome). In our era, the Bernie Madoffs, the former chief of Enron, the politicians who have not quite lived up to expectations, have marred the word further. So today, I vote for a conscious cultivation of the morally good-to-the-core kind of legacy. That means aligning our core human values with our work, career, or what I refer to as vocation. Few of us have the opportunity to call the shots on a war, engage in a public political battle, or make a mark in nuclear disarmament. But in our daily lives we do have the opportunity to be of positive influence, even in little ways. And it’s not just about our work – it’s about how we work, why we work, what motivates us to work, and the values we align ourselves with as we work. No longer are our working and living experiences all that separate, we are truly a work life nation. Now because of social media which allows information to travel at the speed of light across the planet, there’s a moral and business imperative to stick to the meat of our business message from a more human place. If not, we shall be recorded in history not just in books, but forever in our digital age as less than – or far worse. As for McNamara, he is human, just like the rest of us. We all make mistakes, but owning up to them or correcting them sooner rather than later, might help us to avoid the tragedy that McNamara endured. His true “legacy” by definition, should be the work he did with developing and poor nations, and his strong voice on disarmament. But as the term has been corrupted, his “legacy” will instead be McNamara’s War. The bottom line is that the images and sounds of Vietnam is how we will remember McNamara, and few would argue otherwise. Do we really think about our “legacy” when we work and do business? Perhaps we should just concentrate on being more conscious of making the right choices in every moment. That means conscious action not just in support of ones own business goals, but also to be impeccably be aligned with our values as we impact others in life, work and business.
