Page 192 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

CHAPTER 19

LEADERS KNOW WHEN

TO COMPROMISE AND

WHEN TO STAND FIRM

Compromise. Few words in the English language have such starkly contrast-
ing definitions. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, compromise
means “to find or follow a way between extremes,” which sounds like a
good thing, but as an alternative definition, the dictionary lists “to make a
shameful or disreputable concession,” which doesn’t sound like a good
thing at all. One of the most difficult choices a leader must face is when
to compromise and when to stand firm. The wrong choice on a critical
issue can destroy a leader’s effectiveness.
As a White House Fellow during the Reagan administration, Craig
Coy (WHF 83–84) was assigned to work with Jack Svahn, assistant to the
president for domestic policy, and Edwin Meese, counselor to the president.
The first Coast Guard officer ever to be selected for a Fellowship, Coy
attended nearly every meeting his principals attended, including meetings
of the president’s Budget Review Board, which consisted of Chief of Staff
James Baker, Ed Meese, and the director of the Office of Management and
Budget, David Stockman. The board was trying to hammer out the fiscal
year 1985 budget, and it was through this process that Coy learned one of
his most valuable leadership lessons.
“I learned why Jim Baker was able to get things done and why he was
so successful in his career,” Coy said. “There was a conflict, if you will,

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