Page 238 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

LEADERS LEAD THROUGH EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCE

the strategy for reaching your objectives,” Dewey said. “You can’t be depen-
dent upon a lot of advisors giving you a blueprint. You’ve got to be able to
visualize and formulate that framework yourself and then inspire other peo-
ple to join in, to embrace it and become enthusiastic about it.”
For more than four decades, the White House Fellows program has
given hundreds of young Americans the tools, experiences, and mentors
necessary for them to become confident, well-prepared problems solvers
and leaders. In return, the Fellows have brought Lyndon Johnson’s and John
Gardner’s vision to life by using their leadership skills to make the world
a better place. Full, zestful, and knowledgeable participation in a free soci-
ety—that was Lyndon Johnson’s dream, and creating the White House Fel-
lows program was his way of making that dream a reality. The program
was his gift to the young people of America, and the priceless value of that
gift is not lost on any of us who were fortunate enough to have received it.
I think John De Luca spoke for all the former Fellows when he said,
“That incredible year with the White House Fellows set in motion every-
thing good that followed. For me, that year is still alive and ongoing, not
some sort of ancient history that has ossified. It’s like I never left the program.
It’s been a rolling, evergreen experience for me. I’ve been blessed by it. Yes,
blessed is the right word.”

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