Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson shares leadership lessons

It is fitting that Jeh Johnson was the guest for Liberty University’s Convocation on Friday, Sept. 11: not only did he personally witness the crashing down of the World Trade Center from his Manhattan law office, but he also went on to become the head of the government organization tasked with preventing further acts of terrorism like those perpetrated on that terrible day 19 years ago.

During the virtual Convocation, filmed at Liberty and streamed on Facebook, Johnson noted that Sept. 11, to him, is a day of both life and death.

“9/11 happens to be my birthday: Sept. 11, 1957 to be exact.  It is also a day of great tragedy: Sept. 11, 2001, the day an act of terrorism led to the death of 2,977 innocent people. Many of you students were not even born then,” he said. “But out of that day we saw great acts of courage, selflessness, heroism, and leadership, and, on this 19th anniversary of 9/11, leadership is what I want to talk to you about today.”

Johnson was General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009-2012 and was one of four federal lawyers who authorized the United States Special Forces to kill Osama bin Laden in 2011. Johnson served as Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013-2017 and previously served as General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force and an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. A graduate of Columbia Law School, he is currently a partner with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, in New York City.

Over the course of his career, Johnson said he has realized that people have come to expect little of their political leaders when it comes to character and morality, accepting behavior that they wouldn’t even accept from children, students, employees, or members of the military.

“This decoupling of a leader’s personal character from the general environment in which he or she governs works only to a point,” Johnson said. “Character, integrity, and morality do matter.”

Johnson then presented five traits of a good leader, the first being honesty. He said it is important to tell the truth both when it is difficult and when it is easy and that leaders who aren’t honest are hard to believe and follow.

“Lessons in history, and in recent times, teach us that if our leaders simply tell us the truth about the problems we face, and what is required of us to solve them, we will respond,” Johnson said.

The second trait is building consensus instead of trying to find it through following polls and focus groups or, worse yet, pandering to fears, suspicions, and prejudices.

“A true leader does not just curse the darkness, but lights a candle and shows the way to a higher, better place,” he said.

Good leaders should also be inclusive, surrounding themselves with those who will tell them the hard truths and give advice that they don’t want to hear but need to hear, and they should never ask someone to do something they wouldn’t do themselves.

Johnson relayed a personal experience when, as Secretary of Homeland Security, he put on a blue TSA uniform and worked the security line at BWI airport in Baltimore, Md., in an effort to raise the morale of the TSA.

The final trait he discussed was the Golden Rule, treating others as you would have them treat you.

“Begin every new encounter on the assumption that there is good in every person you meet,” Johnson said. “Particularly at this time of heightened racial tension in this country, respect differences among people you meet — cultural, racial, religious, ethnic, and political. Recognize that diversity is the opportunity to learn and expand your own horizons.”

Johnson closed by emphasizing the importance of also being a good follower. He said that everyone has certain basic responsibilities as citizens, such as voting and staying informed. Social media enables access to the entire world, he said, but provides all sorts of sources for news and information, with far too many lacking in standards for truth and accuracy. Johnson said everyone must work harder and seek to find the truth.

He encouraged viewers to consider public service, whether to their city, state, community, church, or their country, as it is a basic human desire to serve and help others.

“Though I have been in public service for only 12 of the 37 years of my professional life, those 12 have been the most gratifying,” Johnson said. “No matter what I do for the rest of my life, my public service will be the first paragraph of my obituary.”

Johnson’s visit to campus was in coordination with the Helms School of Government and the Liberty University School of Law. He took the time to speak to students in the Helms School’s national security courses as well as law students, sharing more about his federal career and the legal aspects of using lethal force to fight terrorism.

Robert Hurt, dean of the Helms School of Government, said he was honored that Johnson accepted Liberty’s invitation to speak.

“It was an honor to have a dedicated and consequential public servant like Secretary Johnson address our students today on important lessons in leadership.  In addition, we are grateful to him for sharing his remarkable family story and for lecturing to our government and law students on the vital subject of presidential war powers. Finally, we thank Secretary Johnson for his good example and for his service to our country, and we sincerely hope that he will come back and see us in the future.”

Following his prepared remarks, Johnson spoke with Liberty’s Senior Vice President for Spiritual Development David Nasser about the issue of race and some of the events that have taken place throughout the country, and more about the difference between “politics” and “consensus-building.”

Johnson has a special connection to the Lynchburg area; his ties reach back over a century as his ancestors, many of whom were born into slavery, lived in the city. His great-great grandmother and great-grandmother are buried in the integrated Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg. Across town in a much smaller cemetery lies his great-grandfather, the Rev. Charles Henry Johnson, who was born a slave in Culpeper County, Va., in 1859, graduated from Virginia Union University in Richmond, and founded the Lee Street Baptist Church in Bristol, Va., which still stands today. Johnson was able to visit their gravesites during his trip to Lynchburg on Aug. 31, when he recorded the Convocation segment.