Chuck Powell

The Air Force gave me a strong foundation in leadership and provided me opportunities to lead at multiple levels. Working in healthcare, I realized the power of higher purpose (caring deeply and genuinely about patients and coworkers). My PhD in Leadership taught me to look at leadership from multiple vantages and to apply a more collaborative leadership style. Finally, teaching leadership in a graduate program and leadership coaching have furnished me with leadership examples across many professional settings around the world. All of those experiences have led me to realize a great leader is authentic, selfless, has great empathy, is willing to adapt, and never stops learning.

From all the work I’ve done with individuals and groups, I have come to realize that we become better, no matter the vocation, by doing, by practice. We study, then we practice and adapt from trial and error, refining our area of interest, maximizing our efforts. Regarding my books, Abby’s Quest focuses more on examination than practice, while Unicursal goes hard on practice.

First, leaders often assume that what has worked previously in a prior setting will work just as well in a current setting. Sometimes that is true, but more often there needs to be adjustment based on unique circumstances. The other assumption leaders make is that they alone have the knowledge or ability to resolve a challenge. Margaret Wheatley advocates that we move from a Heroic Leadership model (know it all/do it all) to a Host Leadership model (inviting others in to help us lead best). I have seen the hero leaders crash and burn while the host leaders and those around them thrive.

Everyone has the capacity to lead and anyone may be called upon to lead. In today’s world of continuous flow of information, rapid change, and overall complexity, we need to involve and empower others to lead. Bringing in all who may have a stake results in better outcomes and deeper engagement.

When facing conflict, we can choose to come together and listen to differing perspectives. That we can solve profound challenges when we collaborate on shared aims. When we operate with civil persistence, we accomplish great things.

My last three years in the Air Force related to the potential launch of nuclear weapons. Later when I was researching my dissertation, I interviewed leaders dedicated to eradicating nuclear weapons. I saw firsthand the power of what I consider the ultimate common purpose (reducing the threat of worldwide destruction via nuclear arms). I saw how the research participants had given decades of their lives for a meaningful cause. One even said to me, “What if you end up doing this work some day?” And so I have. What keeps me committed is the beauty of the earth and the understanding of what nukes could do to its inhabitants. Also, I have found great reward in serving others.

The threat of nuclear weapons is not on the radar of most people. I wanted to try a new methodology for getting others to engage in a very important conversation; something entertaining, yet jarring…a humorous and disturbing wakeup call.

Nobody is perfect and if they imply they are, run. I wanted to tell a story that portrayed personal redemption, a concept that I truly love and get to see on a daily basis, sometimes in myself. I hope to deliver another message: we heal and grow when we engage in great purpose.

These threats are all fueled by us, the human race. They can only be mitigated by us. Each endeavor requires collective effort and engaged leadership. In the 1980s, a grassroots movement started a trend that helped reduce nuclear weapons from almost 70,000 to the current total of approximately 12,000. In the 1980s, leadership came together across the globe to address the role of chlorofluorocarbons, CFCs, in the damage to our ozone layer. Now we face old and new threats to our existence. These will require leadership and grassroots efforts again. As for other connections, AI has considerations for both initiating and preventing nuclear detonations. Climate change would be massive in the event of nuclear war.

We have over 12,000 nuclear weapons around the world. Right now, many nuclear powers are engaged in growing and upgrading their arsenals. Within minutes, those nuclear weapons can end our existence. No one, no matter who they are, is truly immune from their destructive power. Even 100 nuclear detonations (roughly the size of the arsenals of several nuclear powers) can create massive climate change, famine, and economic ruin. We are all at risk and it will take a large number of us to eliminate the danger. As I said earlier, it has been successful before. There are some great individuals and organizations around the world who are dedicated to ridding the world of nuclear weapons, but they need help.

First, the names and circumstances have been changed to protect the innocent… and the guilty. There is plenty of inspiration from world history and personal journey to work up composites, both serious and tongue in cheek. Anyone can draw upon our perspectives of life or leadership. My portrayals ranged from the mundane event of being hassled about stealing olives from a food bar (mistaken identity!) to the suppressed fear, while being underground as I watched the Cold War come to dramatic conclusion, of launching nuclear missiles.

Unicursal originates from a sense of urgency and pervasive scope, because nuclear weapons, climate change, and AI pose real-time existential threats to multiple species, including our own. Leadership plays a big role in Unicursal however. It will take leaders, formal and informal, from all walks, to address and resolve our biggest threats. This means you, reader.

Leaders require systems thinking: a big picture, relatedness, long-term vs. narrow and short-term considerations. Nuclear weapons reduction is a complex ball of yarn that impacts a myriad of other issues. When we get rid of nukes, we must also consider conventional/space/cyber/bio/chemical warfare capabilities, AI, and lost industries. Our leaders will also require a willingness to put personal/national gain secondary to global safety. Finally, our leaders must have the desire and ability to unite us in important endeavors that safeguard the planet, provide better living conditions, and facilitate our ability to reach our individual and collective potential.

Nuclear weapons have become pacifiers or security blankets for leaders and enables them to bypass conflict and conflict resolution. Or to paraphrase Steinbeck, we are using the threat of mass murder in an attempt to prevent mass murder. These weapons inhibit dialog and meaningful agreement between countries. A familiar trend is developing with AI, an unwillingness to do the hard work, by all of us to do the right thing, the smart thing. One could make a similar argument about the climate.

Working with AllAuthor has far exceeded my expectations. In terms of quality and value, they are excellent. Additionally, it has been a delightful experience to work with them. They have my strongest recommendation.