*Note from author: this blog was written on July 28th 2020*
Decency, ethics, morals, credibility and a sense of fairness (of what is legally right and morally right) are at the core of this book. James Comey, former Director of the FBI, delves deep into his experience and time witnessing leadership and talks about what being a great leader means for him. He draws sharp sketches of key players in three US administrations during his time as the country’s senior law enforcement officer and with his exposure to other great figures explains the different but captivating styles of leading. Of course, his detailed pictures of leaders allow us to draw our own conclusions about the last person he describes in the book (Trump) - someone he doesn’t consider to be a leader.
Well written and detailed, he gives those of us who have less understanding of the structure of either the FBI or the control the president has, a better, deeper and broader understanding of it and its key personnel. For example, the Director of the FBI does not answer to the president, but to the Attorney General. FBI Directors usually have a tenure of 10 years in office, ensuring no political bias between parties goes on. One of Comey’s overriding missions is the long-term safeguarding of the FBI’s independence from being caught up in the middle of the Washington cross-fire and to rebuild public trust in it. But there’s also an implicit hope that Trump, whom he describes as a “forest fire”, will finally pay the penalty for obstructing justice.
Comey’s memoir of his tenure as the shortest-serving of the FBI’s six directors was an international, headline-grabbing event. In the book he is methodical in his approach in describing the events leading up to and after the 2016 election: the story of the intertwined mess of Hillary Clinton’s email investigation, Russia’s unprecedented attack on the election and his firing by President Trump.
The only reason anyone is able to read Comey’s book is because of the shock election of Donald Trump, a character who is mentioned only late in the book but whose presence looms on nearly every page. “We are experiencing a dangerous time in our country, with a political environment where basic facts are disputed, fundamental truth is questioned, lying is normalised, and unethical behaviour is ignored, excused or rewarded,” Comey writes on the book’s opening page.
Comey is a man who has profound respect for law and justice, and has a loathing of bullies. He is a student and practitioner of ethical leadership. He is a deeply reflective person. The New York Times said “He is what Saul Bellow would call a first-class noticer”. Yes, he tries to make himself look good by talking about his noble motives, but he is using himself as a template for good leadership, and when he compares Trump against this, he found Trump didn’t measure up.
He may have lost his position, but he has gained a long-lasting legacy of decency and fairness. My biggest takeaways from the book were; firstly, the undeniable need for fair and trustworthy leadership, in any role. If you are a manager of a small village store or the representative for a major political office, if you do not have the trust or the ability to connect with your staff, you will not succeed in helping yourself or them. Secondly, it is to trust your own instincts and to not give in. Comey was put in many situations where his beliefs and morals would be compromised in the shadow of those more powerful. They would have undoubtedly made his life easier if he had ‘gone along’ with them, but, it proved the importance of ethical leadership and inevitably a Higher Loyalty to the values of his institution which he held so strong.
My favourite quotation from the book was, “Ethical leaders do not run from criticism, especially self-criticism, and they don’t hide from uncomfortable questions. They welcome them."
I have no hesitation in giving this book five out of five stars. As lockdown continues to grant me the extra time to read into subjects I couldn’t squeeze in before, I thought I would share my thoughts on it and hope you have enjoyed it or found it useful.
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