First Hand Account

Julian Assange spoke to the YPO-WPO Global Leadership Summit in Denver Colorado via Satelite Link from England on Friday February 25^th at 9:40. George W Bush was scheduled to speak live to the same group live on Saturday February 26^th at 11:00. George W. Bush cancelled by 8:00 Friday evening because “The former president has no desire to share a forum with a man who has willfully and repeatedly done great harm to the interests of the United States.” Wait a minute! These two men were not debating a topic. They weren’t even supposed to be speaking on the same topic.

Why is this Important?

The basic idea of free speech implies that we also need to listen. Standing with a megaphone and blaring nonsense is not what free speech is all about but neither is covering your ears and not listening to what others have to say.

In refusing to “share a forum” the former President lost a great opportunity to speak to business leaders across the globe. I think he should have quietly listened to what Julian was saying. If he truly has “willfully and repeatedly done great harm to the interests of the United States” maybe it would be a good idea to get a better handle on the guy. More importantly Mr. Bush lost the opportunity to find out first hand what 2000 YPO business leaders across the globe think about Julian Assange and what he and WikiLeaks are doing. What a shame!

Take Time to Understand

The next time you hear about something you like or don’t like, take the time to really listen and find out the facts. More importantly look and listen to others around to get a feel for the impact of the message. We base too much of what we believe as a society on the headline grabbing sound bites and opinionated reviews of the facts. Dig a little deeper into the story of the day, you might be surprised to learn what is really going on behind the headlines!

I was at the Young Presidents Organization Global Leadership Summit in Denver this past week, where I witnessed, first hand, the controversy and excitement over both the appearance of Jullian Assange and George Bush’s last minute cancellation because of Assange’s appearance. Bush refused to share a forum with a known terrorist – so named by the US State Department and the FBI!

Why All the Fuss?

Assange is the director of WikiLeaks,[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks] a non-profit organization that publishes private, classified and secret media from anonymous sources and news leaks. 

Now we all have preconceived notions about people. Because of Assange’s notoriety, I was expecting him to be kind of creepy – a shameless face for people who hide behind the anonymity of the internet and throw verbal rocks at whatever catches their attention. Have a look at the comments section on sites like MacLeans Magazine or the CBC to see what I mean. But I was surprised to find Assange was poised and extremely articulate. I was struck by his obvious intelligence and his direct approach to all questions.

Assange Gives Us a Lesson On Principles

The most striking thing Assange said was that he has a vision for his company and a mission with guiding principles. He was clear he wouldn’t compromise his values in pursuit of his vision, no matter the cost. He may end up paying a huge price for his values, time will tell.  But whether or not you agree with what he does, his passion is very inspiring!

Is All News Media The Same?

Tom Browkaw, George Bush’s replacement, was asked a question similar to one posed to Assange:  Would you have posted secret D-Day information before the raid? Brokaw’s answer surprised me. He said that in return for not breaking a story of national concern and delaying the release for 24 hours, the network (NBC) demanded and received exclusive interviews with key people. It seems to me, that in this context at least, Brokaw’s network is certainly no better than WikiLeaks. What are the values that drive NBC to take a payoff for withholding information in support of national security?

What Is The Truth?

Where do I stand on Assange? I can’t say. But his passion and commitment to his values are impressive.

Our Values Direct Us

D&D values Safety Caring Ambition Learning Excellence Integrity and Trust. These are values that we will not compromise on while pursuing our Vision and driving our mission to be the best company to do business with. Values are not about some big company-wide initiative that everyone gets involved with. They are the little things we do everyday that we believe make our world a better place. Maybe that’s what’s behind Assange’s actions too.

What do you think?