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Influence For Good: A Leader’s Leader, A Friend for Life
INFLUENCE FOR GOOD:
A Leader’s Leader, A Friend for Life
Attending Stuyvesant High School in New York City in the late 1970s, first-generation American Kenneth Weinstein found himself among teens who, like himself, had been admitted to the highly selective school based upon their excellent performance on a rigorous academic admission test.
Yet throughout his years at Stuyvesant, Ken remained unsure of himself, lacking confidence. Shy and studious, he chose the University of Chicago “because it reminded me of my high school.” He wanted to fit in with like-minded young adults.
Arriving at college, this son of Jewish immigrants recalls that joining a fraternity was the farthest thing from his mind.
It was his freshman roommate and U of C football player Tom Lee who took him to his first Psi Upsilon pledge event. Weinstein laughs, “Ironically, Psi U might have, in our day, resembled the Animal House movie, which was one of my favorite movies. But not how I pictured myself. Most of the brothers seemed far wilder than I was. The house wasn’t in great shape. And yet, there was real character there among the guys. It struck me that here was something to which I could belong, something I needed.”
Ken ended up joining the brotherhood that “taught me to laugh, to laugh heartily, to see the fun in things.”
Yet going far beyond just mirth, Weinstein credits Psi Upsilon with instilling in him a broader sense of himself as he developed confidence, skills and perspectives that have carried him far. “Psi U opened the world to me in many ways. By being responsible for ourselves but looking out for each other, we learned how to be adults. My closest brothers had a similar background to me – we all were first-generation Americans of different origins Greek, Chinese, Mexican and Jewish – all unsure of ourselves, worried about fitting in and worried about our futures.”
That worry and uncertainty, coupled with opportunities provided within Psi U, fueled the chapter brothers in their quest for achievement. Elected chapter president in 1982, Ken became all the more attuned to the importance of teamwork, of listening, of cooperation and compromise, and taking action when necessary.
Practicing those leadership skills have served not just him, but “other chapter brothers who are amazing successes – two are CEOs, another is chief of pediatric surgery at Stony Brook University, another a highly successful lawyer. We had no idea that the future would be so good to us. But it was Psi U which placed us in an environment in which we could flourish.”
Upon his 1984 graduation from Chicago with a degree in humanities, Weinstein admits he anticipated “the end” of his association with his chapter brothers. “Those last few weeks were tough,” he recalls. “Close as we’d become, we also realized that life would never be the same. I remember hugging these guys in a tearful farewell in the parking lot of the Omega house. Pulling out of the alley behind the house, I started my long drive east. That was hard.”
ANCIENT THINKER ...
“The society we have described can never grow into a reality or see the light of day, and there will be no end to the troubles of states, or indeed, my dear Glaucon, of humanity itself, till philosophers become rulers in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.” ― Plato, The Republic
In this most prominent and influential of the Socratic dialogues, the Greek philosopher proposes man’s quest to define the meaning of justice, explore its relationship to happiness, and suggest that the ideal government be led by “philosopher-kings.” Plato further holds that education should be “the art of orientation.” That is, that a student’s intellect and faculties of learning need not be development in capacity, but rather must be redirected. “Educators should devise the simplest and most effective methods of turning minds around.”
MODERN THOUGHT ...
Hudson Institute is a leading policy research organization promoting sound, innovative strategies that advance global security, prosperity and freedom.
Founded in 1961 by strategist Herman Kahn, the independent think tank helps to facilitate major social, cultural, and political transitions happening nationally and internationally through interdisciplinary studies in defense, international relations, economics, health care, technology, culture, and law. Located in Washington, DC, Hudson’s depth and breadth of intellectual capital, along with its growing array of authoritative publications, conferences, briefings and recommendations, render it one of America’s leading guides for public policy makers and leaders across the globe.
Ken Weinstein serves as president and chief executive officer. Hudson Institute is a notfor-profit charitable organization financed by tax-deductible contributions and by government grants.
On Further Thought ...
Having been drawn to international studies as an undergraduate, Weinstein traveled to Paris to secure an advanced research degree in Soviet and Eastern European Studies, followed by completion of his doctorate in political science from Harvard University.
It was while working on his thesis at Harvard in 1991 that an advisor told him of a fellowship opening to join the Hudson Institute, a nonpartisan think tank and policy research organization then located in Indianapolis. Ken seized the opportunity, working his way up to CEO in 2005, and named president and CEO in 2011.
“When I began, Hudson’s work was more focused at the state level. My role there has definitely been transformative as we’ve transitioned to influence more national and international issues,” Weinstein says. In mid 2004, Hudson moved its operations to Washington, DC. Today, Weinstein leads a team of more than a dozen directors and administrative personnel, along with a host of fellows and researchers.
“Think tanks have been absolutely critical to decisions made in Washington,” he asserts, “particularly in the last generation or two. They serve to incubate ideas. They provide people who are ‘coming and going’ from public office a unique place from which they can formulate and implement new ideas. I believe organizations like Hudson are also incredibly important to maintaining ties with our allies and peers around the world.”
Weinstein says he’s privileged to “have a front seat” in getting to know some amazing world leaders. “The prime minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, is especially impressive, a very strategic and forward-thinking leader who has a broad sense of where he wants to take his country. And I admire Joe Liberman immensely.”
“There remains a great need for strong and engaged leadership in America. Hudson will be the go-to think tank on issues of critical foreign and defense policy issues. We’re adding significant talent to an already significantly strong bench of talent. We’re much more regularly briefing people on Capitol Hill.”
THE DIAMOND OF PSI UPSILON | 11 What it takes to run a think tank ... “Strategic vision in what you want to accomplish, both institutionally and policy-wise ...” “A good rapport and regular contact with donors and board; with o cials both from the U.S. and abroad ... “A broad insight into how to focus on a particular issue ... understanding the steps needed for doing in-depth research, analytical reporting, relaying that information and conclusions to the right people who are shaping and changing the policy debate ... “One recent example, Hudson started an index of private overseas development assistants. Our Director of Global Prosperity Carol Adelman analyzed how much private money from U.S. donors was going overseas in charitable donations, tuition, medicines, and the like. She concluded that private development assistance is more e cacious and critical than public assistance. So all of a sudden the federal government started paying attention to those numbers ... our State Department established an O ce of Global Partnerships to bring together the public-private sectors in greater collaboration.” “The ability to be decisive, to make numerous decisions on any given day — some big, some small, who to hire, which projects to pursue, which not to ...
Back to Brotherhood ...
It turns out the Omega brothers Ken “left behind” that day on the parking lot in fact have been beside him all along the way.
“They’ve been here for me throughout my life, in good times and bad. We’ve been at each other’s weddings, our kids’ bar and bat mitzahs, at critical professional junctures and at the deaths of our parents. Our wives and kids know each other – we’ve vacationed together.”
Last May, Ken and Amy Kauffman Weinstein received devastating news. Their 15-year-old son Harry was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, a sub-type of acute leukemia.
“On the day Harry was diagnosed, I reached out to two Psi U brothers, John Maraganore (CEO of one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical firms) and Tom Lee (my freshman roommate and now chief of pediatric surgery at Stony Brook). This was the darkest moment of my life, and these guys stepped up in a way that I will remember until I go to my grave. Within a few hours, they both put me in touch with major national specialists who reassured us that our course of treatment at Children’s National Medical Center was the right one – and they gave us hope for a much better prognosis.”
Lee and Maraganore also spearheaded a trip to DC, organizing a group of Omega brothers from all over to come and cheer up their former chapter president and friend. “I am so choked up when I think of what these brothers have done for me,” Ken says, “and how much they love my son.”
A lifelong influence for good ...
Beyond friendship, of all that “fraternity” means for young men, which lifelong advantage does Weinstein feel Psi Upsilon was best able to offer him?
“Psi U gave me confidence in my ability to be a leader. My friends and I were college kids — full of energy, but really unsure of ourselves and our abilities. Playing a leadership role at Psi U afforded me confidence in my strengths, but also insights into my weaknesses.
“I didn’t realize how fundamental that was in shaping me. Being president — and I had to have been the least likely guy to be elected — gave me invaluable experiences. You learn how to listen; you learn how to make decisions; you learn how to focus; you learn how to run a meeting. You also learn your limitations as to how much you can take on. You have to deal with confrontation ... and learn from your mistakes.”
From his days as a shy and studious high school scholar, Ken Weinstein has come very far. All that the brotherhood has offered remains his today.
“I feel really blessed. We haven’t always seen each other every year; but when it matters, we’re there for each other; in ways that are absolutely critical.”
A political theorist by training, Kenneth R. Weinstein has written widely on international affairs for leading publications in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He has been decorated with a knighthood in arts and letters by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication as a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He serves by presidential appointment and Senate confirmation as a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the oversight body for U.S. government civilian international media, including such networks as the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting. Weinstein previously served by presidential appointment and Senate confirmation on the National Humanities Council, the governing body of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Weinstein has been a member of numerous non-governmental commissions and task forces on foreign and defense policy, and serves on the boards of non-profit organizations in the U.S. and in Europe. He and his wife live in Georgetown with their three children.
Ken Weinstein on better equipping today’s college students in the skills and literacy necessary for them to thrive in a complex world ...
“A liberal education used to provide students with the ability to transcend their own horizon — the narrow perspective that is the result of our upbringings. To make students reflect on how best to lead their lives, traditional liberal education relied upon reading great works of philosophy, literature and history — and seeking answers within the deep questions raised by, say, Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau or Nietzsche.
Today, liberal education is no longer liberal nor universal. Academics have become increasingly specialized. Rather than teaching students how to think, they seek to teach students disciplines as they now exist. So, my field, political science, no longer really asks students to know history or strategy, which is necessary for international affairs. Instead, it uses pseudoscience models to explain political behavior. Teaching international relations theory or rational choice theory is a very poor way to train future leaders how to think about critical and unexpected policy challenges.
I think the best kind of education is an intense interaction with the great minds of the past, to see how they thought, and how they shaped or rejected the beliefs and horizons we live within today. Combining a true liberal education with a deeper sense of policy challenges — an understanding that, as the founder of Hudson Institute Herman Kahn put it, ‘thinking about the unthinkable,’ to understand how the world of tomorrow could be very different than the world of today, offers an excellent preparation for the future.”
