Crowley & Gates: In the Absence of Leadership, No One Wins

Enough already. Both Professor Gates and Officer Crowley acted inappropriately. "Stupidly" if you want to use that word. If you can't manage your own behavior, who can you manage?

Was Gate's offended by Crowley's treatment of him as a black man or was he insulted by Crowley's lack of appreciation for his status and accomplishments? Was Crowley doing his job, or was he offended that Gates had the audacity to disregard his authority?

Okay...Gates is not a racist, but he more than anyone should understand the emotions associated with labeling someone based on limited information. Like it or not, Officer Crowley was in the line of duty. We are all taught to respect the authority of a police officer. Instead, Professor Gates challenged Officer Crowley's authority by pushing the hottest buttons he could find.

Okay...Crowley is not stupid, but his inability as a law enforcement agent to diffuse this situation calls into question his judgement, if not his competence. This was Officer Crowley's situation to manage effectively.  Instead, he fueled a hot flame and turned it into a raging fire.

Everyone is talking about the lesson to be learned here, but the biggest lesson's are for Crowley and Gates. Great leaders know when managing a situation calls for a firm hand - or not. Great leaders know that humility is a sign of strength and maturity - not a sign of weakness. But the greatest characteristic of a leader is the ability to demonstrate self confidence by acknowledging an error and accepting responsibility for it.