I have been reading/ listening to the media posts on the most recent crisis in the Middle East--the beheading of our American journalist by the terrorists. Separate from all the partisan political chatter the President's White House speech on this issue reminded me of how important it is for public square leaders to be solid. To be steady.
We often in this media 24 hour news cycle look for our leaders to be the greatest, the best, forceful, partisan, loud, extreme, etc., etc..
What we should really want from public square leaders in crisis situations is for them to be solid and steady. In crisis we do not need all those other modifiers/adjectives. We need them to be solid and steady. To use critical thinking skills, to analyze, to think and to not make sudden and extreme moves.
In crisis: Solid. Steady.