Drawing from personal experiences during her time in public office, former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift shared various perspectives on leadership Wednesday by recounting lessons she learned during her tumultuous term as governor - one that included fiscal crisis, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the birth of Swift's twin daughters.
Speaking to a sparsely filled Salomon 001 that included Sue Carcieri, wife of Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri '65, Swift maintained a conversational tone in her lecture - titled "Rising to the Occasion: Public Leadership in Challenging Times" - as she punctuated her speech with jokes and stories, including details about her bouts with morning sickness and her first moments grappling with the events of Sept. 11.
Swift, a Republican, served as governor from 2001 to 2003, after Gov. Paul Cellucci resigned to become the U.S. ambassador to Canada. When she signed on to be governor, she said, the state was in the throes of financial crisis - following years of economic prosperity, her term was a time of significant downturn for the state's budget, she said. Handling the budget was one of the greatest challenges of her time as governor.
Swift spoke as part of the John Hazen White Sr. lecture series. In its 36 years, the series has brought to campus media mogul Ted Turner '60, National Public Radio political correspondent Mara Liasson '77, Newsweek Senior Editor Jonathan Alter, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and "Hardball" host Chris Matthews P'05.
"The power of the purse that governors have is actually probably one of the most extraordinary powers that they have. ... I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how we could stimulate the economy," Swift said in her speech, noting that governors have a more difficult time stimulating the economy than officials on the federal level.
While discussing those difficulties, she narrated two stories in which constituents aired their views on her work as governor. In one, a young boy thanked her for including a substantial amount of money for mental health care.
"For me, that was a great opportunity to remember that there are human costs to everything that you do," Swift said. "When you set a budget, you're really setting a public agenda. You're defining your priorities and just trying to figure out what's important."
Another story focused on an opposite reaction - she recounted an incident in which an old acquaintance asked her why she cut dental care from the state's Medicaid program. Although sometimes uncomfortable, listening to other viewpoints is essential, she said.
"However more difficult that making those very big decisions and important decisions is, by having those interactions with those people who are being impacted or disagreeing with you, I think it's incredibly important that you listen respectfully and with an open mind to those who don't agree with you in any leadership challenge," she said.
Swift dealt with crisis again after the Sept. 11 attacks, as she described her decision not to cancel a special election that was occurring on the day of the attacks.
Swift also spoke of her experience working with officials with whom she had not previously interacted to properly respond to the attacks. Swift said she was a bit uneasy working with a completely new group of people, but that she needed to step out of her comfort zone to make the best decisions.
"In a real crisis, subject matter expertise should trump familiarity. Surrounding yourself with people ... who knew what terrorism might be, who knew what the right response was ... not with the people who knew what I ate for breakfast every morning, was a really important lesson in leadership, " Swift said.
Women in leadership was another key subject for Swift, who represents a number of firsts for women - she was the youngest woman to be elected to the Massachusetts State Senate when she was 25, the first female governor of Massachusetts and the first governor of any state to give birth while in office.
Although she applauds the progress women have made in the workplace, she said she found that the integration of work and family is the leading challenge for women in leadership.
"I use the term 'integration' and not 'balance' because 'balance' connotes that you're always sacrificing one to give to the other, which may in fact happen. But I think the goal is that you can be a good mother, a good father and contribute to a job or a leadership opportunity that's important to you, in a way that doesn't require you ... to sacrifice one for the other," she said.
Swift said that even more progress can be made for women in leadership - during the question-and-answer session, she described the number of elected women leaders in the United States as "abysmal."
After Swift left office in 2003, she became a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in its Institute of Politics. Currently, she is involved with a consulting practice for various educational companies.
