Adam Foss has gained respect in the eyes of many, including President Obama, for the stance he takes on the issues of incarceration and the roles that play a part in creating problems with this system. He views leadership as a method to bring about change. His personal experiences with the court and jail systems as well as his thoughts about them have led to him to be vocal with solutions and work hard towards them. The main takeaway from Foss’ lecture was the call to be a catalyst for change in the areas of life that you are passionate about and have the most significant effect on you.
Foss grew up in an impoverished home with constant struggles. He wanted to break free from this lifestyle, so this became his biggest motivation for earning a law degree. He was unsure of what kind of law to specialize, but after taking an internship with a court in an impoverished community and seeing the amount of people who are unfairly represented and convicted with crimes time and time again, he decided to be a public defense attorney. His actions in seeking this position were brought on by his realization that there are flaws within the justice system and only good leaders are going to be able to bring about change. After sometime working in this position though, he realized he lacked the power and information to properly help defendants and chose to make the switch to being a prosecuting attorney. He was able to determine that leadership was needed to bring about a change to the system, then through trial and some error determine which position he would be best fit to work through in order to accomplish his goal. Seeing leadership as the catalyst by which change is brought about provided me with a deeper understanding about which positions are best suited to help bring change.
Foss fully believes that there are injustices and errors in our current justice system. His stats of the United States being responsible for placing 2.3 million people in jail and only having approximately five percent of the world’s population support his beliefs and are persuasive for followers to join in support. Foss acts as a leader with full confidence in his cause because of his strong personal beliefs in this matter. No nay sayer will sway his opinion or work due to his firm beliefs and the way he acts based on them. Being an ethical leader requires holding firmly to what you believe basing all of your decisions, this is an area Foss is very strong in.
Passions are what continually motivate change and progress. Foss found his passion in bringing justice into the court systems and restoring the United States’ incarceration rates. Watching him present, I realized that without true passions for my goals, I will not be a very effective leader for motivating others. It is important to experience new things and find the issues in life that I can firmly stand and fight for. I cannot hope to bring about change and results from a group if I am passive and not dedicated. Foss was an excellent example of a passionate leader who is bringing about a change because he is taking actions on an issue he believes is important.
Foss provided insight into the changes a leader should work for, the integrity and personal values they work through, and the passions that are necessary in order for a leader to be truly effective and productive.