Too few good men and women

There are always those who will rise to the occasion no matter the circumstances. These men and women set new standards by doing remarkable things and by pushing our conception of what’s possible. Why can’t we increase the number of “remarkable” people from a few to many? Furthermore, what’s getting in the way of creating more pathways to success?  

Recently, I was watching “The Men Who Built America” on the History Channel, a six-hour, four-part miniseries that focuses on how five self-made men helped to transform the United States into a global superpower. Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford were titans of their respective industries, continuously innovating and revolutionizing society.

Yet in 2020 — and earlier, frankly — we seemed to have strayed away from that type of drive and ingenuity. While the founders of today’s digital giants have created multibillion-dollar companies, some of what has happened in the digital space has done more harm than good for our society. At times, society seems to be set back by digital innovation: From the way we see each other to the way we communicate, hostility is at an all-time high and much of it occurs online. Unlike the great men of the past who created things from which people benefited in positive and lasting ways, that is no longer the standard today. Those who create today aren’t like those of yesterday, who prioritized the good of the masses. Make no mistake, while they were all very competitive, they were also principled men and most concerned with benefiting the common good.

Regardless of comparing the past to the present, one thing remains clear: Only a few good men (and fewer women) ascertain such great heights of business acumen and success. However, I believe it is time for that to change. It is time for us to change the way we educate the next generation so that the focus is primarily on technology, business and innovation. We must train the leaders of tomorrow to be great inventors, continuously seeking to push humanity forward. We must teach the importance of entrepreneurship and business ownership, and how these result in empowerment that overlaps into other aspects of a person’s life, allowing them to have pet projects and focus on the things they enjoy in their spare time.  

When you study the men who built America, it is clear that they were focused on not only expansion and innovation, but also on ways to fundamentally change their lives and the lives of others through their business leadership and entrepreneurship. They understood that the best way to create lasting change was to change human lives on a large scale. Sadly, not enough of our young people today appear to understand this concept. Perhaps most importantly, many do not see the value in hard work and dedication. We live in a society of “self” and selfishness, not a society that is principally concerned about moving humanity forward and advancing the way that we live and interact. 

Today, mediocrity has become a commonplace feature that we have allowed to permeate and stifle innovation at every level. Discipline and high expectations are key to expanding the pool of potential future leaders.  

The five men in the History Channel’s series faced unprecedented obstacles, but they never gave up on endeavoring to push the needle forward. It is an absolute tragedy that such determination appears lacking among today’s youth. This lack of drive points to why so few men and women have reached the acclaimed heights of America’s men of the past.  

The lives of Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan and Ford can teach us all that the idea of “American greatness” is available to anyone who put his or her mind to it. It reminds us of American ingenuity and the importance of the American Dream — what is possible when we don’t give up, no matter how many times we might hear the word “No.” 

America remains that “shining city upon a hill” that Ronald Reagan spoke of in his farewell speech. What is possible here isn’t possible in the same manner anywhere else in the world. In 2021, let’s begin to unlock that potential and put it into overdrive by increasing the numbers of people who reach those heights. The only way we can accomplish this is by fundamentally changing our expectations and refocusing what and how we teach our children. They need less emphasis on theory and liberal studies and more emphasis on morality, steadfastness, humility, science and business. This will be the key to the future and America’s continued success.

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is the owner and manager of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the Year. He is the author of “Reawakening Virtues.”