Robert McNamara: A Fan's Note

My enduring visual image of Robert McNamara, who died on July 6 at the age of 93, is a disturbing one — watching this steely-eyed Washington official on television in the 1960s presenting the latest body counts from the Vietnam battlefields. That said, I was nonetheless always fascinated by this complex man who undertook vastly complex schemes — waging war in Vietnam or, as World Bank president, waging war on poverty, or later in life, waging a kind of war to rehabilitate his image as the "architect" of the Vietnam conflict. In its lengthy obit, the New York Times called him "the most influential defense secretary of the 20th century."

He never seems to have waged war in the boardroom, however. He was a big-time corporate director who apparently served with distinction ... but exceedingly under the radar. There is virtually nothing in the coverage of his passing that details these public-company affiliations. And there is nothing in the public record by or about him that I am aware of that sheds any illumination on his corporate board service.

I know of McNamara's board affiliations because he and I had an exchange of correspondence in 1980s. Until I checked my archives, my memory was certain that I had invited him to write an article for Directors & Boards. But that wasn't it. At the time I was helping out as program chair for the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors. What I did was invite McNamara to come speak to our group.

In unearthing my note to him, dated Jan. 27, 1986, I see that I wrote this:

"I had the very good fortune to be in the audience for your appearance before the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia's Conference on Strategic Defense and American Security. You gave us a terrific understanding of the 'Star Wars' concept and workings — or nonworkings, as I think you indicated for good reasons.

"My thought in inviting you to speak to our organization is that as a director of the Washington Post Co., Trans World Corp., Corning Glass Works, Bank America Corp., Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., and the Ford Foundation, we could look to you for a stimulating briefing on how you view the role of the board today and what you see as the major issues facing directors and managements now and in the years ahead. This is only a start in suggesting possible subject matter of mutual interest to you and our group."

In a polite and not unsurprising response, considering what his life must have been like with the above board affiliations, he wrote back:

"Thank you for your letter of January 27 and its invitation to speak before your Association. I wish I could accept. However, my schedule is so overcommitted, I cannot take on additional assignments. I am sorry and hope that you will understand."

Rather than the TV image of the cold, calculating, accused warmonger, I much prefer to hold this image of McNamara — as a distinguished and accomplished board director who undoubtedly dispensed great wisdom on organizational management and global affairs to his fellow directors and management teams. What a story he might have shared if we at Directors & Boards or the NACD could have gotten him to talk about being not an architect of war but of public company governance.

Director's Mantra: 'Another Day in Which to Excel'

I did something very out of my comfort zone today — I marched as a military veteran in a Memorial Day parade. 

I'm rarely in a position to be so public about my military service. Vietnam-era vets, after all, are used to not much fuss being made about them or their service to Uncle Sam. But when my local Congressman, Joe Sestak, put the word out for a group of vets to march with him today, I answered the call. (Now in his second term in Congress, this popular and much-admired public servant spent 31 years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of three-star Admiral.)

I initially answered the call back in 1968. Just out of high school, with the Vietnam War going hot and heavy, I enlisted in the Navy. I'm proud to have served my nation in a time of trouble. It's as simple as that, and I generally leave it at that. But stimulated by a holiday like Memorial Day and an experience like my march today as a veteran, I'll share one of my favorite memories — one that has had a formative influence on my life.

The year was 1972, near the end of my four-year hitch. I was attached to a NATO facility in Naples, Italy. With my discharge imminent, my thoughts turned frequently to what my next step might be. I was in one of these contemplative states early one morning when something strange happened. 

I entered the elevator of the base headquarters building. Following me into the elevator was a senior officer, a naval commander, chest splashed with ribbons and medals. A distinguished-looking leader.

After a year of riding this elevator every day, and it being a close-knit community of U.S. naval personnel working in the building, I generally recognized the officers here. But he was a complete stranger. Elevator etiquette being not particularly conducive to striking up conversation between strangers — especially between an enlisted man like me and a high-ranking officer — I gave the obligatory yet friendly salute and settled into what I expected to be a silent ride up.

Little was I prepared for what happened next. The elevator doors closed and we began our ascent. Seconds passed, and he then turned to me. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Another day in which to excel." With that, the doors opened, he stepped out, the doors closed behind him ... and he was never to be seen again.

A random encounter? Probably. Something of a more mystical nature that may have just transpired? Intriguing to ponder. Whatever the nature of that chance meeting many years ago, it gave me my life's mantra — every day, when I walk into my office, I step to the window, look out to the sky and skyline of the city, and say to myself, "Another day in which to excel."

In his Memorial Day address, Congressman Sestak said, "As every sailor knows, there is inevitably a storm at sea." That's something every board member learns too. I've often thought how great it would be for our corporate governance system if every director entered a board meeting heeding the mantra, "Another day in which to excel." There might well be fewer storms to navigate ... and far fewer queasy shareholders!