Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Lawyers, judges take a stand in Pakistan
Dear Readers, This
week I want to
comment about the
unrest in Pakistan. No, I am
not going
to muse on
the effec
tiveness of
American
foreign
policy,
rather I
wanted to
comment
on what is
going on
fp* mm
I
Jim Rockefeller
The “Law” man
there, in the context of . . .
lawyers.
There are a lot of lawyer
jokes bandied about - “Q:
What do you call a hundred
lawyers at the bottom of the
ocean? A: A good start.”
There is a similar
quote from the Williams
Shakespeare play, “Henry
Mentoring - a powerful development method
Ment ..g has been
arou. , for a very
long time. For
example, Moses’ father-in
law Jethro
served as
a mentor
to Moses
in suggest
ing a bet
ter way to
handle the
burden
some task
of settling
disputes
among the
A %
11*1 mm
Dennis Hooper
Leaders Building
Leaders
Israelites (Exodus 18: 13-
26).
Mentoring is usually an
informal arrangement
between an older, more
experienced individual and
a younger person who is not
as far along in his or her
career.
The mentoring relation
ship is a process of empow
erment in which the men
tor transfers valuable per
spectives to the mentee for
the purpose of the mentee’s
development. The mentor
contributes time as well as
information, awareness,
advice, knowledge, wisdom,
encouragement, emotional
support, career guidance,
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the VI, Part 2,” wrongfully
portrayed as a derisive dig at
lawyers.
In that play, the charac
ter states, “The first thing
we do, let’s kill all the law
yers.” The characters debate
the evils lawyers represent
for the common man. The
catch is they are really subtly
debating is how lawyers are
barriers to despotic rule and
overthrow of a legitimate
government.
In other words, lawyers are
“heroes” and protectors of
civilization and freedom.
Which is a prophetic turn
of phrase when we look at
Pakistan today. Pakistan
is a mess and it has “The
Bomb.”
Originally created as a
nation-state out of the chaos
of the crumbling British
Empire when India won its
linkage to resources, and
sometimes even status or
protection.
Mentoring relationships
often seem to occur sponta
neously. However, both par
ties are usually able to trace
the relationship back to some
initial overt request, perhaps
small, from either the men
tor or mentee. (“Protege” is
a synonym; “mentee” seems
to be more commonly used
today.)
Many strong mentoring
relationships develop slow
ly. Neither party may even
use the word “mentor” to
describe what is happening.
The mutual respect level is
high and both parties are
willing to examine and share
perspectives on methods and
approaches in successfully
accomplishing work.
For mentoring relation
ships to develop and remain
healthy, the chemistry
between the two individuals
must be right. They share
similar values. They each
raise questions and offer
stimulating ideas. Each
individual derives some ben
eficial consequences, though
these are often not overt
ly raised or even acknowl
edged.
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freedom; Pakistan is a man
ufactured Muslim-nation as
the counterpart to the much
larger, powerful, and urbane
Hindu-nation of India.
For years, Pakistan has
been ruled by the Army,
which is the one cohesive
and influential power-center
in Pakistani politics.
First, the military ruled
with dictatorships. Then, in
1999, after a constitution had
been approved and a civilian
government was elected, in
a bloodless coup, Gen. Perez
Musharraf seized power as
President. The Army was the
institution which gave him
the ability to do this.
Eight years later,
Musharraf is faced with
turmoil all around, as he
maneuvers power levers to
maintain his control over the
country. Pakistan’s north
Many successful lead
ers have never had a men
tor. However, anyone who
has been fortunate enough
to have experienced such a
relationship will typically
speak of it with very appre
ciative words. “Trial and
error” may be a very effec
tive method for learning, but
it consumes large quantities
of time and the number and
size of errors may be very
detrimental to one’s career!
You may be wondering, “If
mentoring relationships are
beneficial to both parties,
why are there so few such
relationships?” Or maybe
you are thinking, “Hey, if
mentoring relationships are
so effective, why not start a
formal mentoring process in
our organization?”
Those are good questions,
and I’ll offer some answers
next week. For the rest of
today’s article, let’s look
at some characteristics of
mentors. (As you read these,
think about whether you
qualify as being a mentor to
a developing leader in your
organization.)
Mentors have a passion
ate interest in helping oth
ers grow. They see potential
in younger, less experienced
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OPINION
ern provinces, bordering
Afghanistan, are a safe-haven
for A 1 Qaeda. Just to the
East, India and Pakistan are
locked in a bitter struggle for
supremacy in the Near-East,
including the barely cold war
with India over the disputed
Kashmir region.
The United States is put
ting pressure on him to
remain a partner (although
it is debatable how strong a
partner) in the Afghan front
against terrorism. Add to
the mix a restless extrem
ist Muslim populace boil
ing beneath the surface of a
country trying to modernize
and westernize.
Musharraf, some might
argue, is drunk with the
power of a dictator and has
subverted the constitution to
stay in power; others jus
tify his heavy-handed tactics
individuals and are willing
to share their understanding
to help develop that poten
tial. However, they are selec
tive about where and how
they use their time, so they
are unwilling to invest heav
ily in more than one or two
individuals concurrently.
Mentors have perspective,
able to envision “what could
be” for a given individual.
They are willing to offer sug
gestions to enable the per
son to move in that direc
tion. They are aware of what
is good for the organization
and good for the individual,
and they hold these in prop
er balance.
Mentors expect mentees
to bring agenda items for
dialogue. They are flexible
and able to flow with the
interests and attention of
the mentees. However, they
expect mentees to respect
their time and respond
thoughtfully to the sugges
tions offered.
Mentors are able to
See HOOPER, page 8A
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to keep Pakistan from com
ing apart from the seams
- again, Pakistan has nuclear
weapons.
Standing against him are
lawyers and judges. Yes, law
yers have gone to jail rather
than permit Musharraf to
destroy the rule of law by
his cavalier treatment of the
Pakistani constitution.
Musharraf has replaced
the Supreme Court with
hand-picked justices, because
it had barred him from run
ning for president, while also
being the Army chief. This
past week, the hand-picked
judiciary rubber-stamped
Musharraf's election as pres
ident, despite his simulta
neously running the single
most powerful political force,
e.g., the Army.
Why are Pakistan’s trou
bles a cautionary tale for us?
Assessing Your
Leadership Skills
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Because Musharraf s illegiti
mate path to power has been
at the expense of the rule of
law.
Lawyers and judges have
bravely tried to stand in his
way and have suffered the
consequences for doing so.
So, when you tell the next
lawyer joke, remember that
lawyers protect us from des
potism, elevating the law
above the individual ruler.
Local attorney Jim
Rockefeller owns the
Rockefeller Law Center and
is a former Houston County
Chief Assistant District
Attorney, and a former
Miami Prosecutor. E-mail
confidential legal questions
to ajr@rockefellerlawcenter.
com. Visit www.rockefeller
lawcenter.com for Frequently
Asked Questions and Jim’s
blog, The Rockefeller Report.
F. Dennis Hooper
Certified
Leadership Development Coach
Building leaders and
organizations of excellence
(478) 988-0237
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