Psych Sciences student appears on CNN Town Hall
Psychological Sciences student, Emma White, was selected to present her question to former FBI director James Comey during the CNN Town Hall at William & Mary on April 25, 2018.
When asked about her experience at the CNN Town Hall she replied "This was an incredible experience. I am so grateful to CNN, the Student Assembly, and everyone else who made this event possible. I thought that James Comey had thoughtful, genuine, and well-spoken answers. I think he will be a great addition to the faculty of our school. I was a little bit nervous when asking my question. This was my first, and probably only, time on national television. I'm so glad I got this opportunity!"
Emma asked James Comey "In your book, you describe the qualities of an ethical leader. Do you think that effective leaders have to be ethical leaders? And how would you describe President Trump's style of leadership?"
James Comey answered "I think effective leaders, to be effective, in anything near the long term, have to be ethical. And what I mean by ethical is make decisions with an eye towards lasting values, above the urgency of the quarterly earnings statement or individual feelings of political forces or the news, but look at the long term and care deeply about helping their people reach their potential and find meaning in the work. To me, that's the only way to be an effective leader, to be an ethical leader. And one other thing I'll say, to bring truth to the center of your enterprise...the truth about yourself and about the troubles that you're dealing with, is the only way to be effective in the long run. I don't believe that about President Trump. And the reason I say that is - ethical leaders have external reference points. When they're making hard decisions they draw on philosophy or religious tradition or logic or history. They draw on a set of norms and values that help them lift their eyes and figure out what the right decision is. As best I can tell, President Trump doesn't have any external reference points. And it's a hard thing to say, but I believe it. His only reference point is internal - what will bring me what I need, what will fill this hole in me, get me the affirmation I crave, and that's deeply concerning, because the only way you make hard decisions is by looking towards the external reference points. You can't ignore the internal of course, but your first move and your primary move is always to those external points of reference to help you make a good decision. So that's why I say that."
Congratulations to Emma White on a job well done!
