From the Desk of Brad Smart: America's Great First Leader

Thanksgiving is not the only time to remember the Pilgrims and their remarkable leader, William Bradford. He gets my vote for America’s First Great Leader, and terrific leadership skills don’t have expiration dates. How can Bradford’s leadership help you as a leader?

My profession is assessing candidates for executive positions and training managers to use Topgrading methods to hire A Players. William Bradford stands out as an incredibly successful leader who “Topgraded” in the sense of using what he called the “chiefest among us” (A Players who immigrated on the Mayflower), to make the most crucial decisions. If your job involves hiring, you’ll find in Bradford’s leadership examples of skills and competencies that can improve your hiring success. You no doubt focus on key leadership competencies, and this blog gives real-life examples that can make your hiring more scalable, because it shows how Bradford utilized his A Players to make brilliant judgments in life-and-death crises.

Incidentally, I’m related to him – he is my grandfather from 11 generations ago. I’ve studied him, and because, as a professional, I’ve assessed and coached over 6,500 senior C-Suite executives, I naturally compare him to them. Bradford stands out with exceptional leadership qualities – qualities that are essential for modern leaders.

First, a little background.

In a world short on compelling role models, amid increasing chaos and division, Bradford’s story is nothing short of awe-inspiring. He led the formation of an autonomous nation-state in a faraway land with harsh weather and, as reported by the Spanish, controlled by “mean, subhuman animals.” (This fake news about Native Americans was spread because the Spanish took slaves and “justified” enslaving them as their attempt to turn these beings into “good Christians.”) Half the Mayflower passengers died the first year, probably of smallpox, but Bradford inspired the 50 survivors to persevere and thrive. He laid the groundwork for America’s democracy, free enterprise, and the values that define being an American. Bradford’s personal qualities became the core values of the Pilgrims and, later, the values that would shape the nation.

We speak English because Bradford’s Plymouth was the first successful family-focused colony. It was so successful that hundreds of thousands of British families ventured to the New World, ensuring an English cultural and political dominance over other nations.

Bradford was the first elected leader in the New World. The first Governor, John Carver, died and Bradford, only 31 years old and sickly, was unanimously elected. In some respects, he was George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, all rolled into one. One hundred and fifty years before the American Revolution, he mobilized and guided the Pilgrims, creating a real-life Camelot of sorts – “a brief shining moment,” grand in spirit and design but deliberately small in scope. His success offers vivid, compelling examples of timeless leadership qualities that continue to resonate.

Why don’t most Americans know much about Bradford?
Simple! Bradford’s historical account, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” disappeared for 200 years. When it was finally found (by a grocer in London wrapping potatoes!), it shed a bright light on the many crises he faced, and Bradford was finally “discovered.” In the book, he states facts. One way to succinctly communicate them is to write his “resume,” but resumes are bragging tools, and he was far too humble to have a conventional resume. So, I wrote a “Pilgrim” resume, giving credit to other A-Player Pilgrims, too, while keeping Bradford’s humility intact.

PILGRIM RESUME WHEN WILLIAM BRADFORD WAS GOVERNOR OF PLYMOUTH COLONY, 1621 – 1657

Home Address and Work Address: RR2 Plymouth, Plymouth Colony, The New World

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PLYMOUTH COLONY

• Plymouth Colony was the first permanent family settlement in the New World. Tens of thousands of British followed and formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony, assuring a dominant English foothold in the New World.

• Stable leadership. William Bradford was Governor for more than 30 years.

• Democracy Pioneer: Helped write the Mayflower Compact (compared to the Magna Carta), enabling laws that assured freedom, equality, and fairness. President John Quincy Adams called it the modern world’s “first successful democracy.” It laid the foundation for the U.S. Constitution.

• Generosity as a Core Value: Bradford, granted all the land by King James I, shared it generously, taking only a small plot for himself.

• “Town Meetings” Assured Freedom of Speech: All members of the community enjoyed freedom of speech because Bradford encouraged all citizens to participate in town meetings.

• Enjoyed Harmonious Relations with Native Americans: Bradford signed a mutual defense pact with Chief Massasoit, which lasted 54 years (until the next generation). Europeans “expanded” by taking Native American land – but the Pilgrims never did that.

• Failing with Socialism, Embraced Capitalism in Plymouth: The Governor discontinued the imposed socialistic system (imposed by the financial backers), which stifled initiative and threatened to destroy the colony. Privatized agriculture, permitting each farmer to work for individual profit; the economic strength of Plymouth immediately soared.

• Separation of Church and State: Despite deep religious foundations, individual liberty was protected, including civil marriage (not religious, as required in England). The Governor helped create laws preventing anyone from simultaneously holding an office in the church and an elected leadership position in Plymouth.

• Celebrated the First Thanksgiving, which later became a national holiday: Chief Massasoit brought 90 braves, and the Native Americans shot deer for food and played kickball for fun.

• The Colony Flourished: Starting with “nothing,” and with half the Mayflower passengers dead, the Governor grew Plymouth to 24 towns while also paying off its debt to English backers. By 1640, Plymouth was economically, politically, and militarily sound.

• Enjoyed a Fair Legal System: Though a trusted sole magistrate, Bradford gave up power by instituting trial by 12 jurors.

• Veteran Care: Pilgrims harmed in battle were supported indefinitely.

• Women Gained Property Rights: In England, when a man died, his wife received nothing; only men could inherit. In Plymouth, when a man died, his wife inherited everything.

• Launched America’s Pastime – Baseball: During rare times of leisure, Pilgrims played stickball, hitting a ball of cloth with a stick bat.

In “Of Plymouth Plantation,” Bradford concluded:
Thus, out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by his hand ... and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled has shone to many, in some sort to our whole nation.
     Governor William Bradford

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Dr. Brad Smart is Founder and CEO of Topgrading, Inc. Topgrading is dedicated to helping companies of all sizes maximize the hiring of high performers. Topgrading assesses candidates for senior positions (where the costs of mis-hires are high) and trains all managers to create teams of almost all high performers. Brad has seven published books on hiring; the most recent three (the first, second, and third editions of Topgrading) were all best sellers.

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