REVIEW Peace Corps’ final Korea director outlines 6 points of leadership in book

Cover of “The Long Arc of Leadership" by James E. H. Mayer / Courtesy of Praxis Legacy Press

The U.S. Peace Corps sent approximately 2,000 volunteers to Korea between 1966 and 1981. James E.H. Mayer, who served as the Peace Corps’ last country director for Korea, shares his observations and experiences, as well as the stories of Peace Corps volunteers who served in Korea, in his new book, “The Long Arc of Leadership.”

Hints about the content of this book can be found in the subtitle, “Leadership Lessons from a Life of Global Service.” “Lessons” implies study, and this work often gives the impression of a textbook, albeit a small one. However, in a style that is greater than the sum of its parts, these lessons coalesce into a larger philosophy that offers a better way to live and treat other people.

“Walk slowly,” “listen deeply,” “lead lightly,” “trust wisely,” “hope fiercely” and “love always.” These are, in Mayer’s own words, the six enduring truths in which leadership is rooted. These truths form the basis of the primary chapters of the book, with a structural progression that suggests the strength of their interconnectedness. Mayer defines each term in its own respective chapter as he applies it to leadership, often differentiating it from the leadership we associate with the louder and more aggressive arenas of business and politics. He then shares the stories of participants in the program, through his own experiences working with them as well as their firsthand accounts.

In Korea, the Peace Corps worked primarily in education and health care, and the majority of the anecdotes come from these settings, though there are also numerous comments from Korean staff connected to the program, both sprinkled throughout the chapters as well as in a specific ending section of each chapter, titled “A Korean Voice.” This proves crucial in giving multiple perspectives of this ambitious aid program. It avoids the simple and tired narrative of saviors arriving in a primitive and impoverished landscape. Instead, it treats Korea’s culture, wisdom and experiences with awareness and respect. The work is inspiring but can also be tiring; the exhaustion and discomfort of the volunteers is palpable, as are their feelings of love and compassion as they start to embrace their role in their communities. However, it is the way these volunteers gain that acceptance that reveals the true value of applying Mayer’s six principles of leadership.

James E. H. Mayer is seen during an interview with The Korea Times, published July 10, 1981. Korea Times archive

The lessons in the book don’t speak to today’s cutthroat and partisan world of politics, nor to the acquisitive and calculating world of business. Instead, they speak to the professions that place importance on social value, such as social work, health care and education. After all, these are the professions that value soft-spoken, wise, patient leaders rather than bombastic party bosses and ruthless captains of industry. One might naively imagine what kind of world we would have if politicians and business leaders shared these values as well, though that seems a far stretch in current times, when so many leaders seem devoid of virtue. The shared experiences of the volunteers and their coworkers reinforce Mayer’s intention to share the story of the Peace Corps’ success in Korea, in bolstering the program’s reputation and, more importantly, assisting in the development of the nation.

There is a pattern in the tapestry of the anecdotes shared by Mayer. Patience is rewarded; acceptance of traditional cultural values and knowledge leads to acceptance of the outsider. Of course, the repetition serves to reinforce the lessons, specifically the interplay of the separate tenets of leadership, with each chapter building on the pattern. Entertainment and amusement are not the goal of this work; it is instructive. It takes the right mindset to accept the wisdom in these pages, but it is wisdom worth having.

The first thing an English teacher in Korea — or any other country — may notice as they read “The Long Arc of Leadership” is how useful these lessons are for their profession, and perhaps how useful they would have found this book before they began teaching. Though the specific familiarity of the Korean setting offers a distinct charm to the Korea-based reader, the utility of the teachings has a cultural universality. The connections one makes with their coworkers, with the families that take them in, friendships forged by kindness and mutual concern — these are highly relatable stories for anyone who has traveled and worked somewhere unfamiliar.

James E. H. Mayer / Courtesy of James E. H. Mayer

“The Long Arc of Leadership” isn’t a long work, but it takes time to digest. With an appreciation of the truly meaningful work the Peace Corps undertook in Korea — whether it was English instruction or working with victims of leprosy or tuberculosis — comes an appreciation of the underlying principles that led to those successes. Mayer does an impressive job of outlining what he learned from his own journey and the journeys of so many others, and how those learnings can help us lead with integrity and aspiration. In a world where good leaders are hard to find, we need all the help we can get.

Mayer still maintains strong connections with Korea to this day. He is vice president of Friends of Korea, a U.S.-based organization founded mainly by Peace Corps Korea members. He has participated in several Revisit programs operated by the Korea Foundation, reuniting people who had worked with Peace Corps Korea decades ago.

Arlo Matisz is an economics professor at Chosun University in Gwangju.