An Army of Normal Folks - America's Leadership Crisis

Episode Date: August 29, 2025

For Shop Talk, Coach Bill reflects on US News and World Report's recent article titled “New Poll: Americans Say the U.S. Is in a Leadership Crisis”. And offers a solution to this crisis. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, everybody. It's Bill Courtney with an Army of Normal folks, and it's ShopTock number 67. Oh, look, there's Alex. Welcome to the shop. Jeez, Louise. I don't know. Okay, guys, today, shop talk number 67, something that's near and dear to my heart. So much to my heart, I wrote a book about it. My book's called Against the Grain, by the way. Shameless plug, Alex. It's available on Amazon. Did you hear actually Peter Moodabazi? This episode's not out yet. it, but I think it's Tuesdays. He actually said, I like to go against the grain

during the interview. I know. I almost said I wrote a book about it, but I left it alone. But I did write a book about leadership and other ponderables. And if you want it, you can get it at your Amazon store is called Against the Grain. But today we're going to talk about America's leadership crisis right after these messages from our generous sponsors. Come on, why is this taking so long?

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The injured were being loaded into ambulances, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism. Law and order, criminal justice system is back. In season two, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight. That's harder to predict and even harder to stop. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

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Predisposition to depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons. What do you say, Buzz? Another beer? And triumph over addiction. Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin. Good luck to you. And become a true hero.

Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module. Not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself. Buzz. We intercepted a Soviet radio transmission. Starring me, John Lithgow. Can you put it through? No, can you translate? On the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult.

But it happens all the time to people just like you. And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc and I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week, we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out. Trust me, new episodes every Wednesday on exactly right. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. opinion survey and their article about it is titled new poll americans say the u.s is in a leadership crisis i know i'm going to like all this content Alex but the title's like duh new poll

americans say the u.s. and leadership crisis really i mean nobody approves of anything but we're going to dig into that poll right now i think some of the results will help crystallize it okay well i say it all the time i think we even open our show with it uh but here we're go. The article reads, from the White House to the courthouse, I would say from the White House to the outhouse, the emergency room and the classroom, Americans are losing trust and institutions illuminating a leadership crisis across the United States. According to a new survey by U.S. News & World Report, the disappointment is most acutely felt when it comes to public service leaders, more than four of five adults, guys, that's 85 percent, say government

officials and other community leaders care more about their own power and influence than what's best for the people they represent. We could cue the way an army of normal folks opens up every single show right now if we wanted to. The distrust and disenchantment permeates other major sectors of society as well was 73% disappointed in health care leaders, 72% disappointed in business leaders, and 68 in education leaders. Politicians overwhelmingly come to mind when first Americans are asked about leaders. But those survey had little positive to say. The public-related political leaders' trustworthiness among the lowest of any leader group at 31% and 75% say they have too much power.

The vast majority, 87%, said there is a leadership crisis in public service, above the rates for health care, 79%, education, 79%, and business, 72%. Across the public service sector, which includes politicians, 85% of respondents said that leaders care more about their own power and influence than what's best for the people they serve. In the latest survey, confidence in specific public institutions ranges as two-thirds of the public trust the Supreme Court to act in the best interest of the American public. Only two-thirds, y'all. That's a non-partisan body, and only 66 percent trust the Supreme Court to act in the best interest of the American public. Less than half the respondents said that the same of the Trump administration, 47 percent,

And by the way, before anybody gets weird about that, I've looked this up. But less than half-respondents said in the same of the Trump administration, 47 percent, or Republicans in Congress, 47 percent, who are now in the midst of summer recess. Democrats in Congress didn't fare much better, 52 percent. The leadership void isn't helped by the fact that most Americans don't aspire to follow in their leaders' footsteps. More than three and five say they don't see leaders today in any second. whom they aspire to emulate. Before I go to one of my solutions,

I do want to just note that the Trump administration of 47%. I looked it up and in the last eight administrations after their first year in the White House, given Republican or Democrat, no president has ever enjoyed an approval rating over 40, Not one. Not one. So sure, the current administration, and I'm not taking up for Trump. I'm just saying the current administration at 47% don't think, oh, well, that's because it's Trump. No, that's pretty much how it's gone for the last 40 years. That's actually pretty high. A lot of presidents have been at 39 and 40% recently. It's true. It's absolutely true, which is almost surprising that it's 47%. point is just like we talk about when we open every army and normal folks is that there is a leadership void and we believe the answer is an army of normal folks

well one solution I wrote about it actually got picked up as an op-ed in just This week, didn't it? Yeah, so Monday. Yeah, Monday. And it got printed in the local newspaper, the commercial appeal. It's titled, We Need an Army of Normal Leaders, like the Grunt Padre. Here's what it says. In our toxic era of controversial and out-of-touch leaders,

there's something incredibly refreshing about having a seemingly normal leader, like Pope Leo, the 4th. 14th, who loves normal things like the Chicago White Sox and is known for his humility. A friend of mine was deeply impacted by another priest so normal that he was known as the Grunt Padre. Father Vincent Capadano's nickname was well-earned. Father Vincent requested to join the Marines and the Vietnam War. He joined his men in every aspect of life, from smoking cigarettes to playing blackjack to living with them and hearing their confessions while sitting on empty ammo boxes. He even joined them in the field, which is something I remember reading no other chaplains did,

but I think maybe a couple did, but for the most part, chaplains would not join people in the field, and he did. On September 4, 1967, he joined them in a treacherous battle known as Operation Swift. This thing claimed the lives of 127 Marines. Father Vincent spent the battle under heavy fire, sustaining multiple wounds from gunshots and a mortar shell, while saving the lives of men and comforting them when they died. The Grunt Padre paid the ultimate sacrifice when he was shot 27 times in the back and died on the battlefield with his Marines. To this day, he is one of only four priests to receive the Medal of Honor. One man who was later impacted by reading of a

about Father Vincent. I guess a missionary doesn't stop working even after he dies, does he? That was certainly true in the life of one of his men. My friend, and I say my friend with all respect, he was more of a mentor than anything, but he once called me his friend, so I get to call him my friend.

My friend, Lieutenant Frederick Smith, you all may know him better as Fred Smith, the founder, and CEO of FedEx, who recently passed away, actually now was chairman of the board when he passed, but very recently. Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx. Fred first met Grunt Padre at a late-night poker game,

telling the National Catholic Register that Father Vincent was a heck of a gambler, and he used to lift a lot of money off people in poker games, but he always gave it away to someone in need. Smith was better than him at one thing, recalling that Father Vincent used to go out at night, go out at night to take a smoke, something that was really forbidden by the military to do because of the presence of the enemy. So I showed him how to poke a couple holes in a C-Rash and cardboard box, light a cigarette,

and then slip his head into the box under his poncho and smoke to his heart's content. Father Vincent's normal acts of connecting with his men and eventually saving several of their lives, fostered a love and an admiration for him years after his death. Fred once said, Words can't adequately describe my feelings about Father Capadano. I love Father. Smith told Capadano's biographer that Father's example inspired him to re-engage with his faith and to take the rest of found FedEx.

In fact, the priest spent so much to the billionaire that he visited his Stad and Allen grave countless times, even taking his children with him on many occasions. That's the profound impact that a normal leader can have. We need an army of normal leaders. I think about Father Capadano as just this normal guy who's a father who led. But again, the way he led y'all was service. He served in order to lead. I believe when we talk about these numbers that the world, what is it, news report, what's it called?

U.S. News and World Report? Yeah, them. All those numbers that, honest, we've talked about, I mean, these are not new surveys. It's not because the leaders are necessarily awful people or don't wear the right clothes or whatever is we don't see them serving others in order to lead. leaders of our time, the most revered people of our time, always serve in order to leave. They don't sit on some mountaintop exalted. They get down to the dirt, they work, they act like normal people, they have humility, and they serve, and in doing so they lead, and in doing so they inspire. And in doing so, they are revered. I think the solutions to our crisis of leadership

in America are really, really simple. Serve. Serve. Find your passion. Couple it with your abilities and let that passion and ability collide at an opportunity to serve and make your corner of the world a little better place. And in doing so you become a part of the army of normal folks and a steadfast servant leader that can change these very numbers that we continue to hear about our quote leaders and society today. And I think Father Capadano is a beautiful example because without his service, without his leadership, Fred Smith may have never made it back from Vietnam. And Fred Smith admittedly said before he died, if it wasn't for the,

a father, I would have never found my way back to my faith and maybe not have had even the courage to have even started FedEx. So that little bit of service that Father Capitano gave in Vietnam by just being a normal grunt padre seeing an area of need and filling it, you know, the world changed because of FedEx and the thought that it might not have even happened because the founder of it might not have even had the courage and the faith to do it had it not been for the impact that this father had on him is just a glaring example of what a normal person can do and the legacy and effect of that engagement. So, yes, we have a perception of an absence of leadership in our society

today, but I think the perception is wrong. The problem is the focus is not on where will leadership is happening. And that focus should be on an army and normal folks and each of you doing what you can every day. We need two million grunt Padres run around serving and leading. And then not only will these numbers about perception of leadership in our society change,

but society itself will change as well. One of those numbers, a good change too, is, I have you caught the part? where it said they asked people who comes first in mind for the title leaders and people said politicians yeah so if we're really successful in this people will not say politicians is the first thing yeah they come to mind when they say leaders it's a really good point and I did catch catch it when I read it and I hadn't commented on it but that's it that's a great point ironically enough you're supposed to go to Washington to serve your constituents you're supposed to go to

Washington to serve those the people in your district if you're a if you're a house member or the people in your state if you're a senator or obviously every American is your president and their perception that the service is selfish and and for oneself rather than for the very people they sent to serve but they are still seen as leaders that whole perception is wrong too. We have to look at it differently. We have to approach it differently. And I just still remain steadfast to my belief that the only way to fix this is an army of normal folks engaging, changing the narrative, changing the perception and changing culture. One more thing to add. I think the idea of being normal is interesting too. So like Capadano's example

of smoking with them, playing poker with them. And obviously it doesn't have to be those two that two things like Pope John Paul the second before he was Pope he would go hiking with young people he would go skiing with young people even my priest who listens to a decent number of the shop talks he plays pickleball with the college students at Old Miss like be normal be willing

to be one among the people and not have yourself separate from them well and listen along those lines briefly we struggled when tidling this whole show at the beginning the word normal you know

what is normal? Maybe the world have an army of common folks, an army of average folks and whatever. But normal is what rolled out of my mouth the first time we talked about it

and we went with normal. And y'all, normal is also a perspective. What we're saying with normal is just doing what the average person does. Just being a just an average person does. Just an average, common, whatever person. And the point is an army of those people serving one another is what can change the world.

And Capadano is the example of that. And just like what Alex said, that's the approach is be common. Be obviously, ironically, by being common as a leader, you become uncommon, if that makes any sense at all. your consistency is the uncommon part that's right yeah yeah all right so that's it uh an army of normal folks is looking for members every day people like father copadano and who knows maybe your service will inspire someone to create the next fortune 50 company uh that changes the world um america's leadership crisis it can be fixed pretty quickly if we'll just get back to the basis of service and leadership

and normal folks doing what they can that's shop talk number 67 uh if you like this please rate and review it please uh email me anytime at bill at normal folks send me ideas for army of normal folks send me ideas for shop talk love to hear them or if you just have any comments i promise you'll answer subscribe to the podcast rate review it what else join the army of normal folks Army of NormalFolks. Everybody, that's Shop Talk number 67. We'll see you next week. Do what you can.

Ah, come on. Why is this taking so long? This thing is ancient. Still using yesterday's tech, upgrade to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, ultra-light, ultra-powerful, and built for serious productivity. With Intel core ultra-processors, blazing speed, and AI-powered performance, that keeps up with your business, not the other way around. Whoa, this thing moves.

Stop hitting snooze on new tech. Win the tech search at Lenovo.com. Lenovo, Lenovo. Unlock AI experiences with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, powered by Intel Core Ultra processors so you can work, create, and boost productivity all on one device. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport.

The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, terrorism. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult, but it happens. all the time to people just like you. And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc and I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out.

Trust me, new episodes every Wednesday on exactly right. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the move. I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast. That's one small step for man. About Buzz Aldrey, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz.

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Buzz, starring me, John Lithgow. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hot. line a different type of podcast. You, the listener, ask the questions. Did George Washington really cut down a charity? Were JFK and Marilyn Monroe having an affair? And I find the answers. I'm so glad you asked me this question. This is such a ridiculous story. You can listen to

American History Hotline on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Thank you.