Leadership as Action: Donald McGannon’s Enduring Philosophy
Donald McGannon’s declaration that “leadership is an action, not a position” emerged from a career spent navigating one of America’s most transformative industries during a period of profound social change. McGannon served as the president and CEO of Westinghouse Broadcasting from 1955 to 1981, a time when television was rapidly becoming the dominant medium for news and entertainment in American households. His quote reflects a philosophy forged in the boardrooms and broadcast studios of the postwar era, when television executives wielded unprecedented influence over public opinion and national discourse. Unlike many of his contemporaries who viewed their corporate positions as grants of authority, McGannon understood that true leadership required active engagement with the pressing issues of the day, particularly civil rights and social justice. The quote captures a worldview that positioned leadership not as a static privilege conferred by title, but as a dynamic practice that demanded constant action, accountability, and moral courage.
McGannon’s life and career were shaped by an unusual combination of business acumen and social conscience that set him apart from the typical corporate executive of his era. Born in 1916, he came of age during the Great Depression, an experience that instilled in him a lasting commitment to social responsibility and fairness. He earned his degree from Yale University and eventually joined Westinghouse Electric in 1939, climbing the corporate ladder with steady competence before taking the helm of its broadcasting division. What distinguished McGannon was not merely his business success, but his willingness to use that success as a platform for advocating fundamental changes in American society. He recognized that as a broadcaster with influence over millions of viewers, he possessed not just a position but a profound responsibility to act in ways that advanced the common good.
One of the most striking and lesser-known aspects of McGannon’s career was his pioneering commitment to using television as a force for racial integration and civil rights advancement during the 1950s and 1960s, when such positions were commercially risky and socially contentious. While many broadcasters in the South actively resisted integration and some Northern broadcasters simply ignored racial issues, McGannon directed Westinghouse stations to produce documentaries and news coverage that frankly addressed racism and inequality. This was not mere corporate social responsibility in the modern sense; it was a genuine conviction that broadcasting companies had a moral obligation to confront injustice. He pushed his stations to hire Black journalists and producers at a time when the broadcasting industry was almost uniformly white. McGannon also stood firm against pressure from advertisers and Southern affiliates who threatened boycotts if Westinghouse stations continued their civil rights coverage. His actions demonstrated that the leadership he championed was not comfortable or convenient—it required courage and a willingness to sacrifice short-term profit for long-term principle.
The context in which McGannon developed and articulated his philosophy of leadership was the Cold War era, when American business leaders were increasingly expected to comment on public affairs and the nature of democracy itself. McGannon’s statement that leadership is an action, not a position, was his response to what he perceived as a fundamental misunderstanding about how organizations actually function and how change actually happens. He observed that many executives treated their titles as terminal credentials, expecting deference and obedience simply because of their rank on an organizational chart. McGannon argued that this approach was both morally bankrupt and pragmatically ineffective. True leadership, he insisted, meant actively working to improve conditions, listening to diverse perspectives, advocating for justice, and being willing to get one’s hands dirty in the difficult work of change. This philosophy was radical for its time, suggesting that those in positions of privilege and power had an obligation to use that power for purposes beyond mere profit accumulation.
McGannon’s influence extended beyond Westinghouse Broadcasting into the broader landscape of corporate governance and business ethics. He became a respected voice in conversations about the social responsibilities of corporations and the media, and his quote has been invoked by business leaders, nonprofit executives, and educators seeking to articulate a more humanistic conception of leadership. In contemporary usage, “Leadership is an action, not a position” has resonated particularly strongly in discussions of distributed leadership, servant leadership, and organizational transformation. The quote challenges the hierarchical assumption that only those with official titles bear responsibility for leadership, suggesting instead that anyone in an organization can exercise leadership through their choices and actions. This interpretation has made the quote especially popular in educational settings and in corporate training programs focused on developing leaders at all levels of an organization. Management theorists have built upon McGannon’s insight to develop frameworks for understanding emergent leadership and the ways that organizational cultures shift when employees at all levels take responsibility for driving positive change.
The quote’s enduring appeal lies in how it addresses a persistent tension in organizational life: the gap between formal authority and actual influence. Every workplace contains individuals with impressive titles who fail to lead effectively and others without official authority whose actions genuinely shape organizational direction and culture. McGannon’s formulation acknowledges this reality and empowers the latter group while challenging the former. For everyday life, the quote carries a liberating message: you need not wait for permission or promotion to exercise leadership. Every person has agency in how they approach their work, how they treat colleagues, and whether they speak up about problems and injustices. A junior employee who mentors a new hire is leading. A team member who facilitates collaboration among siloed departments is leading. Someone who takes responsibility for a failure rather than deflecting blame is leading. In this sense, McGannon’s quote democratizes leadership, suggesting that it is not a scarce resource held only by executives but a common capacity available to anyone willing to act with integrity and purpose.
The personal philosophy that