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The United States at 250: Renewal Is the Real American Tradition

The United States has never been perfect, but its capacity for self-correction has long been its defining strength. At 250, the challenge is whether Americans are still willing to do the work of renewal.

My father spent his early years working multiple jobs at once. He stacked fruit in the grocery store, delivered newspapers, worked on a General Motors assembly line and preached on Sunday mornings. Over time, he slowed down. On his 85th birthday, he stepped down as pastor of our hometown church but kept his job as greeter at Chick-fil-A. He often says his work as a preacher and an hourly worker has more in common than people imagine. Both require showing up before sunrise. Both require believing in something bigger than the paycheck. Both require telling people the truth about who they are and who they can still become.

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The same is true for nations.

At 250 years old, the United States of America is the most ambitious brand ever conceived. Like every great institution, it lives or dies by how well it practices what it preaches.

Fifteen years ago, leadership scholars Doug Ready and Emily Truelove called the animating spirit of powerful brands “collective ambition” in a seminal Harvard Business Review article. They captured how great leaders inspire divided people to unify for the common good through a seven-element model that stands the test of time: purpose, vision, promise, values, targets,........

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