| This groundbreaking leadership research by | | | | military, Daniel attempted to enlist, but he |
| has received extensive endorsements and | | | | was turned down. Unwilling to accept "no" as |
| enthusiastic reviews from well-known | | | | an answer. |
| prominent business, political, and academic | | | | |
| leaders who either participated in the study | | | | He requested information from the draft board |
| or reviewed the research findings. | | | | concerning his rejection. The clerk found |
| | | | that Daniel was "working 72 hours a week at |
| You will discover the proven success habits | | | | the aid station" of the local chapter of the |
| and secrets of people who, in spite of | | | | American Red Cross. Dan was told, "You're |
| difficult or life threatening challenges | | | | already making an essential defense |
| shaped their own destiny to become | | | | contribution, and you're enrolled in a |
| successful, effective leaders. The full | | | | pre-med course at the University, and Lord |
| results of this research will be presented in | | | | knows we'll be needing doctors." So he |
| the upcoming book by Dr. Howard Edward Haller | | | | dropped out of the University of Hawaii and |
| titled "Leadership: View from the Shoulders | | | | quit his job with the Red Cross. |
| of Giants." | | | | |
| | | | Then he re-applied. This time his application |
| The nine initial prominent successful leaders | | | | was accepted. Inouye was bright and eager to |
| who overcame adversity that were interviewed | | | | serve. "In the military, there was another |
| included: Dr. Tony Bonanzino, U.S. Senator | | | | challenge, or obstacle." Dan said, "I was |
| Orrin Hatch, Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator | | | | the assistant squad leader. Then, the |
| Daniel Inouye, Dr. John Malone, Larry Pino, | | | | youngest person was about two years my |
| U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow, Dr. | | | | senior, and the oldest was about 15 years my |
| Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar. | | | | senior." Because these were |
| | | | Japanese-American soldiers who all came from |
| The data from the above nine research | | | | "a society where age makes a difference . . . |
| participants was materially augmented by | | | | where elders are looked upon with a bit more |
| seven other successful leaders who overcame | | | | respect than the younger ones, it was a |
| adversity including: Jack Canfield, William | | | | challenge. So, I had to work overtime at |
| Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, J. Terrence | | | | that, to justify that position." |
| Lanni, Angelo Mozilo, Dr. Nido Qubein, and | | | | |
| Dr. John Sperling. | | | | He was promoted rapidly, first to corporal |
| | | | and then to sergeant. Daniel and his unit |
| Additionally, five internationally known and | | | | were sent to Italy to fight. He earned a |
| respected leadership scholars offered their | | | | battlefield commission to second lieutenant |
| reviews of the leadership research findings | | | | while fighting in Europe. |
| including: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Jim Kouzes, Dr. | | | | |
| John Kotter, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg | | | | In one battle in Italy, near the end of World |
| Wheatley. | | | | War II in Europe, young Lieutenant Inouye had |
| | | | his right arm essentially shot off. In spite |
| This is a short biography of one of the | | | | of the intense pain, he insisted on remaining |
| principal participants who generously | | | | at the battle scene, directing and protecting |
| contributed their time and insight for this | | | | his troops, though he had tourniquets on his |
| important research into the phenomenon of how | | | | right shoulder and the stub of that arm. He |
| prominent successful leaders overcome | | | | was decorated for his heroism, receiving a |
| adversity and obstacles. | | | | Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and the |
| | | | Distinguished Service Cross. He was also |
| This is Senator Daniel Inouye's story. | | | | recommended for, and later received, the |
| | | | Congressional Medal of Honor. Lieutenant |
| Daniel Inouye is the eldest son of Japanese | | | | Inouye was transferred back to the United |
| immigrants who worked on the Hawaiian sugar | | | | States to receive treatment and |
| plantations where Daniel was born and raised. | | | | rehabilitation for his wounds. |
| He lived in what he described as a | | | | |
| "Japanese-American ghetto." He went to the | | | | Senator Inouye told me, "I specifically chose |
| local Hawaiian school, at which "the student | | | | to do my rehabilitation as far away from |
| body was 90% ethnic Japanese." | | | | Hawaii as possible," because he had always |
| | | | been sheltered. He explained, "I had |
| As a young boy, Daniel accidentally fell and | | | | experienced only limited contact with |
| broke his left arm in a terrible compound | | | | anything outside my Japanese-American |
| fracture. The local doctor, an Ear, Nose and | | | | neighborhood." |
| Throat specialist, set the arm. It mended, | | | | |
| but not well. In his autobiography, Inouye | | | | He wanted to see how other people lived, and |
| wrote, "My arm hung limp and crooked and I | | | | became cultured in the ways of the "hoale" |
| could barely move it" (1968, p. 49). | | | | [white] world in the process. "I underwent a |
| | | | 'Pygmalion transformation,' learning how to |
| After two years of searching his parents, | | | | formally dine with silver and china, |
| "contacted the best orthopedic surgeon in | | | | attending cultural events and meetings with |
| Hawaii," who reconstructed Dan's "left arm | | | | as many different types of people as I |
| and made it good as new." That incident | | | | possibly could." |
| formed the basis of Daniel's career goal: to | | | | |
| become an orthopedic surgeon. He told the | | | | Inouye shared that his generation, "in |
| orthopedic surgeon who repaired his arm and | | | | Hawaii, [came] from [Japanese-American] |
| restored it to full use, "I'm going to be a | | | | ethnic enclaves [who] spoke a strange brand |
| doctor, like you." | | | | of pidgin-English. So I felt that if I lived |
| | | | in a community where you were literally |
| He faced racial discrimination when he was | | | | forced to change your way of communicating, |
| nominated to the local honor society in high | | | | it would help. And it did." |
| school and was made to feel most unwelcome | | | | |
| there. | | | | Daniel specifically noted, "In fact, the |
| | | | highest compliment paid was when I returned |
| While still in high school, Dan became a | | | | home to Hawaii, and I opened my mouth to see |
| volunteer with the local chapter of the | | | | how [my mother] was, she said, 'You speak |
| American Red Cross. Then the "entire world | | | | like a 'hoale'!" During his lengthy |
| turned upside down" on December 7, 1942. | | | | rehabilitation, Daniel decided to finish |
| After the bombing, the secretary of the local | | | | college, get a law degree, and then enter |
| American Red Cross chapter called young | | | | into public service. |
| Daniel into action immediately, having him | | | | |
| "help with injured people who had been | | | | He left the U.S. Army as a captain, returned |
| rescued from fallen debris, as well as the | | | | to the University of Hawaii, and married a |
| other wounded that needed treatment." | | | | Japanese-American girl, Margaret Awamura. He |
| | | | completed "law school with a Juris Doctorate |
| Daniel shared that his life had been changed | | | | at George Washington University in |
| by the bombing of Pearl Harbor: "The war came | | | | Washington, D.C. in just two years," and then |
| along, and the challenge was immense, not | | | | returned to Hawaii, where he "took and passed |
| just physical, but emotional. My loyalty, | | | | the Territorial Bar exam." |
| together with those of my generation, was | | | | |
| questioned. We were looked upon as enemy | | | | In 1959 he was elected to the U.S. House of |
| agents, and our friends of Japanese ancestry | | | | Representatives for the new State of Hawaii, |
| were placed in camps, without any trial. And | | | | becoming the first Japanese-American ever to |
| that was something that, though I was fairly | | | | be elected to the U.S. Congress. Inouye was |
| young, I felt had to be overcome." | | | | elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962, and has |
| | | | been re-elected every six years since then. |
| Though Daniel was of Japanese descent, he was | | | | Senator Inouye is the third highest-ranking |
| "100% American." The following year, when | | | | member of the United States Senate. |
| President Franklin Roosevelt finally allowed | | | | |
| the Nisei (second-generation | | | | Copyright 2006 © Howard Edward Haller, |
| Japanese-Americans) to join the United States | | | | Ph.D. |