CHAPTER 1

Introduction

There is nothing as easy as denouncing. It don't take much to see that somethingis wrong, but it does take some eyesight to see what will put it right again.

Will RogersJuly 28, 1935

WHERE DO YOU START?

This book shares the lessons I learned over my twelve years, from 1999 to 2011,as principal chief, a time when the Cherokee Nation was transformed from chaos,confusion, and dysfunction to stability, prosperity, and a sense ofaccomplishment. The lessons to rebuild the Nation came from a number of sources:traditional Cherokee wisdom, common sense, corporate governance, marketing,biblical history, legal history, and "hard knocks"—we understood thelanguage of many disciplines. The leadership lessons and language were not thestuff of stereotypes manufactured by Hollywood. Our work was nation building,similar to that of other governments of the world. As we all know, lessons arenot learned linearly and sequentially, but rather organically and often withoutany apparent rhyme or reason. The concepts herein are not unusual. A fundamentalpremise is that we must frame and remember our lessons so that we don't have torelearn the same lessons over and over with different words and from newcircumstances. The vocabulary I choose, I remember and I use. Lessons accumulateinto knowledge and integrate into wisdom.

As a result of these lessons, by 2011 the Cherokee Nation had developed, grown,and matured exponentially:

• Jobs created by the Cherokee Nation increased from 2,800 to 8,500.

• The healthcare system grew from $18 million of services to $310 million.

• Assets increased from $150 million to $1.2 billion.

• $600 million of construction was completed.

• 100 children were enrolled in a Cherokee language immersion school.

• The Cherokee Nation became a national model for accountability, transparency,and self-governance.

• The regional economic impact of the Cherokee Nation in 2010 was $1 billion.

This book is based on a very simple leadership model, where leadership isdefined as going from Point A (where you are) to Point B (where you want to be).During my time as principal chief, it became clear to me that the more we focuson the final product, goal, objective, purpose, end, or destiny—i.e.,Point B—things get accomplished and leaders learn what is necessary tosucceed along the way. In other words, we ought to look at the end rather thanget caught up in tanglefoot.

The lessons learned apply not only to the building of tribal nations but tobusiness, government, nonprofit organizations, and, most importantly, toindividuals, families, and communities.

The Cherokee Nation is the second-largest American Indian tribe or nation in theUnited States. It has a great legacy of facing adversity and adapting,prospering, and excelling. Many do not understand that the Cherokee Nation is agovernment designated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1830 as a "dependent domesticnation" and has been recognized in the world community of nations since 1721,with its first treaty with Great Britain. That international recognitionoccurred 55 years before there was a United States of America.

The Cherokee Nation faces external and internal adversity. The externaladversity comprises hostile public sentiment and unfavorable federal and statepolicy. It is like the pendulum on a grandfather clock swinging from one extremeto the other. In the Nation's history with the United States, the full swing ofthe pendulum occurs every 20 to 40 years. At one extreme of the pendulum, theIndian tribes and nations prosper. After a time in this prosperous period,mainstream society begins to want the tribe's assets, such as logistics,sovereignty, hunting and fishing rights, or natural resources such as land,water, or oil and gas rights. At times, mainstream society has even covetedtribal children, artwork, and identity. When public sentiment grows strongenough, the federal government through treaty and law takes or permits thetaking of those assets by whatever means necessary. Thus the pendulum swings theother way. At the opposite end of the swing, the Indian tribes and nations arepoor, destitute, and desperate. During this desolate period, public sentimentonce again begins to shift toward indifference or support of tribes, and theabsence of hostile federal policy allows the tribes and nations to get back ontheir feet. As the tribes and nation begin to rebuild assets and to prosper, thependulum begins to swing the other way, repeating the cycle.

The greater adversity involves the internal challenges of leadership, communitycohesion, protecting family, and holding on to time-tested cultural values.Today, Indian tribes and nations face the same onslaught of mindless television,addictive social media, poverty culture, consumer convenience, politicalpandering, and crass marketing that weakens the informed resolve of allAmericans.

CHEROKEE NATION SOVEREIGNTY AND HISTORY

A brief legal history shows how the foundation of social, political, andeconomic relationships between the people and governments of the United States,the state of Oklahoma, and the Cherokee Nation developed through the years. Onoccasion, I hear anti-Indian business interests complain that the "playingfield" is not level because Indian nations have "unfair advantages." Usuallythis assertion comes from certain businesspeople in industries that have enjoyedtremendous tax breaks and subsidies from both the federal and state governments.Part I began with a legal chronology of the Cherokee Nation. What thischronology shows is that the "playing field" was set at Oklahoma statehood in1907, when the Indian nations, including the Cherokee Nation, again reservedtheir rights. The state of Oklahoma became a state subject to the rights ofIndian nations. In fact, the Enabling Act of 1906 and the Constitution ofOklahoma in 1907 specifically disclaim the...