Leadership doesn’t always show up overnight.
Sometimes, it takes time, especially for those who get elected to office and start to grow into their roles over their early terms. It’s in those early years that they begin to evolve into the leaders they were chosen to be.
Many legislators who currently serve at both the County and State are good examples of this. A list that would be too long for this article.
PC;; United States Army, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Yet many times, leadership and the act of it is heaped upon people in a much more instant, episodic fashion. One can remember how the State of Hawaii saw leaders emerge and reach their “Peter Principles” during the three-something years of the COVID pandemic in Hawaii.
During that saga, some became bigger, better leaders of the State, and some faded into the background as their abilities to lead were impeded by personal faults or bad judgment calls.
Yet again, with the new year, Hawaii is experiencing a “profiles in leadership” episode. This blog would like to highlight three recent examples.
The three are Governor Josh Green’s and University of Hawaii President Wendy Hensel’s actions in addressing the evolving changes between states and the Federal Government. The third is how Mayor Richard Bissen of Maui approached a situation with the County’s Police Chief and the potential reasons behind his judgment call and doubling down on his approach.
PC: www.hawaii.gov
Governor Josh Green & the White House, how to work and working it.
If one were to have placed a bet as to how Josh Green would have approached Trump 2.0, it probably would not have been a bad bet to say that he’d go into the fighting mode with the White House. Proof lying in a historical review, his predecessor, David Ige, made a big deal when he directed his (then) Attorney General Douglas Chin to file suit against the administration.
As noted by the number of cases that current Attorney General Anne Lopez is involved in against the current Trump administration, one can say that form follows function and leave it at that.
But the interaction that Green has had with the administration has gone way beyond just “fighting”, it also has emerged that Green has no problem in also stating a case directly to the White House.
Two recent events highlight this dynamic. First, Governor Green spoke with former President Trump after opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services. More recently, the University of Hawaii was added—then removed—from a federal list of universities under scrutiny for alleged anti-Semitism
In the former case, Green was able to have a sit down with the President and get a roadmap as to how to approach the White House. Instead of going for the “Orange Man Bad” title and just stereotyping, Green went more adult, seemingly both realizing that Trump ain’t going anywhere and that Hawaii, as a state in the union, was going to need to ask for things.
His interaction it seems helped in the latter, in which he called the White House once the list of schools was issued for investigation, and asked for the University of Hawaii to be taken off the list.
It turns out a respectful ask to the White House got the desired effect because a couple of days later, the list was scaled back, and Hawaii was not on it.
Now, whether future interactions will get the same result is anyone’s guess. At least for now, it seems to be working.
Wendy Hensel – university whisperer
PC: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/12/26/a-new-era-of-leadership/
Having to address a blizzard of Executive Orders from the White House was probably not on the short list of things to face when Hensel ascended to the UH Presidency at the beginning of the year.
Already faced with a variety of challenges that are both specific to the University of Hawaii and American universities overall, her plate was going to be full to overflowing just on those items coming in.
Then came President Trump and his issuing of Executive Orders, from day one, on items like banning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and subsequent “dear colleague” letters spelling out new educational policy limits and demands to change.
As this blogger also works within the university, the effect of these directives, done quickly and in real-time, left many feeling unsettled about all of it.
Having honed crisis management skills during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hensel approached the situation with a methodical, textbook-like precision. She maintained near-daily communication on evolving federal policies, held a March 13 town hall to address concerns, and kept the university functioning despite rising anxiety. Her measured response helped prevent panic, ensuring UH could adapt without unnecessary turmoil.
She did this, all the while, with voices both inside and outside of the University demanding she say more, say things louder, and do more “fighting”. She deftly addressed these voices with a calm, measured response that, in essence, getting all angry about what is happening isn’t going to help, and, with the way the administration acts to angry entities, it might just do more harm than good.
So far, the approach is working.
Along with giving the space to Governor Green to address the issues directly with the White House, the President seems to have, for the time being, gained the space to continue her measured, lawyerly approach to the situation at hand.
PC: https://www.mauicounty.gov/65/Office-of-the-Mayor
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen – reacting hastily
On March 7, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier was named in a lawsuit alleging he posed as a sheriff in a 2018 incident tied to Sean “Diddy” Combs. Just days later, without waiting for a full review, Mayor Richard Bissen urged the Maui Police Commission to put Pelletier on leave—not as a declaration of guilt, he claimed, but as a precaution.
Pelletier wasn’t having it.
Instead of letting speculation take hold, he brought the receipts—documented proof that he wasn’t even in the place where the lawsuit claimed he was. By March 20, the Police Commission reviewed the situation and unanimously rejected Bissen’s request, leaving Pelletier right where he was.
As a profile in leadership, Bissen’s approach to the accusations raises questions about leadership under pressure. Was he acting out of genuine caution, or was he overcorrecting after criticism of his handling of the Lahaina fires? Either way, moving too fast on unverified claims risks undermining trust—not just in his leadership but in the system itself.
A smarter approach, perhaps? Wait for the facts, then act.
Now, Bissen must not only repair his relationship with his police chief but also answer to the public about his judgment. How he handles that challenge will determine whether this was a simple misstep—or a real flaw in his leadership voters won’t forget.
In the end, what stands out in these examples of leadership is how leadership is tested when things get tough. It’s not just about having the title or the power but about how you act when it matters. Watching these leaders in action, you can see that sometimes, it’s the way they respond under pressure that makes all the difference.
And for all of them, how they handle the fallout will define their leadership going forward.