[Initial Insight] Carter's Leadership That Shone Even Brighter After Retirement

Jimmy Carter, the former President of the United States who passed away at the age of 100, was not initially classified as a ‘successful president’ by conventional standards immediately after his retirement. His failure to secure re-election is a clear example. In the 1980 U.S. presidential election, he managed to secure only 49 out of 538 electoral votes. This remains the worst defeat in the 20th-century presidential election history based on the electoral college.

There were several reasons for Carter’s failure to win a second term. During his presidency, the U.S. economy experienced stagflation, characterized by slowing growth and soaring inflation. The inflation rate, which was around 6% in his first year in office, surged past 13% in the later years of his term, while unemployment reached as high as 7%. Neither monetary and fiscal policies nor economic strategies, including energy plans, worked effectively, leading to widespread concerns about an ‘American crisis.’

Additionally, the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution, recorded as a ‘diplomatic failure,’ dealt a severe blow to his approval ratings. Around 50 people, including U.S. embassy staff, were taken hostage, and the special forces rescue mission known as ‘Operation Eagle Claw’ ended in failure. The U.S. presidential election held while the hostages were detained for over a year inevitably became a significant political burden for Carter. For a time, even within the Democratic Party, he was mocked for ‘weak leadership.’

However, Carter’s leadership truly shone after he left the presidency and returned to Georgia. Returning as a member of society, he volunteered as a Sunday school teacher every week and led the ‘Habitat for Humanity’ movement, helping people living in poor housing conditions worldwide by personally wielding a hammer. He also established the Carter Center and actively engaged in global peace, human rights promotion, disease eradication, and poverty alleviation efforts. In conflict zones such as Ethiopia, he acted as a peace mediator, leveraging his status as a former president. These efforts were not mere events but continued for decades into his 90s.

Following Carter’s state funeral last week, local media praised him as perhaps not the most successful president in U.S. history but certainly one of the most influential. This was not just a tribute to the deceased. The New York Times (NYT) noted the attendance of five former and current presidents at the funeral as “a tribute to his 40 years of humanitarian work after leaving the White House.” In another article, the publication analyzed that “from contempt to respect, Carter’s legacy evolved after his presidency.”

The online media outlet Vox also highlighted Carter’s post-presidential dedication to peace and service in an article titled “Jimmy Carter’s Legacy: A Disappointing Presidency, an Amazing Post-Presidency,” focusing on his 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.

Carter’s path offers an alternative model of presidential leadership today. Although his four-year term was harshly judged due to economic crises, his second act after retirement recalls leadership expert Dr. John Maxwell’s words: ‘True leadership is not given by someone but made possible through influence.’

The core of Carter’s leadership, proven throughout his life, emphasizes moral values such as human rights and integrity, social contribution, tolerance, and generosity. These were the very principles he stressed most in his 1977 inaugural address?the ‘unchanging principles in a changing era’ that leaders must uphold.