Below the Line With Former U.S. Ambassador David H. Wilkins

Welcome to Below the Line, a monthly question-and-answer column in which Chancellor Bennie L. Harris, Ph.D., of the University of South Carolina Upstate interviews a leader about change, technology, education, and leadership. This month, Dr. Harris spoke with David H. Wilkins, an attorney and a former U.S. Ambassador to Canada who also served as speaker of the South Carolina House for 11 years. (This article has been edited for content, clarity, and length.)

Q: You grew up in South Carolina and played tennis on scholarship at Clemson University before earning your law degree at the University of South Carolina. How did those early experiences shape the discipline you brought to law and public service?

A: Anyone who plays sports in high school or college develops traits that help guide them later in life: mental toughness, grit, perseverance, organization, humility, and teamwork. These aren't just tennis traits; they're life traits that apply in the classroom, the boardroom, the operating room, or a U.S. embassy overseas. You don't realize you're learning them at the time, but looking back, you see how they built the determination and organizational skills you draw on today.

Q: You served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army before returning to Greenville to practice law. What did your military service teach you about leadership that stuck with you for the rest of your career?

A: Leaders lead from the front. Leaders eat last. Leaders lead by example. I consider myself an ordinary guy from Greenville who's been blessed with extraordinary opportunities, including the chance to work for and learn from leaders like George W. Bush. I never could have imagined this future for myself. My attitude starting out was simply to get through the day, get through the week, and see where it led.

Q: You practiced law for more than three decades. Why did you decide to shift, and to run for the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1980?

A: I woke up one morning, read in the Greenville newspaper that Rex Carter — the Speaker of the House who represented my district — wasn't running again, and decided right then I was running. My wife thought I was joking; my parents and older brother thought it was crazy. That evening I was already at my best friend's house planning the campaign, with no real idea what we were doing. I'd been out of the Army about seven years and wanted to give back to the community that had blessed me. It was a Democratic district, and I told my wife I'd serve two years and be done. I ended up serving 25.

Q: You worked on major reform efforts, including the state's ethics bill and judicial and government restructuring. Looking back, which piece of legislation are you proudest of and why?

A: As Speaker for 11 years, I had a hand in the Education Accountability Act, the LIFE Scholarship, ethics reform, and government restructuring. But the most difficult, and the one I'm proudest of, was the 2000 effort to remove the Confederate flag from the State House dome and out of the House and Senate chambers. We couldn't get the votes to remove it entirely, so it was relocated to the State House grounds. (Full removal didn't happen until years later.) 

It divided the state — protesters at my office every Friday, demonstrations at the State House, “Dump Wilkins” signs around Columbia. We won the House vote by just five votes, and on July 1, 2000, the flag came down. It was time for South Carolina to define itself rather than let outsiders define us by a flag.

Q: As Speaker, you presided during the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. What did that time teach you about steady leadership in a crisis?

A: About five weeks after 9/11, I visited President George W. Bush in Washington with my son. What was meant to be a five-minute visit turned into an hour. He told me about the day itself, his visit to New York, and how he'd never planned to be a wartime president but now saw it as his mission to protect and defend America every day in office. He was remarkably calm, saying he could feel the American people praying for him and knew what he had to do. That calm was contagious; I called my wife afterward and told her he made me feel like things were going to be OK. That's what real leadership looks like: calming things down and reassuring people, especially when they need it most.

Q: As you said, you helped write and co-sponsor legislation related to education accountability and the LIFE Scholarship Program. Why did education policy become such a priority during your time in office?

A: I credit my parents. They always expected good grades, and you didn't want to bring home a C. I'm a proud product of Greenville County Schools, and my sons attended the same schools I did. The LIFE and Palmetto Scholarships, later funded by the lottery, matter because they keep talented students in state and make college possible for kids who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Q: For young people in South Carolina today who might not see a clear path forward, what would you tell them about the value of education as a foundation for opportunity?

A: Education is the great equalizer. You have to get that education so you can compete and do well later in life. Without it, you're at a disadvantage the whole way through.

Q: Tell me about stepping into the role of U.S. Ambassador to Canada. How did you prepare, and what did you learn?

A: Being ambassador to Canada was the privilege of a lifetime. About a third of the roughly 170 U.S. ambassadors worldwide are political appointees like me; the rest are career Foreign Service officers who typically spend 20 to 25 years rising to that level. There's an “ambassador school” plus sessions with Canada experts at the State Department. Our embassy in Ottawa had about 300 people, roughly 100 Canadians and 200 Americans, including experts from law enforcement, the armed services, State, and Commerce. You're not expected to be a diplomatic expert yourself — you lean on that expertise — but you are the president's representative. 

Canada depends enormously on the U.S. About 75 percent of everything Canada sells, we buy. I gave speeches three to five times a week and traveled the country constantly. Every morning I'd look in the mirror and remind myself: “You get to represent the United States today. Don't screw this up.” It was a natural high for four years.

Q: One of your signature achievements as ambassador was helping resolve the decades-old U.S.–Canada softwood lumber trade dispute within your first 20 months. Walk me through that, and the leadership approach that made progress possible where past efforts had failed.

A: I was warned before arriving that the U.S. and Canada had been fighting over softwood lumber for a century and it wouldn't be resolved on my watch. Canada supplies about a third of the timber the U.S. uses for house framing and, at the time, tensions were at a fever pitch. The U.S. had imposed tariffs and collected about $5 billion. Everywhere I went, Canadians complained they weren't being treated fairly. About six months into my posting, President Bush met newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper, who made softwood lumber his top issue. 

Bush later asked me directly about it in a briefing, and I told him I couldn't walk him through every nuance of a decades-long dispute, but if he wanted Canada to remain America's closest friend and ally he'd need to solve it, because it was souring everything else in the relationship. 

Bush acted quickly. He immediately consulted with U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab and key senators. Two months later, the Softwood Lumber Agreement was signed in Ottawa, driven by the political capital President Bush and Prime Minister Harper both used to push people toward the middle. It lasted nine years. Notably, the dispute has resurfaced, with litigation ongoing and roughly $10 billion in tariffs collected to date.

Q: You've led in the courtroom, the State House, the diplomatic corps, and corporate boardrooms. What core leadership principles have stayed consistent in all of those arenas?

A: It comes down to a few simple things. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Ask yourself how you'd want to be treated in any given circumstance. Relationships matter. I realize that more and more each day. I used to tell freshman legislators that you really only bring two things into the House of Representatives: your vote and your word. Protect both. Don't give them away easily, and never let your word not be your bond.

Q: Looking back across your career, was there a moment where you changed your mind about something important? What led to that change?

A: Two moments stand out, both during my time as Speaker or early in the Bush administration. (South Carolina) Senator (James Strom) Thurmond was set to nominate me for a federal judgeship, and the morning my name was to go to the White House, I decided the timing wasn't right — I'd only been Speaker six years — and withdrew my name. I don’t regret staying in the House one bit. 

The second was an opportunity to become ambassador to a South American country early in the Bush administration. My wife's mother wasn't in good health, and though Susan went along with it reluctantly, she had real reservations. The morning my name was to be announced, I called the White House and withdrew. She was right and I was wrong. I'm glad I listened to her.

Q: How do you judge, in hindsight, whether a decision like that was the right one?

A: If, knowing everything you know now, you'd make the same decision again — that's how you know it was the right call.

Q: What advice would you give your younger self?

A: The same advice I'd give myself today: Be more patient.

Q: What does the word “service” mean to you after a career spanning law, the legislature, and diplomacy?

A: Giving back. Making a difference in the lives of the people you lead, who follow you, or whom you impact. If you're a leader worth following, you're making a positive impact on the people around you. Service comes in countless forms: cutting a neighbor's yard, serving in city or state government, helping a friend or fellow citizen. It always comes back to whether you're helping someone else.

Q: This podcast is called “Below the Line,” because so much of leadership happens out of public view: in the softwood lumber negotiations, in taking down the Confederate flag. How do you navigate what's visible versus what's happening behind closed doors?

A: What you see at the press conference announcing an outcome isn't what happened in the room when the door was closed. It comes down to relationships — being able to talk to people, work through disagreements, and find middle ground. Bush and Harper did it on softwood lumber. With the flag, the ideal outcome of moving it to a museum wasn't politically possible at that time, so we found the workable option: move it to the State House grounds. That's what I love about governing: those moments when you find a solution nobody thought was possible.

Q: How does trust factor into resolving those underlying, less visible conflicts?

A: Trust doesn't happen; it's developed. I once told then-future Congressman (Harold Watson “Trey”) Gowdy: if you're in a legislative body and a colleague you trust and respect brings you a mediocre idea, that bill will go further than a brilliant idea from someone nobody trusts or respects. You have to build that relationship first.

Q: Do you have a hero, or someone who has been the biggest influence on your leadership journey? What did they teach you?

A: My parents were great role models. My wife, Susan — we're a month from our 55th wedding anniversary — has always been our family's moral compass. If she thinks something's OK, it probably is. 

I've also been fortunate to learn from real leaders: Gov. Carroll Campbell, who mentored me early in my legislative career; President George W. Bush, a huge influence; and Secretary Condoleezza Rice, whom I got to observe closely during her many visits to Canada. I've had excellent teachers and mentors, and I've benefited from every one of them.

Q: Do you have a quote or mantra that resonates with you?

A: Abraham Lincoln's: “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Whatever you do, be the best you can be at it. And when you move up to the next level, be the best there too.